Abstract

"One of Us: Using “Executive Personality” to Surveil Managers in the United States, 1900-1950"

Karen Mahar, Siena College (KMAHAR@siena.edu)

The “business executive,” a newly identified occupation in 1900, described corporate managers at a variety of levels. The well-publicized rise of these managers, who functioned as the face of the firm to subordinates, other businessmen, and the public, led psychologists, sociologists, and personnel experts to try to identify the traits of the ideal business executive so potential talent could be screened for hiring or promotion. Regardless of approach, nearly all attempts to measure the traits of the ideal business executive landed on “personality” as the most important trait. This paper argues that “executive personality” was used by firms to ensure that their executives resembled an imaginary ideal based on appearance, manners, and politics: white, masculine, native-born, middle-class, and bearing no trace of “foreignness.” It draws from published discussions in business journals and newspapers, the writings of industrial psychologists, a variety of executive “trait” tests, and personnel documents from General Electric, DuPont, and the Dennison Manufacturing Company.