American Management Association (AMA)

The American Management Association (AMA) is a global not-for-profit, membership-based association. It was on March 14, 1923, that the National Personnel Association changed its name to AMA on the ground that the members of the former association believed that the personnel manager should have complete and [Page 81]final authority in all matters concerning employees. AMA has an interesting descent in a line from various progenitors. In 1922, the National Personnel Association was formed by the merger of the National Association of Corporation Training and the Industrial Relations Association of America. The National Association of Corporation Training was founded in 1913 as the National Association of Corporation Schools, while the Industrial Relations Association of America was founded in 1918 as the National Association of Employment Managers. Soon after the AMA was founded, AMA merged with the National Association of Sales Managers in 1924 and acquired the International Management Association in 1957 to form the AMA International.

AMA had issued various kinds of monthly or periodical membership magazines including Management Review. This professional publication dealt with topical issues. Concerning business ethics and society, it featured articles on the changing social environment in the1970s and stakeholder negotiations. AMA formed its Supervisory Management Association and issued the booklet-sized membership magazine Supervisory Management in 1955. AMA founded its own publishing division AMACOM in the 1960s. AMACOM publishes numerous titles concerning management, business, and personal development and some guides to promote business ethics and ethical leadership.

AMA played a major role in investigating the lack of job opportunities for minorities and establishing equality at work places. Before the War, AMA researched the job opportunities for African American factory workers in 1942 and reported on a study on lack of opportunities for women in 1943. These studies and reports made an impression on corporate managers and the business community. During and after the War, AMA and its publishing departments worked on social security, minimum wages, collective bargaining, and fair trade problems. In the post-War economic reforms, AMA made its attitude clear by employing a catchphrase “Greater Productivity through Labor-Management Cooperation.” As the post-War economic boom ended, the business community assigned AMA to play a role in the field of management education and ethics training programs.

Every year, AMA issues the Corporate Values Survey.

The mission statement of AMA is as follows: AMA provides managers and their organizations worldwide with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to improve business performance, adapt to a changing workplace, and prosper in a complex and competitive business world. AMA encourages managers to continuously enhance their professional and personal development and increase their value to their organizations. In 2005, more than 3,000 organizations and 25,000 individuals in 89 countries are members of the AMA, and most of the Fortune 500 companies adopt AMA seminars and its training programs.