Building a better world, building a more humane workplace: a critical biography approach to utopian Edward Bellamy

Purpose This paper aims to highlight the contributions of American utopian fiction writer Edward Bellamy in the realm of management and workplace history. Design/methodology/approach Critical biography was used to place an understanding of Bellamy’s contribution to management thinking in the context of the social and economic times as well as via his life experiences. Findings Bellamy’s utopian workplace included early elements of industrial democracy, proposed a system of vocational testing, addressed gender differences in the workplace and elevated the role of leisure. Originality/value Consideration of Bellamy’s utopian fiction, and its vision for the USA of year 2000, provides an understanding of ideas that, while outside the management history canon, provides insights into key aspects of humane management theory.