This volume collects the most important works in organization theory, as written by the most influential authors in the field. These are the works of the "masters"-and, having withstood the test of time, the ideas presented by each of the works are commonly referenced in the study of organizational theory. This text is designed to help students learn about, understand, and appreciate key themes and perspectives in the field. The authors begin the text by describing what organization theory is, how it has developed, and how its development has coincided with developments in other fields. Each chapter focuses on one major perspective of organization theory, helping students absorb these concepts before moving onto new ones.

Organization Theory and Public Management is written for current and future public managers. Understanding organization theory helps managers at all levels define program objectives, overcome constraints, and accomplish mandated purposes. Armed with theoretical and conceptual knowledge, managers can better identify the factors that affect organizational performance, determine how these factors interrelate, and decide how best to resolve problems and attain goals. Familiarity with organization theory can facilitate fresh ways to view organizational challenges and discover new paths for pursuing change. Organization theory, supported by intuition and common sense, can be a powerful guide to action. The book approaches each organization theory school of thought on its own terms, drawing out its implications for public management as objectively as possible. Chapter 1 introduces organization theory as a field of study, chapter 2 establishes the unique context of public management, and chapter 3 presents three analytical frameworks for assessing the theories of organization covered in the twelve chapters that follow.

Understanding of the history and development of organization theory has recently made advances through work emerging on the history of management thought as well as through the institutionalization of critical approaches to organizations and organizational knowledge. This book provides a new reading of the historical development of organization.

This volume collects the most important works in organization theory, as written by the most influential authors in the field. These are the works of the "masters"-and, having withstood the test of time, the ideas presented by each of the works are commonly referenced in the study of organizational theory. This text is designed to help students learn about, understand, and appreciate key themes and perspectives in the field. The authors begin the text by describing what organization theory is, how it has developed, and how its development has coincided with developments in other fields. Each chapter focuses on one major perspective of organization theory, helping students absorb these concepts before moving onto new ones.

Grasp the important themes, perspectives, and theories of the field with CLASSICS OF ORGANIZATION THEORY (WITH INFOTRAC). This collection of the most enduring works in organization theory describes what organization theory is, how it has developed, and how its development has coincided with developments in other fields. Written by distinguished theorists in the field, this book will provide you with the background you need in your future career.

Building theories of organizations is challenging: theories are partial and "folk" categories are fuzzy. The commonly used tools--first-order logic and its foundational set theory--are ill-suited for handling these complications. Here, three leading authorities rethink organization theory. Logics of Organization Theory sets forth and applies a new language for theory building based on a nonmonotonic logic and fuzzy set theory. In doing so, not only does it mark a major advance in organizational theory, but it also draws lessons for theory building elsewhere in the social sciences. Organizational research typically analyzes organizations in categories such as "bank," "hospital," or "university." These categories have been treated as crisp analytical constructs designed by researchers. But sociologists increasingly view categories as constructed by audiences. This book builds on cognitive psychology and anthropology to develop an audience-based theory of organizational categories. It applies this framework and the new language of theory building to organizational ecology. It reconstructs and integrates four central theory fragments, and in so doing reveals unexpected connections and new insights.