Sociology of Organizations: Classic, Contemporary and Critical Readings

Book Description

"Michael Handel has assembled an authoritative and wide-ranging collection of key articles in the organizations field, and complements these papers with a terrific critical survey of the literature. His introductory essays will benefit both students and researchers alike. This collection is a real service to the field."

- Walter W. Powell, Stanford University

"A unique reader and commentary with broad coverage of the classics, combined with a healthy skepticism about received theories and an emphasis on the impact of organizations on society. The lucid commentary brightens the field."

- Charles Perrow, Yale University

For the first time, a single volume offers a comprehensive selection of primary readings and companion overview essays on the sociology of organizations. These readings and essays provide incisive and guided coverage of the subjects normally included in a one-semester sociology of organizations course.

The Sociology of Organizations covers the full range of theoretical perspectives and substantive topics through readings that are either classics in the field or widely discussed and debated "new classics."

Section introductions explain key terms and concepts, provide illustrations, and summarize related debates and research in clear prose. The depth of these overview essays makes this book ideal for use as either as a stand-alone text or a supplementary reader. After reading this book, students will have a thorough understanding of central concepts and an appreciation of the primary texts that are the foundation of the field.

Scholars and students in the fields of sociology, management, organizational behavior, and organizational psychology and those within political science and economics who are interested in how organizations function will find this work a welcome, invaluable resource.

Average customer rating:

True classics
CLASSICS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Mother Lode
The values in the organization.

Classics of Organizational Behavior

Manufacturer: Waveland Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1577661729

Book Description

The most important element in any organization is its people. By utilizing human talent effectively, all of an organization's other resources become much more feasibly managed. Recognizing this, the behavioral sciences have become an integral part of the field of management and the knowledge base of organizational behavior has proliferated. The forty readings collected in the Third Edition introduce readers to outstanding contributions to the professional literature of the discipline. This insightful compilation provides broad coverage of over one hundred years of writings on all aspects of organizational behavior, including motivation; performance; interpersonal and group behavior; leadership; power; change and development; and the interaction between organizations, work processes, and people.

Customer Reviews:

True classics.......2006-03-09

This book is made up of many of the most important works wriiten about organizational behavior. Some are quite practica, while others are more theoretical. If this is the type of information that you are looking for, it is a great collection.

CLASSICS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR.......2006-01-19

I use this book as a primary source for a graduate level Organization Development Course. It presents a comprehensive foundation of the field using original articles by the "founders" of OD. It is the only OD book I have found that gets all of this between its covers! Highly recommend. Dr. Lloyd Greene, Texas State University.

Mother Lode.......2001-08-24

If you want to know where 95% of today's hot "new management ideas" come from, this is the reader! If you know this stuff you will be able to separate the wheat from the chaff in today's over-crowed management book market.

The values in the organization........2001-08-19

It,s true that our mode of behaving in the organization depends greatly on our values we have in our life. Also how we think affect our attitude toward our personal role in the organizing process. it,s not easy to become selfless and humble to fit better in the teams set up in the organization. We need some guide to reprogram ourselves in order to smooth our role we play in the organizing process. The book "Classics of organizational behavior" could be a base to clarify those items mentioned above and many other still to be known. Anyone working in an organization should have such great book in his/her collections. Very Truly Yours, Rodulfo Geerman

Classic Readings in Organizational Behavior 3rd Edition

Average customer rating:

An Excellent Book!

Classic Readings in Organizational Behavior 3rd Edition
J. Steven Ott , Sandra J. Parks , and Richard B. Simpson
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0155058967

Book Description

CLASSIC READINGS IN ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR is organized around the field's most discussed themes: leadership, motivation, individuals in teams and groups, effects of the work environment on individuals, power and influence, and organizational change. Within each of these thematic sections, the readings are presented chronologically so students can understand the development of specific theories, as well as the overall development of the field of organizational behavior. Because of this effective organization and a thorough introduction, many instructors use this reader as the sole text for their courses.

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Book!.......2000-04-07

An Excellent Book For All The Managers In Every Organisation....... A Must Read

Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process (Stanford Business Classics)

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Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process (Stanford Business Classics)
Raymond Miles , and Charles Snow
Manufacturer: Stanford Business Books
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Binding: Paperback

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Organizations in Action: Social Science Bases of Administrative Theory (Classics in Organization and Management Series)

ASIN: 0804748403
Release Date: 2003-03-26

Book Description

“Books and articles come and go, endlessly. But a few do stick, and this book is such a one. Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process broke fresh ground in the understanding of strategy at a time when thinking about strategy was still in its early days, and it has not been displaced since.”

—David J. Hickson, Emeritus Professor of International Management & Organization, University of Bradford School of Management

Originally published in 1978, Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process became an instant classic, as it bridged the formerly separate fields of strategic management and organizational behavior. In this Stanford Business Classics reissue, noted strategy scholar Donald Hambrick provides a new introduction that describes the book’s contribution to the field of organization studies. Miles and Snow also contribute new introductory material to update the book’s central concepts and themes.

Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process focuses on how organizations adapt to their environments. The book introduced a theoretical framework composed of a dynamic adaptive cycle and an empirically based strategy typology showing four different types of adaptation. This framework helped to define subsequent research by other scholars on important topics such as configurational analysis, organizational fit, strategic human resource management, and multi-firm network organizations.

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This book is a must for the library of the OD practitioner.

Organization Development Classics
Judith C. Hoy , Donald F. Van Eynde , and Dixie Cody Van Eynde
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Leader's Companion: Insights on Leadership Through the Ages

ASIN: 0787908665

Book Description

Timeless, poetic and wise, the articles recaptured in this remarkable volume beg to be read again and again, a much for their spirit as for their practicality. This collection defines our roots, yet in its timelessness points the way to the road ahead for the theory and practice of organization development.
--Gary E. Jusela, Corporate Director of Organization Development, The Boeing Company

From the very first issue to the present, the OD Practitioner has been the premier publication of the organization development profession. Its articles defined organization development and envisioned its future. These articles are now considered classics. And for the first time, they are assembled here, all in one volume, for practitioners and aspirants to the field to study, learn from, and enjoy again and again. A wealth of innovative thinking that will continue to impact the OD profession for years to come.

To discover where you're going, it helps to first know where you've been. And in the world of organization development, the surest road map is the OD Practitioner.

Among the leading contributors to this volume are:

Richard Beckhard
Geoff Bellman
Warner Burke
Roger Harrison
Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Jim Kouzes
David Noer
Tony Petrella
Barry Posner
Ed Schein
Marvin Weisbord
Margaret Wheatley . . . and many more!

Since its debut in 1968, the OD Practitioner has been the premier forum in which the field's founders, innovators, and working professionals have shared their ideas, values, and experiences regarding the practice of a dynamic discipline few can accurately define. With every issue published, the profession chronicles its history, refines its standards, and imagines its future.

Readers will learn from these:

Stories of OD successes and failures
Interviews
Historical insights into OD
OD anecdotes
Consulting tips
Leadership ideas...and much more!

In these pages, readers will gain a historical perspective on both the theory and work of organization development that will greatly inform their practice. They will discover reports and research that moved the field ahead. They will gain an appreciation of the foresight the field's founders and innovators had regarding OD's possibilities and usefulness. And they will benefit from a wealth of innovative thinking as relevant today as when originally published?thinking that will continue to impact the practice of organization development for many years to come.

Customer Reviews:

This book is a must for the library of the OD practitioner........1999-03-19

The field of OD has a rich, varied, and value based heritage. Through case studies, research, metaphor, and story telling these "classic" articles from "The OD Practitioner," capture the scope, beauty, and promise of organization development. The OD Practitioner is a publication which is small in circulation, but large in impact. This collection of "The Best of the OD Practitioner," deserves to be read by all who profess to practice OD. From classics by recognized experts such as Bob Tannenbaum and Herb Shepard, to gems such as "Reflections of a New Mother on the Similatities Between Caring for an Infant and Working with Organizations: Or What New Babies and Clients have in Common," by Rosemarie Barbeau, this collection touches the mind and the heart of OD practitioners.

The External Control of Organizations: A Resource Dependence Perspective (Stanford Business Classics)

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The External Control of Organizations: A Resource Dependence Perspective (Stanford Business Classics)
Jeffrey Pfeffer , and Gerald Salancik
Manufacturer: Stanford Business Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 080474789X
Release Date: 2003-03-26

Book Description

Among the most widely cited books in the social sciences, The External Control of Organizations has long been required reading for any student of organization studies. The book, reissued on its 25th anniversary as part of the Stanford Business Classics series, includes a new preface written by Jeffrey Pfeffer, which examines the legacy of this influential work in current research and its relationship to other theories.

The External Control of Organizations explores how external constraints affect organizations and provides insights for designing and managing organizations to mitigate these constraints. All organizations are dependent on the environment for their survival. As the authors contend, “it is the fact of the organization’s dependence on the environment that makes the external constraint and control of organizational behavior both possible and almost inevitable.” Organizations can either try to change their environments through political means or form interorganizational relationships to control or absorb uncertainty. This seminal book established the resource dependence approach that has informed so many other important organization theories.

Organization and Environment: Managing Differentiation and Integration (Harvard Business School Classics)

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Organization and Environment by Lawrence and Lorsch

Organization and Environment: Managing Differentiation and Integration (Harvard Business School Classics)
Paul R. Lawrence , and Jay William Lorsch
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0875841295

Book Description

no description

Customer Reviews:

Organization and Environment by Lawrence and Lorsch.......2001-07-30

Lawrence and Lorsch's groundbreaking work "Organization and Environment" was a key step in the study of organizational integration. They used a precise definition, studied integration's impact on organization performance, and explored a subset of the factors that lead to integration. They defined integration as the "state of collaboration that exists among departments that are required to achieve unity of effort." and measured it by asking people to rate the state of interdepartmental relations on a seven-point scale going from "serious problems exist" to "full unity of effort is obtained". They used the term differentiation to refer to different departments having different structures and orientations (e.g. short versus long-term time orientation, relationship versus task focus, and high versus low formality of structure). A key finding of their research was that although organizational integration and differentiation were usually inversely proportional to each other, the most successful organizations simultaneously achieved high levels of both. Prior to Lawrence and Lorsch, organizational experts generally believed that issuing orders from above was adequate to achieve organizational integration. In contrast, Lawrence and Lorsch believed that integration required resolution of conflicts between departments through the efforts of teams and individual managers working both inside and outside of formal channels. These "integrators" need to be in the middle of the organization, and not simply at the top. Factors leading to effective integration included having an orientation that was intermediate between those of the departments being integrated, high influence based on competence and knowledge, and integrators being rewarded for achieving effective unified solutions. Moreover, high performing organizations resolved conflicts at the level in the organization where the knowledge (competence) needed to find a good solution existed. For organizations in stable environments this tends to be high in the organization, while for organizations in rapidly changing environments it tends to be lower down. High performing organizations confronted differences in perspectives in an open problem solving manner, rather than immediately finding a compromise, or trying to smooth over conflict, or referring the issue to a higher level for decision. Lawrence and Lorsch's recognition of the importance of organizational integration and its dependence on the work of "integrators" was a major step in our understanding of organizational effectiveness. The primary weakness in their work is that it focuses overwhelmingly on only one organizational integrating mechanism, namely the use "integrators" to resolve interdepartmental conflict.

The Aston Programme (Classic Research in Management)

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The Aston Programme (Classic Research in Management)

Manufacturer: Ashgate Pub Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1840140577

Management and Organizational Behavior Classics

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Delivery guy screwed up
A Management Must-Have

Management and Organizational Behavior Classics
Michael T. Matteson
Manufacturer: Irwin Professional Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0256162042

Book Description

The authors focus on presenting the reader with outstanding contributions to the management and organizational behavior literature. The readings include works of recognized, respected, and pioneer scholars in the field while also broadening the understanding of management and organizational behavior topics found in textbooks. The readings also incorporate theorists from the economics, sociology, statistics, mathematics, engineering, and psychology disciplines to reflect the complex and dynamic field of management and organizational behavior.

Customer Reviews:

Delivery guy screwed up.......2005-09-27

...Amazon's site screwed up and didn't tell me if I had completed a transaction. I ordered again and discovered that I then had two orders. I wanted to recieve the book from this company. The delivery man didn't bother to look at the order number that I wanted to decline and the one I wanted to accept. Neither book appeared. I had to re-order....

A Management Must-Have.......2001-03-04

This is a book of profound proportions. Matteson and Ivancevich originally printed their first version of this book titled simply Management Classics with Goodyear publishing way back in 1980. Trust me for the money you will not find a better compilation of management and organization thought anywhere. This is a well researched and edited selection of management articles from the enormous names of the 20th century: McGregor, Parker, Bernard, et. al. If you are a business professor, a biz student, or a businessperson who truly wants to approach management in a scholarly and logical manner, then do yourself and your bookshelf a favor and buy it.

Appreciative Inquiry in the Catholic Church

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Useful primer on AI and congregations
Great given its limited purpose
A great introduction to the Appreciative Inquiry philosophy

Appreciative Inquiry in the Catholic Church
Susan Star Paddock
Manufacturer: Thin Book Publishing Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0966537343

Book Description

2004 Catholic Press Associations' "Best Book By A Small Publisher." Susan Star Paddock explains that Appreciative Inquiry is a new way of looking at the world that turns problem-solving upside-down by looking within our heart-felt memories for the undiscovered solutions that already exist. This quick-read is rich with how-to information from those who use Appreciative Inquiry in Catholic communities for strategic planning, parish planning, relationship building, transition, community development, and for spiritual renewal. She tells the stories of Catholic Relief Services, the Diocese of Cleveland, the Catholic Health Association of Canada, four different religious communities, Catholic schools and parishes, and many others. The compatibility between Appreciative Inquiry and Catholic theology is well documented in this exciting new book.

Customer Reviews:

Useful primer on AI and congregations.......2006-08-04

This work, from the author of The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry, comprises two main parts: one offers a concise correlation between AI and the principles of the Catholic Church; the other is a set of stories of how AI has been implemented to enhance church-related organizations, from parish pastoral councils to campus ministries and religious orders. Arguably, the brief treatise on the alignment of AI with Catholic principles and practices could well apply to most religions whose members espouse the innate dignity of humanity; but, as a Catholic who also sits on a parish pastoral council, I appreciate that the direct connection between AI and the church will likely contribute to shaping our council's outlook and process in a positive way. The remaining exemplary stories of AI in the church offer evidence of the correlation, and suggest ways in which AI might be employed in the service of God's people. And, as an exponent of Organizational Psychology, it is interesting to note that the narratives evidence both the extraordinary effort that it requires to do AI well, and the extraordinary benefits that it imposes when so done.

Great given its limited purpose.......2005-08-02

What this short book does best is provide examples of how AI has been applied in religious and educational organizations to good effect. You are provided with a short summary of each project, the questions used (key to use of AI) and the results. The introductory sections provide a quick overview of AI and how it relates to Catholic and Biblical doctine, very handy if you are trying to sell the method to those whose first response is "we never did it that way before." The examples then provide proof that AI is practical and reality-based, the questions provide you with guides for use in your situation, and the resources at the end (bibliography and more questions by topic) expand your capabilities. Those seeking to apply AI in an organizational setting will obviously want and need more, but this book is unique in helping you convince the church or school that it is worth trying in the first instance.

A great introduction to the Appreciative Inquiry philosophy.......2003-11-11

This book is a great little primer on the appreciative inquiry approach to organizational change from the perspective of religious organizations. It's a quick introduction and practical guide for those at all levels of the church and contains a number of case studies, practical suggestions and references to scripture. The back of the book is full of AI interview questions that apply to a variety of contexts, which I have already used as a resource in my work with nonprofit organizations. It's a great book to recommend to leaders in the church who have busy schedules!

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