ABSTRACT
Edwin Gay was an economic historian who became the first dean of Harvard Business School and made it into the world’s premier institution for graduate management education, a position it arguably still holds today. Admired around the world, Harvard has influenced several generations of management teachers and students, in Europe and Asia as well as the Americas. Gay did more than just set up the administration and organisation of the school; he also laid down many elements of its philosophy and pedagogy, including the case study method of teaching, practical assignments with companies and an approach to classroom instruction which emphasised dialogue between teachers and students, not simply lectures. All these methods are still in use in business schools today. It is scarcely an exaggeration to say that Gay shaped the nature of modern management education.
