Spring is here, and thoughts of young boys turn to baseball! With Opening Day I bring you the application of engineering management via Branch Rickey to baseball courtesy of Professor Richard Puerzer (Hofstra University)
Wikipedia describes Branch Rickey in this manner:
"Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an innovative Major League Baseball executive best known for two things: breaking baseball's color barrier by signing the African-American player Jackie Robinson, and later drafting the first Hispanic superstar, Roberto Clemente; and creating the framework to the modern minor league farm system."
Here is the opening paragraph from Professor Puerzer's article:
"Branch Rickey is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of professional baseball. Although he is most renowned for his role in the integration of the game, he left other equally indelible marks on the way professional baseball is played and managed. One of the many quotes attributable to Rickey is "luck is a residue of design." (1) This brief quote outlines Branch Rickey's approach to baseball management, which begins with his belief that "baseball is a science," and thus requires a "scientific approach" in its management. The philosophies Rickey used in his management approach are quite similar to the methodologies taught within the discipline of engineering management."
Read online or print the entire article via Google Books (pages 81 to 92)
