ABSTRACT

William Hollingsworth Whyte was an American writer and urbanist who made significant contributions to the literature of business and urban development. The Organization Man is the result of a series of interviews with corporate CEOs Whyte conducted while at Fortune magazine. It describes and critiques the corporate culture of post-World War II America, its effects on the middle class, and the impact that culture had on the development of original and creative thought during the post-War period. Whyte's work also showcases the idea that the workplace environment can and does have a huge impact on the personal lives of employees, their families, their finances, and where they live and socialize. This is true regardless of the cultural particulars of the companies and is one of the reasons that The Organization Man is relevant to more than one field of scholarship, further securing its importance for current and future generations.