Critical Analysis of Organizations


Book Description

`Catherine Casey has written an excellent book that provides a lucid and comprehensive critical analysis of organizations....[It] extends in reach and relevance beyond the specific field of organization studies and the sociology of organizations to encompass broader intellectual developments that have had a significant impact on contemporary sociology and cultural studies′ - Barry Smart, Professor of Sociology, University of Portsmouth `I anticipate that it will prove to be an attractive book in organization studies, industrial sociology and general sociology. I am sure that this will be a book that will make a major impact′ - Mike Reed, Professor of Organization Theory, Lancaster University In this comprehensive and scholarly book, the essential critical strands in organizational analysis are explained. It examines how central traditions have realigned in relation to the challenge of postmodernism and the new reflexive turn in organizational studies. Judicious, innovative and written with the needs of students in mind, this book offers a renewed and revitalized critical accent in organization studies - one that focuses on existing and emerging social tendencies, contestations and struggles. It will be essential reading for senior students of organization studies and sociology.




Studying Organization


Book Description

In response to the needs of lecturers, the acclaimed Handbook of Organization Studies has been made available as two major paperback textbooks. In this, the first of a two-volume paperback edition of the landmark Handbook of Organization Studies, editors Stewart Clegg and Cynthia Hardy survey the field of organization studies. Studying Organization is an ideal textbook around which to build courses on organization theory and research methodology. Central to the enterprise has been a concern to reflect and honour the manifest diversity of the field, including recognition of the extent to which the very notion of a single field of organization studies is debated. Part One locates the study of organization by reviewing some of the most significant theoretical paradigms to have shaped our understanding. The second part reflects on the relationships between theory and research in organization studies.




Power and Organizations


Book Description

"A marvelous addition to the literature on both organizations and power. It is well-grounded in the research on these topics and especially the wide-range of relevant theorizing... The book is terrific at bringing together theory, research and the world of organizations." - George Ritzer, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland "This book tirelessly illuminates the nooks and crannies of the power literature...taking readers on an audacious tour of power′s multiple conceptualizations and expressions." - Hugh Willmott, Diageo Professor of Management Studies, University of Cambridge "Clegg and his associates expose the power dynamics that lie at the heart of all political and organizational arenas, and in so doing, they shed light on the underbelly along with the creative potentialities in organizational life." -Joyce Rothschild, Professor of Sociology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University "Strange but true - most studies of organizational hierarchies downplay the issue of power or uncritically assume more is better, while ignoring its pernicious effects. Stewart Clegg, David Courpasson and Nelson Phillips set the record straight." - Joanne Martin, Merrill Professor of Organizational Behavior and, by courtesy, Sociology Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Stanford In this tour de force, Stewart Clegg, David Courpasson and Nelson Phillips provide a comprehensive account of power and organizations, unlocking power as the central relation of modern organizations and society. The authors present an excellent synthesis of organization, social and political theory to offer an overview of power and organizations that is historically informed, addresses current issues and is comprehensive in scope. Power and Organizations reviews the evolution of theories on power and organization, presenting not only the theorists who identify power as positive, but also dealing with the negativity of power and the real horror of which organizations are capable, which has thus far been underplayed in organization theory. At the core of organizational power projects are organizational elites, whose politics and projects are examined extensively in the book. The book concludes by examining the implications for organizations and their elites of the trends, tendencies, and theories considered in the course of the book. This book is required reading for graduate students and researchers in areas such as organizational, social and political theory.




The Language of Organization


Book Description

The importance of communication for organizations has been an ongoing concern since management was first theorized. Yet language has tended to be viewed as simply a medium of communication - without language per se being theoretically problematized. This book enables a more critical exploration of the major theoretical positions on language and organization, explaining why language warrants a more central and considered place in organization studies. Language and Organization explains how various perspectives on the relationship between language and organization can be represented and explored. Concerned with issues such as power, knowledge and organizational discourse, this book will provide essential new links for a proper conceptualisation and understanding of organizations.




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?




The SAGE Handbook of Organization Studies


Book Description

Praise for the award winning First Edition: ′This handbook is organized to help teachers and students to cover the mainstream work in the field of organization studies. This is an excellent reference tool with which to study organizational theory and practice′ - International Review of Administrative Sciences ′The editors have put together an impressive reference work, serious in intent and rigorous in implementation. As a publishing achievement, and a scholarly ′event′ in the field, SAGE is to be congratulated. It is designed as a work of synthesis, to link past and present, general and specific′ - Journal of General Management Praise for the New Edition: ′An excellent collection of papers giving a timely overview of the field′ - Gareth Morgan ′In this substantially updated, revised and extended edition of the widely acclaimed Handbook, the high standard of the contributions is maintained. Close consideration is given to newly emergent, such as networks and complexity, as well as more established topics. Metaphors of conversation and discourse are engagingly invoked to make and explore new distinctions, directions and connections. It is a key reference volume for more advanced students of this rapidly developing field′ - Hugh Willmott , Diageo Professor of Management Studies, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge ′Giving the authors of the Handbook of Organization Studies the opportunity to revise and update their earlier contributions makes this handbook unique. Comparing the revised chapters to their originals offers the reader unparalleled insight into how knowledge develops in our discipline. New frameworks and deeper understandings, grounded in continuing scholarship, abound in this updated classic′ - Mary Jo Hatch, C. Coleman McGehee Eminent Scholars Research Professor of Banking and Commerce McIntire School of Commerce, University of Virginia A decade after it first published to international acclaim, the seminal Handbook of Organization Studies has been updated to capture exciting new developments in the field. Providing a retrospective and prospective overview of organization studies, the Handbook continues to challenge and inspire readers with its synthesis of knowledge and literature. As ever, contributions have been selected to reflect the diversity of the field. New chapters cover areas such as organizational change; knowledge management; and organizational networks. Part One reflects on the relationship between theory, research and practice in organization studies. Part Two address a number of the most significant issues to affect organization studies such as leadership, diversity and globalization. Comprehensive and far-reaching, this important resource will set new standards for the understanding of organizational studies. It will be invaluable to researchers, teachers and advanced students alike.