Management and Music: The Exceptional Case of the IBM Songbook

Abstract

The use of music in organizational management is a rare occurrence. IBM in the United States is an exceptional case. IBM managers routinely and successfully used songs from the IBM songbook to engage, enthuse, and inspire employees during a number of decades in the mid-20th century. In this article, the authors locate the songbook in its organizational setting and present a detailed analysis of the lyrics and the music of the songs contained in it. Using a metaphor of musical resonance, they offer explanations for the prolonged use and then subsequent decline of the IBM songbook. The authors assess the ways in which understanding this exceptional case can help explain why music has been so rarely used by managers to engage workers.