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The making of decisions, as everyone knows from personal experience, is a burdensome task. Offsetting the exhilaration that may result from correct and successful decision and the relief that follows the termination of a struggle to determine issues is the depression that comes from failure, or error of decision, and the frustration which ensues from uncertainty.

— Chester Barnard The Functions of the Executive (1938)

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More quotes by Chester Barnard

An organization comes into being when (1) there are persons able to communicate with each other (2) who are willing to contribute action (3) to accomplish a common purpose.

The Functions of the Executive (1938)

The inculcation of belief in the real existence of a common purpose is an essential executive function.

The Functions of the Executive (1938)

Planning is one of the many catchwords whose present popularity is roughly proportionate to the obscurity of its definition.

The Functions of the Executive (1938)

The executive is primarily concerned with decisions which facilitate or hinder other decisions.

Organization and Management: Selected Papers (1948)

The individual is a single, unique, independent, isolated, whole thing, embodying innumerable forces and materials past and present which are physical, biological, and social factors.

The Functions of the Executive (1938)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Chester Barnard (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.