Permanently Failing Organizations


Book Description

In this volume, the authors closely examine performance and draw on both sociology and economics to explain why some organizations perform well and others perform badly. They first separate the concept of organizational performance from that of organizational persistence. Then they develop a provocative theory of why - and how - organizations tend towards failure and how they survive in spite of it. Meyer and Zucker contend that management plays a critical role in the movement towards or away from poor performance, yet persistence is determined by the often competing interests of owners, managers, workers and the public.




Permanently Failing Organizations


Book Description

In this volume, the authors closely examine performance and draw on both sociology and economics to explain why some organizations perform well and others perform badly. They first separate the concept of organizational performance from that of organizational persistence. Then they develop a provocative theory of why - and how - organizations tend towards failure and how they survive in spite of it. Meyer and Zucker contend that management plays a critical role in the movement towards or away from poor performance, yet persistence is determined by the often competing interests of owners, managers, workers and the public.




The Contingency Theory of Organizations


Book Description

Written by one of the foremost scholars in the field, this volume presents a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the theories, evidence and methodological issues of contingency theory - one of the major theoretical lenses used to view organizations. It includes both an appreciation of the coherency of contingency theory overall and a frank recognition of some of the deficiencies in contingency theory research. The coherent underlying model provides the platform from which to make good some of the deficiencies through a series of improvements in theory and method that chart the course for future research.




The Rise and Fall of Faith-Based Hospitals


Book Description

This book is a meta-analysis of the relationship of margin and mission of faith-based hospitals in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania to their beginnings and endings. It reviews the various local, state and federal events and factors that impacted these hospitals during their growth and decline from 1847 through 2008. Most importantly, the book shares the courage, hardships, and perseverance of the founders of these institutions, many of whom were women, as they responded to one crisis after another but never gave up their commitment to serve the poor and sick of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.




Organizational Behavior 4


Book Description

This unique work bridges the gap between theory and practice in organizational behavior. It provides a practical guide to real-life applications of the 35 most significant theories in the field. The author describes each theory, then analyzes its usefulness and importance to the successful practice of management. His analysis covers key managerial topics such as goal setting, training and development, assessment, job enrichment, influence processes, decision-making, group processes, organizational development, organizational structuring, and effective organizational operation.




Temporary Organizations


Book Description

This important and timely book provides a systematic treatment of temporary organizations an increasingly prevalent organizational form in which organizations work together on a joint task for example, a movie production, a rescue operation, development of a new product for an ex ante limited period of time. Demonstrating that temporary organizations are increasingly common, the book provides insights on how they differ from the classical organization and contributes to our understanding of what makes temporary organizations effective. Contributions by reputed organization scholars focus on the impact that this limited duration has on the way that temporary organizations structure their activities, organize work, use resources and achieve outcomes. Moreover, the tenability of various organizational concepts and theories for temporary contexts is examined and some unique phenomena inherent to temporariness are explored. Researchers interested in organizational design and project management scholars will warmly welcome this book, as will graduate students in organization studies, management studies, public policy studies, leisure studies, public administration and students of project management.




When Things Go Wrong


Book Description

To understand success, you must first understand failure. This understanding is especially critical since failure is a phenomenon that is much more common to everyday life, businesses, and government practice than standard theory would lead us to assume. Failure manifests itself in many ways, including breakdowns, bankruptcies, and other forms of organizational catastrophes and fiascoes. Thus, learning from failure will enable success. When Things Go Wrong brings together contributions from 24 leading scholars who examine the causes, patterns, process, and outcomes of such failures from economic, managerial, cognitive and political perspectives. This book presents failure as a relative concept in terms of the expectations and strategies of stakeholders putting a claim on the performance of the organization and the notion of success. It challenges future research in this field to combine both economic and non-economic performance measures to assess organizational tendencies toward success and failure and to differentiate between failure as process and failure as an outcome.




Turning Around Failing Schools


Book Description

Provides an in-depth examination of the causes and symptoms of degeneration and a two-part model for preventing educational collapse and crafting an effective turnaround.




Organizational Pathology


Book Description

Organizational Pathology draws an extended metaphor that the life cycle of an organization is akin to the biological life cycle. Like all living things, organizations will encounter problems that lead to decline and eventual failure. This work discusses the basic problems and life threatening diseases responsible for organizations' failure and death, including organizational politics, organizational corruption, and organizational crime. The book also contains a critical look at crises and fixations; failure and survival; and processes of disbandment and closure of dying organizations. The consideration of these issues follows a diagnostic model of failure. Yitzhak Samuel argues that if the problems that lead to failure can be predicted or diagnosed early, their severity can be assessed and possible remedies can be implemented to avoid escalating crises. At the very least, an understanding of why and how decline happens can be gained from this analysis. This book offers facts about the causes and consequences of organizational downfall and clues about diagnoses of certain symptoms of abnormal behavior, and how to identify early signs of decline or failure. In order to illustrate these abstract arguments and concepts, Samuel uses various real-life examples of events that have occurred in cross-country contexts. In this way, Organizational Pathology: Life and Death of Organizations should serve a variety of readers. Although primarily intended for students and scholars in the social and behavioral sciences who are familiar with the study and the practice of organizations, this book's informal style makes it easily accessible to a wide range of readers. Just as Samuel's previous book on organizational politics led to new lines of research and theory, this book will encourage similar studies in organizational pathology and institutional malaise.