Oxford Handbook of Organization Theory

This book provides a forum for leading scholars in organization theory to engage in meta-theoretical reflection on the historical development, present state, and future prospects of organization theory as a scientific discipline. The central question explored is the epistemological status of organization theory as a policy science. This is a meta-theoretical question; the object of analysis and debate in this volume is not a set of organizational phenomena, but organization theory itself. By drawing attention to organization theory as a practical social activity, this handbook reviews and evaluates important epistemological developments in the discipline. More specifically, the focus is on issues related to the nature of knowledge claims put forward in organization theory and the controversies surrounding the generation, validation, and utilization of such knowledge. Five sets of questions are raised in the handbook, each one of which is dealt with in a separate section: 1) What does a science of organizations consist of? What counts as valid knowledge in organization theory and why? How do different paradigms view organization theory as a science? 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? ...brings together an extraordinary and erudite range of conributions to which I expect to refer for many years to come. There is not a single chapter from which I did not learn something, and from many I learnt a great deal. Organization, Vol 12 (6) Imagine a restaraunt where all your favourite dishes are prepared, each by a master chef, and unknown delights also await your pleasure. You do not have to go anywhere to get to this restaraunt, it is right in your own kitchen. You can even take it to the office with you. Without too much exaggeration, this is the rough equivalent of what is offered to the student of organization theory in The Oxford Handbook of Organization Theory Management Learning The Oxford Handbook [of Organization Theory] can be returned to many times to reflect on assumptions held on what organizations are, on what good science is, and on who should be the end customer for ones scientific activities ... This is the big tent depiction of organizational studies as a civilized community building an increasingly relevant narrative on organizations pertinent to more and more people. It is hip. It is current. It is self-consciously aware of the forces that shape as it grows. Organization StudiesIntroduction: The Need for Meta-theoretical Reflection in Organization Theory; PART I: ORGANIZATION THEORY AS SCIENCE; 1. Organizational Theory as a Positive Science; 2. Organization Theory as an Interpretive Science; 3. Organization Theory as a Critical Science: Forms of analysis and 'new organizational' forms; 4. Organization Theory as a Postmodern Science; PART II: THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORGANIZATION THEORY; 5. The Origins of Organization Theory; 6. The Historical and Epistemological Foundations of Organization Theory: Fusing sociological theory with engineering discourse; 7. Feminist Theory and Organization Theory: A dialogue on new bases; 8. The Styles and the Stylists of Organization Theory; 9. Pluralism, Scientific Progress, and the Structure of Organization Theory; PART III: META-THEORETICAL CONTROVERSIES IN ORGANIZATION THEORY; 10. The Agency/Structure Dilemma in Organization Theory: Open doors and brick walls; 11. Modes of Explanation in Organization Theory; 12. Micro and Macro Perspectives in Organization Theory: A tale of incommensurability; 13. Economic Versus Sociological Approaches to Organization Theory; 14. Meta-theoretical Controversies in Studying Organizational Culture; PART IV: ORGANIZATION THEORY AS A POLICY SCIENCE; 15. Actionable Knowledge; 16. Theory and Practice in the Real World; 17. Organization Theory and Ethics: Varieties and dynamics of constrained optimization; 18. Character and Virtue in an Era of Turbulent Capitalism; PART V: THE FUTURE OF ORGANIZATION THEORY; 19. The Future of Organization Theory: Prospects and limitations; 20. Managing Organization Futures in a Changing World of Power/Knowledge; 21. The Future of Organization Theory: Beyond the selection-adaptation debate; 22. At Home from Mars to Somalia: Recounting organization theory; 23. New Times, Fresh Challenges: Reflections on the past and the future of organization theory