In Defence of Organisation Theory

In Defence of Organisation Theory
Author: Lex Donaldson
Publisher: CUP Archive
Total Pages: 218
Release: 1985-09-12
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780521315395

This book provides a concise, clear survey and defence of organizational theory. That theory and its associated research has in recent years become subject to strong criticism. Rival perspectives on organizations have been put forward. One of these stresses that organizations need to be understood as made up of individual people. Another asserts the need to see organizations as part of the conflicts and radical struggles in society. These alternative views have led to a host of critiques of conventional organization studies. It is attacked as being tautological, philosophically naive, ideological, and managerially biased. To date there has been no substantial reply to these criticisms by a protagonist of organization theory. This volume uniquely fills that gap. In part one the author examines and rebuts each of the major lines of criticism. In part two the rival approaches suggested by the critics are themselves subjected to an analysis of their limitations. The book concludes with a new model of organizational design which provides a synthesis of previous research.

The Oxford Handbook of Organization Theory

The Oxford Handbook of Organization Theory
Author: Haridimos Tsoukas
Publisher: Oxford Handbooks Online
Total Pages: 676
Release: 2005
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780199275250

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?

Managing Military Organizations

Managing Military Organizations
Author: Joseph Soeters
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 633
Release: 2010-02-02
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1135154813

This book deals with the processes and theories involved in managing military organisations in both peacetime and crisis conditions. Examining the challenges faced by policymakers and military commanders in conducting military operations, this book considers the benefits of conventional management and organisation theory for the military. At the same time, these essays recognise that the military should be considered as a highly individual organisation, operating in exceptional circumstances. This awareness of the differences between the military and other organisations generates important lessons not only for the military but also for general organisations as it teaches them how to cope in exceptional, ‘hyper’ conditions. These theoretical lessons are illustrated by case studies and experiences from recent military operations, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan. This book will be of great interest to students of military studies, security studies and organizational studies. Joseph Soeters chairs the department of management and organization studies and defence economy at the Netherlands Defense Academy and he is a professor in organizational sociology at Tilburg University. Paul. C. van Fenema is an associate professor of organization studies at the Netherlands Defence Academy and Tilburg University. Robert Beeres is an associate professor in the field of defence accounting and control (business administration) at the Netherlands Defence Academy and at Nyenrode Business School.

Anatomising Embodiment and Organisation Theory

Anatomising Embodiment and Organisation Theory
Author: K. Dale
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2000-11-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0333993829

Anatomising Embodiment and Organisation Theory explores the relationship between the human body and the development of social theory about organisations and organising. The science of anatomy is taken as a pattern for knowledge both of the human body and/or organisations, and the twin symbols of dissection - the scalpel and the mirror - are used to understand the production of knowledge about organisations.

For Positivist Organization Theory

For Positivist Organization Theory
Author: Lex Donaldson
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 204
Release: 1996-08-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780761952275

Organization theory is presently dominated by theories of strategic choice and politics. Managers are seen as exercising a wide choice and maximizing their personal self-interest through complex power struggles. This stimulating volume challenges these views, arguing instead that managerial decisions are determined by the situation and serve the interests of the whole organization. Showing that organizations follow laws which generalize across organizations of many different kinds in many different national cultures, the book rejects the model of organizational configurations or types. The author offers a critical assessment of leading organization theorists such as Henry Mintzberg, John Child, Michael Hann

New Directions for Organization Theory

New Directions for Organization Theory
Author: Jeffrey Pfeffer
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 1997-06-05
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0190283300

In New Directions for Organization Theory, Jeffrey Pfeffer offers a comprehensive analysis and overview of the field of organization theory and its research literature. This work traces the evolution of organization studies, particularly its more recent history, and highlights the principle concepts and controversies characterizing the study of organizations. Pfeffer argues that the world of organizations has changed in several important ways, including the increasing externalization of employment and the growing use of contingent workers; the changing size distribution of organizations, with a larger proportion of smaller organizations; the increasing influence of external capital markets on organizational decision-making and a concomitant decrease in managerial autonomy; and increasing salary inequality within organizations in the US compared both to the past and to other industrialized nations. These changes and their public policy implications make it especially important to understand organizations as social entities. But Pfeffer questions whether the research literature of organization studies has either addressed these changes and their causes or made much of a contribution to the discussion of public policy. New Directions for Organization Theory provides a clear, accessible summary of the current state of organization studies, skillfully synthesizing diverse research and presenting it in an orderly, insightful manner. It offers suggestions for the development of the field, including a call to focus more on issues of design and to use the ability to understand real phenomena to help distinguish among theoretical approaches. A major scholar in the field of organization theory, Jeffrey Pfeffer offers a perspective on its current state that will be of interest and value to scholars and graduate students interested in organizations.

Sociology and Organization Theory

Sociology and Organization Theory
Author: John Hassard
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 194
Release: 1995-04-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780521484589

It has been claimed that organization theory is in a state of crisis. This book traces the history of the orthodox systems theory paradigm in organization studies from its foundations to its recent deconstruction by postmodernists. The analysis offers general support for the "sociology-in-crisis" thesis, but takes issue with one of its main propositions, that paradigms are incommensurable. It is argued that paradigms are porous rather than hermetic phenomena, a fact that has profound implications for the theory building process.

American Anti-Management Theories of Organization

American Anti-Management Theories of Organization
Author: Lex Donaldson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 284
Release: 1995-03-16
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780521479172

This book offers a critique of recent developments in the study of organizational structure in the USA. There has been a profusion of new paradigms offered in the USA and this has fragmented the field. Many of these paradigms share an anti-management quality, painting managers in an increasingly negative light. This book examines five major, contemporary US organizational theories: population-ecology, institutional, resource dependence, agency and transaction cost economics. Each of these theories and their attendant research is critically examined and severe problems are identified in either theoretical coherence or empirical validity. Lex Donaldson argues that it is possible to reintegrate the field by taking structural contingency theory as the core theory and adding on to it selective propositions from the newer paradigms. He also offers suggestions for needed reforms in the US academic cultural and institutional system.

Organisations in Action

Organisations in Action
Author: Peter A. Clark
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2000
Genre: Business enterprises
ISBN: 041518231X

In an essential area of study for every business undergraduate and reflective manager, this original and ambitious work provides a fascinating examination of organizations from both a post-modern and new organizational economics perspective.