(1841–1925) A French pioneer of organizational theory and management, who set out the structural principles of formal organization. The chief executive officer of a mining company himself, he was mainly interested in senior management. He believed that general principles of management could be found that were relevant to all kinds of organization and which could be used in management training. Fayol is responsible for introducing the concepts of chain of command, job description, management audit, organization chart and span of control.