THE CONCEPT OF LIMITATION AS THE FIRST STEP IN UNDERSTANDING CHESTER BARNARD'S ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY: A SYSTEMS APPROACH

Chester Barnard has never been fully appreciated or fully understood. Most of present day theories in administration stem from Barnard's writings. In this article the author attempts to show that although Barnard's theory is complex, the key to understanding it is “the concept of limitation,” itself quite unique. The functional nature of limitation is shown and its relationship to current system analyses.