Organization in the society; The molding of organization in the modern society; Complexity of organization: the concept of overlays; Complexity of organization: man, groups, institutions; An introduction to formal organization theory; Authority, policy, and administration as organization factors; The metamorphosis of organization theory; Organization structure; ; Specialization and work division; Levels of specialization and coordination; Coordination at the top; Staff and functional aspects; The descentralization pattern; Formalization; Organization planning; Modifying systems; The culture; Status; Communication; Power abd politics; The structuring of power; Leadership; Two modern models of organization; The fusion process; The decision; What do we want in the modern organization? Organization as a social issue; The organization of the future.

10 The implicit effects of reform -- Decentralization -- The power shift -- Legitimation -- Education and ideologies -- Reforms as roller-coasters -- Reforms as symbolic accomplishments -- 11 Reform as a learning process -- Accounting reform -- Reform as learning -- Closed or open learning processes? -- 12 Reform and power -- Reformers as agents -- Reform as opinion-building -- References -- Index

Organizations act, but what determines how and when they will act? There is precedent for believing that the organization is but an extension of one or a few people, but this is a deceptively simplified approach and, in reality, makes any generalization in organizational theory enormously difficult. Modern-day organizations—manufacturing firms, hospitals, schools, armies, community agencies—are extremely complex in nature, and several strategies, employing a variety of disciplines, are needed to gain a proper understanding of them. Organizations in Action is a classic multidisciplinary study of the behavior of complex organizations as entities. Previous books on the subject focused on the behavior of people in organizational contexts, but this volume considers individual behavior only to the extent that it helps explain the nature of organizations. James D. Thompson offers ninety-five distinct propositions about the behavior of organizations, all relevant regardless of the culture in which they are found. Thompson classifies organizations according to their technologies and environments. That organizations must meet and handle uncertainty is central to his thesis. Organizations in Action is firmly grounded in concepts and theories in the social and behavioral sciences. While it does not offer an actual theory of administration, the book successfully extends the scientific base upon which any emerging administrative theory must rest. This classic work is of continuing value to organizational and management specialists, behavioral scientists, sociologists, administrators, and policymakers.