Edward Francis Leopold Brech

Edward Francis Leopold Brech (26 February 1909 – 22 September 2006) was a British management consultant, and author of management theory and practice books, known for his work on the history of management.

Life and work Brech was born in Kennington to a Hungarian father, who worked as catering manager, and a Bavarian mother. After grammar school, Brech was selected by the Roman Catholic bishop of Southwark to be educated as priest. At that time there was a pilot scheme, that required a university graduation before entering the church. In 1929 Brech obtained his BA in humanities at the London University, declined priesthood, and continued to study economics at London University obtaining his BA in 1932. At the age of 85 Brech earned his doctorate in British management history through Britain's Open University, where he also was a visiting research fellow. In 2004 he was awarded a higher doctorate (DLitt) for his historical research.

Brech started working in 1929 at a fur trader, and became tutor at the German Commercial school in London. In 1939 he joined the management consulting firm Urwick Orr and Partners (now the Urwick Group), after he had started co-operating with Lyndall Urwick. Urwick was in those days one of the most influential management writer in Britain. From 1945 to 1948 they published their most important work, entitled The making of scientific management.

Vol 3. The Hawthorne Investigations, 1948 In the preface of "The making of scientific management: Vol 3. The Hawthorne Investigations," Elton Mayo (1947) acknowledged, that:

British Management Writings Before the First World War, 2003 In his "British Management Writings Before the First World War" Brech (2003) summarised the raise of British approaches to management as follows:

Selected publications Urwick, Lyndall Fownes, and Edward Franz Leopold Brech. The making of scientific management. Vol. 2.; Vol 3. Management publications trust, 1940–45. Edward Franz Leopold Brech. The Nature and Significance of Management. 1946. Brech, Edward Franz Leopold, and Andrew Beaumont Robertson (eds.). The Effective Business. The Effective Executive. British Institute of Management, 1964. Brech, Edward Franz Leopold. Management: its nature and significance. Pitman, 1969. Brech, Edward Franz Leopold, and E. F. L. Brech. The principles and practice of management. Addison-Wesley Longman Ltd, 1975. Brech, Edward Franz Leopold, The concept and gestation of Britain's central management institute, 1902–1976. Thoemmes, 2002. Brech, Edward Franz Leopold, The Evolution of Modern Management in Britain 1832–1979, 2002. Edward Brech, Andrew Thomson, and John F. Wilson. Lyndall Urwick, Management Pioneer: A Biography, 2010.