Chester Irving Barnard (November 7, 1886 – June 7, 1961) was an American business executive, public administrator, and the author of pioneering work in management theory and organizational studies.

[1] Barnard viewed organizations as systems of cooperation of human activity, and noted that they are typically short-lived.

[2] After graduation he studied economics at Harvard University on a scholarship, earning money selling pianos and operating a dance band.

He did not obtain his Harvard BA because he did his four-year work in three years and could not complete a science course, but a number of universities later granted him honorary doctorates.

Barnard viewed organizations as systems of cooperation of human activity, and noted that they are typically short-lived.

The two scholars would send manuscripts for commentary to each other and they would write long letters where they engage in a common theoretical discussion.

Barnard's perspective had affinities to that of Mary Parker Follett and was very unusual for his time, and that has remained the case down to the present day.