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Theories of Organization
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Theories of Organization



October 2008 | 336 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

Henry L. Tosi's Theories of Organization offers a unique treatment of a broad range of important theoretical approaches to the study of organizations, including a thorough overview of classical theory, institutional theory, population ecology, critical organization theory, and postmodern approaches. Tosi also provides a helpful summary of the work of Chester Barnard, the contributions of James March and Herbert Simon, and economic approaches to organization.

Rather than focusing on specific topics, such as authority, goals, and organizational structure, this unique treatment of organizational theory provides comprehensive coverage of the important variables and relationships in each of a broad range of theories, thus providing the reader with a thorough understanding of each of the theoretical models included.

Key Features:

  • Includes excerpts from seminal works and summaries of key theoretical models that form the basis of the field of organization theory
  • Features a logical organization, with each of the main sections serving as a summary or abstract of a theoretical framework—including variables and propositions—thus allowing the reader to see the entire theoretical framework and all of its attendant interrelationships
  • Provides concepts and methodology that have been class-tested successfully over many years
  • Helps readers understand each of the theoretical models included by explaining the variables constituting each theoretical network in a clear, straightforward writing style

Intended Audience: This book is useful as a supplemental text in advanced undergraduate or graduate courses in Organizational Theory.


 
Part I - Overture
 
Chapter 1 –About Theories of Organization
 
Chapter 2 – Assumptions About the Nature of Social Science and Society - Gibson Burrell and Gareth Morgan
 
Part II - Closed System Rational Models
 
Chapter 3 – The Classical Approach: The Fundamentals of Top Management - Ralph C. Davis
 
Part III - Closed System Natural Models
 
Chapter 4 - The Functions of the Executive - Chester Barnard
 
Part IV - Integrative Approaches to Organization
 
Chapter 5 – Organizations Power and Compliance: Amatai Etzioni’s A Comparative Analysis of Complex Organizations - Robert J. House
 
Chapter 6 - James D. Thompson’s Organizations in Action - Donna Goehle
 
Part V - Open System Rational Models
Bounded Rationality

 
 
Chapter 7 – James March and Herbert Simon, Organizations - Henry Tosi
Contingency Theories

 
 
Chapter 8 -Burns and Stalker, The Management of Innovation
 
Chapter 9 - Woodward's Industrial Organization - Donna Goehle
 
Chapter 10 - Organization Analysis: A Sociological Point of View - Charles Perrow
 
Chapter 11. Henry Mintzberg, The Structuring of Organizations - Janice H. Zahrly
Economic Approaches

 
 
Chapter 12-Agency Theory: an Assessment and Overview - Kathleen Eisenhardt
 
Chapter 13 - Theory of Managerial Capitalism - Henry Tosi
 
Chapter 14 The Markets and Hierarchies Program of Research: Origins, Implications, Prospects - Oliver Williamson and William Ouchi
 
Part VI - Open System Natural Models
 
Chapter 15 - Selznick’s TVA and the Grass Roots - Henry Tosi
 
Chapter 16 The Population Ecology of Organizations by - Michael Hannan and John Freeman
 
Chapter 17 - The Adolescence of Institutional Theory - W. Richard Scott
 
Part VII - Critical Theory and Post Modernism
 
Chapter 18 Critical Organizational Theory - John M. Jermier
 
Chapter 19 -Past Postmodernism? Reflections and Tentative Directions - Marta Calas and Linda Smircich

good additional reading but not suitable as core textbook - insufficiently structured

Dr Daniel Valentine
School of Business, Albion College
August 27, 2010

This book should go after the basic text-books on Organization Theories.

Dr Tanya Bondarouk
Please select your department, Twente University
June 16, 2010
Key features
  • Includes excerpts from seminal works and summaries of key theoretical models that form the basis of the field of organization theory.
  • Organized logically, with each of the main sections serving as a summary or abstract of a theoretical framework, including variable and propositions.  This allows the reader to see the entire theoretical framework and all of its attendant interrelationships within theory.
  • Class tested concepts and methodology have been used successfully for many years.
  • Many of the leading theoreticians included have personally approved these summaries of their work.

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