Theory of the classical school of management in the 19th century among managers of Czech origin in the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary

The aim of this work was to prove the use of the principles of one of the schools of classical management before they were written, and to find out what the reasons were in terms of period context. The work is specifically focused on managers and entrepreneurs of Czech origin living in the 19th century in the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary. Gustav Hodek, a sugar factory owner, was selected for the study based on literary and archival research. All findings were processed by thematic analysis into a case study. The research was guided by hermeneutic approaches. It was found that Gustav Hodek used some of the principles of scientific management approximately 40-60 years before this school was established. At the same time, it was identified that Hodek had tendencies towards micromanagement and workaholism. Possible reasons for this behaviour are: the popularity of the critical research method in the 1850s; a specific sugar industry that was highly competitive; a like-minded group moving around Gustav Hodek and, last but not least, his personality, that has tended to science since childhood.