European Management Model: A Reality or a Chimera?

This essay attempts to address a simple but fundamental question for European business leaders and management scholars: is there a distinct European-based management model? More specifically, is there a single framework of management principles and practices that guides European companies? To address this open question, the article begins with a summary of the debate on this topic, which is divided into proponents and critics, and then analyzes the evolution of European policies, business schools, and academic societies over the past decades. In the final section, the author presents his view on the existence of a European management model, and invites European policymakers, companies, and schools to promote the emergence of world-class companies and organizations rooted in European culture and values.