Daniel A. Wren
Daniel A. Wren (born January 8, 1932) is an American business theorist and Emeritus Professor at the University of Oklahoma. He is best known for coauthoring The Evolution of Management Thought (1972) with Arthur G. Bedeian.
Wren was born in Columbia, Missouri, and grew up in a nearby village where his father ran a general store. He earned a BSc in Industrial and Personnel Management from the University of Missouri in 1954, then served in the U.S. Air Force through ROTC and was stationed in Germany. He later earned an MSc in Management from Missouri. After working at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, he began his PhD at the University of Illinois, receiving it in 1964.
His academic career began at Florida State University in 1963, where he rose from assistant to full professor. In 1973 he moved to the University of Oklahoma, where he held several distinguished positions, including David Ross Boyd Professor of Management (1989) and McCasland Foundation Professor of American Free Enterprise (1994–1999). He became Emeritus in 2000. He also served as Curator of the Harry W. Bass Business History Collection, Director of the Division of Management, and Interim Dean of the Price College of Business (2005/06).
Wren was active in professional associations. He was president of the Southern Management Association (1973–74) and chaired the Academy of Management’s Management History Division. He is a fellow of both organizations and has won several teaching awards, including Outstanding Educator of America (twice) and the Academy of Management’s Distinguished Educator of the Year.
In the 2000s, Wren and Bedeian helped people reflect on 20th‑century management with studies and lists of influential books. In a 2001 article in Organizational Dynamics, they listed twenty‑five books that shaped management thinking, noting that fundamental ideas like Taylor’s focus on knowledge over opinion remain relevant.
Wren has authored, co‑authored, or edited nine books and more than forty journal articles.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:29 (CET).