ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the historical background behind the long eort to professionalize British management in the twentieth century. As the title suggests, this process has been contested throughout this period when even the concept of ‘management’ itself as a dened body of knowledge was challenged; these questions over the existence and contents of a distinct ‘management’ eld of study made claims for professionalization that much harder, especially when compared to long-standing professions such as the law or medicine. This chapter therefore attempts to reinvigorate these debates by looking back at changing ideas of professionalization as well as specic instances where groups or individuals have advocated for the professionalization of management workers.
