This exploration of an analogic conception of classrooms as workplaces and teachers as executives is divided into five parts. The origin of the author's interest in executive and management skills in teaching is described first. This is followed by analysis of the unfortunate history of the relationship between business management and education. Presented thereafter is a description of current conceptions of management and the role of executives in today's business world. The fourth and largest section presents a review of recent research on teaching, with an emphasis on the similarities between a teacher's role and that of an executive. The compatibility of a conception of the teacher as executive with both educational thought and contemporary cognitive psychology is noted. The last section presents implications of this kind of analysis for the training and supervision of teachers. Despite the obvious dangers, it is concluded that the teaching profession could be enhanced by a serious examination of the conception of teachers as executives. (Author/TE)