Classics of Organization Theory


Book Description

This volume collects the most important works in organization theory, as written by the most influential authors in the field. These are the works of the "masters"-and, having withstood the test of time, the ideas presented by each of the works are commonly referenced in the study of organizational theory. This text is designed to help students learn about, understand, and appreciate key themes and perspectives in the field. The authors begin the text by describing what organization theory is, how it has developed, and how its development has coincided with developments in other fields. Each chapter focuses on one major perspective of organization theory, helping students absorb these concepts before moving onto new ones.




Organization Theory


Book Description

Understanding of the history and development of organization theory has recently made advances through work emerging on the history of management thought as well as through the institutionalization of critical approaches to organizations and organizational knowledge. This book provides a new reading of the historical development of organization.




Classics of Organization Theory


Book Description

This volume collects the most important works in organization theory, as written by the most influential authors in the field. These are the works of the "masters"-and, having withstood the test of time, the ideas presented by each of the works are commonly referenced in the study of organizational theory. This text is designed to help students learn about, understand, and appreciate key themes and perspectives in the field. The authors begin the text by describing what organization theory is, how it has developed, and how its development has coincided with developments in other fields. Each chapter focuses on one major perspective of organization theory, helping students absorb these concepts before moving onto new ones.




Classics of Organization Theory


Book Description

Grasp the important themes, perspectives, and theories of the field with CLASSICS OF ORGANIZATION THEORY (WITH INFOTRAC). This collection of the most enduring works in organization theory describes what organization theory is, how it has developed, and how its development has coincided with developments in other fields. Written by distinguished theorists in the field, this book will provide you with the background you need in your future career.




Organization Theory and Public Management


Book Description

Organization Theory and Public Management is written for current and future public managers. Understanding organization theory helps managers at all levels define program objectives, overcome constraints, and accomplish mandated purposes. Armed with theoretical and conceptual knowledge, managers can better identify the factors that affect organizational performance, determine how these factors interrelate, and decide how best to resolve problems and attain goals. Familiarity with organization theory can facilitate fresh ways to view organizational challenges and discover new paths for pursuing change. Organization theory, supported by intuition and common sense, can be a powerful guide to action. The book approaches each organization theory school of thought on its own terms, drawing out its implications for public management as objectively as possible. Chapter 1 introduces organization theory as a field of study, chapter 2 establishes the unique context of public management, and chapter 3 presents three analytical frameworks for assessing the theories of organization covered in the twelve chapters that follow.




Management and Organization Theory


Book Description

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION THEORY Management and Organization Theory offers a summary and analysis of the 40 most popular, researched, and applied management and organization theories. This important resource includes key instruments used to measure variables in each theory and examines pertinent questions about the theory: strengths and weaknesses, practical applications, and the seminal articles published on each theory. "This is a remarkable book. Jeffrey Miles clearly explains and synthesizes 40 major theories of management and organization in an easily accessible and engaging style. Well researched, comprehensive in its coverage, thorough, balanced, and fair in its analyses of theories, the book is destined to be a major authoritative reference in the field. It is one of the most readable, informative, and useful books I have read. I strongly recommend it." Shaker A. Zahra, department chair, Robert E. Buuck Chair, and professor, Strategic Management and Organizations Department, University of Minnesota "This book provides a terrific advantage to any student or manager seeking to grasp the fundamental concepts that explain organizations and the behavior of people within them." Richard L. Daft, author, The Executive and the Elephant: A Leader's Guide to Building Inner Excellence; and the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management, Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University "An easy-to-read summary of some of the most critical theories in the field of management theories that have implications not just for scholars, but for practicing managers as well." Jay Barney, professor of management and human resources, and Chase Chair for Excellence in Corporate Strategy, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University




Logics of Organization Theory


Book Description

Building theories of organizations is challenging: theories are partial and "folk" categories are fuzzy. The commonly used tools--first-order logic and its foundational set theory--are ill-suited for handling these complications. Here, three leading authorities rethink organization theory. Logics of Organization Theory sets forth and applies a new language for theory building based on a nonmonotonic logic and fuzzy set theory. In doing so, not only does it mark a major advance in organizational theory, but it also draws lessons for theory building elsewhere in the social sciences. Organizational research typically analyzes organizations in categories such as "bank," "hospital," or "university." These categories have been treated as crisp analytical constructs designed by researchers. But sociologists increasingly view categories as constructed by audiences. This book builds on cognitive psychology and anthropology to develop an audience-based theory of organizational categories. It applies this framework and the new language of theory building to organizational ecology. It reconstructs and integrates four central theory fragments, and in so doing reveals unexpected connections and new insights.




The Oxford Handbook of Organization Theory


Book Description

2) How has organization theory developed over time, and what structure has the field taken? What assumptions does knowledge produced in organization theory incorporate, and what forms do its knowledge claims take as they are put forward for public adoption? 3) How have certain well-known controversies in organization theory, such as for example, the structure/agency dilemma, the study of organizational culture, the different modes of explanation, the micro/macro controversy, and the differnet explanations produced by organizational economists and sociologists, been dealt with? 4) How, and in what ways, is knowledge generated in organization theory related to action? What features must organization theory knowledge have in order to be actionable, and of relevance to the world 'out there'? How have ethical concerns been taken into account in organization theory? 5) What is the future of organization theory? What direction should the field take? What must change in the way research is conducted and key theoretical terms are conceptualized so that organization theory enhances its capacity to generate valid and relevant knowledge?




Creating the Multicultural Organization


Book Description

As the war for talent rages on, organizations are seeking proven methods for leveraging diversity as a resource. Creating the Multicultural Organization challenges today's organizations to stop "counting heads for the government" and begin creating effective strategies for a more positive approach to managing diversity. Using a model outlined in his earlie rworks, Taylor Cox Jr.--an associate professor at the University of Michigan Business School and president of his own consulting firm--shows readers the many practical and innovative ways that top organizations such as Alcoa effectively address diversity issues to secure and develop the talent that they need in order to succeed. A University of Michigan Business School Series Book