OutlineOrganization Theory Some propositionsA Brief HistoryReading and Readings

Organization Theory Some PropositionsThere are features that all organisations shareThere are features which differ between organisationsOrganisation Theory attempts to learn from bothOrganisation Theory seeks to improve our explanations of the past events and predictions about the future

Organization Theory Shared FeaturesAccording to Rollinson (Hill et al 2011, 4) organisations are social entities brought into existence and sustained in an ongoing way by humans to serve some purpose, from which it follows that human activities in the entity are normally structured and coordinated to achieve some purpose or goals.

Organization Theory Shared Features

Organizations have Organizing involvesOrganizations differ in the following ways (generate lists 10 minutes)

A Brief History (one way of telling the story)Classical Management School (1800s +)Human Relations School (1920s+)Systems / Contingency Theory (1950s+)Culture / Symbolism (1980s+)Organisational Learning (1990s +)Post-Modernism (1990s+)Practice and Practical Wisdom(2005+)

A Brief HistoryClassical Management School (Hill et al 7-10) (Weber, Taylor, Fayol, Gantt and others)Purpose: Improve efficiency of organisations through technology and work designFocus: Developing scientific rules of organisingExamples : Time and Motion Studies, Span of Control, Gantt Chart

A Brief HistoryHuman Relations School (Hill et al 10-13) (Roethlisberger & Dickson (Hawthorne studies), Maslow, Herzberg, McGregor, Lewin)Purpose: Improve effectiveness of people through humanizing workFocus: Individual and Social Psychology Examples : The Hierarchy of Needs, Job Enrichment, Theory X and Theory Y, T-Groups, Change Management, Management Skills

A Brief History (one way of telling the story)Systems Thinking (Hill et al 18 20) (Burns and Stalker, Woodward, Lawrence and Lorsch, Emery, Trist and Bamforth)Purpose: Improve organisational structures and systems through adaptation to the environmentFocus: The Organisational Environment Examples: Organic and Mechanistic Organisation, PESTLE, Open and Closed Systems

A Brief History (one way of telling the story)Cultural / Symbolic Theory (Peters and Waterman, Ouchi, Schein, Smircich Hofstede, Weick)Purpose: Improve organisations through understanding differencesFocus: Beliefs and Values in Organisations and across countries Examples: Seven S, Theory Z, Corporate Culture, Sub-Cultures

A Brief History (one way of telling the story)Organisational Learning (Senge, Argyris, Schn, Lassey)Purpose: Improve organisations through building capacity to learnFocus: How organisations learn and change Examples: Single and Double-Loop learning, Knowledge Management, Tacit Knowledge, The Learning Curve, The Virtual Organization

A Brief History (one way of telling the story)Post-Modern Organization Theory / Critical Management Studies (Hill et al 27-29) (Morgan, Collinson, Alvesson, Willmott, Hassard, Parker,)Purpose: Understanding knowledge-power in organisationsFocus: Gender, Ethics, Language, PowerExamples: Images of organisation, organisational humour, sex and organizations, anti-organization theory

A Brief History (one way of telling the story)Practice and Practical Wisdom (Ghoshal, Mintzberg, Sandberg, Tsoukas, Beadle & Moore)- Purpose: To renew the focus of management thinking on the practice of management- Focus: The development of practical wisdom amongst managers- Examples: The reflective practitioner, servant leadership, Virtue Ethics in business

Reading and Readings (other ways of telling the story)Different Texts will read/describe the story in different ways e.g.Rollinson (in Hill et al) Formative work, Org Behaviour & Analysis (OB&A), Maturity Phase, Contemporary OB & ABurrell & Morgan Paradigms (Functionalism, Interpretivism, Structuralism, Radical Humanism)Tsoukas and Cummings Rationalist or Aristotelian Approaches

**Fayol, H. (1949 / 1916). General and Industrial Management. London: PitmanGantt, Henry L. (1919) Organizing for Work. New York: Harcourt, Brace, and Howe. Reprinted by Hive Publishing Company, Easton, Maryland, 1973.Taylor, F.W. (1916). The Principles of Scientific Management. New York: HarperWeber, M. (1947). The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. Translated by A.M. Henderson and Talcott Parsons. London: Collier Macmillan Publishers, *Herzberg, F. (1959). The Motivation to Work, New York: John Wiley and SonsHerzberg, F. (1987). 'One more time: How do you motivate employees?', Harvard Business Review, Sep/Oct Vol. 65:5, p109-120Lewin, K; Lippit, R & White, R.K. (1939). Patterns of Aggressive Behavior in Experimentally Created Social Climates. Journal of Social Psychology, Vol.10: 271- 301Maslow, A. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370-396. Available at: http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htmMcGregor, D. (1960). The Human Side of Enterprise. New York: McGraw-HillRoethlisberger, F & Dickson, W. (1939). Management and the Worker: An account of a Research Programme Conducted in the Western Electric Company, Chicago. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

*Burns, T. & Stalker, G. M. (1961), The Management of Innovation, Tavistock, London.Emery, F. & Trist, E. (1965). The causal texture of organizational environments. Human Relations Vol.18, 21-32.Lawrence, P. R./Lorsch, J. W. (1967. Organization and Environment: Managing Differentiation and Integration. Boston, MA: Harvard UniversityTrist, E & Bamforth, K. (1951). Some social and psychological consequences of the longwall method of coal getting, Human Relations Vol. 4, 3-38Woodward, J.(1965). Industrial Organization: Theory and Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press*Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Beverley Hills, CA: SagePeters, T & Waterman, R. (1982). In Search of Excellence: Lessons from Americas Best-Run Companies. New York: Harper and RowOuchi, W.G. (1981). Theory Z: how American business can meet the Japanese challenge. New York: Addison-Wesley.Schein, E. (1985). Organization Culture and Leadership. San Francisco: John Wiley & SonsSmircich, L. 1983. Concepts of culture and organizational analysis. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol.28: 339-358.Weick, K. (1995). Sensemaking in Organizations. Beverley Hills: SageWeick, K; Sutcliffe, K & D. Obstfeld. (2005). Organizing and the Process of Sensemaking. Organization Science Vol. 16:4, 409-421

*Argyris, C. and Schn, D. (1996) Organizational Learning II: Theory, method and practice, Reading, Mass: AddisonLassey, P. (1998). Developing a Learning Organization. London: Kogan PageSenge, P. (1990). The Fifth Discipline. New York: Doubleday

*Alvesson, M., & Willmott, H. (Eds.). 2003. Studying Management Critically. London: SageCollinson, D., & Hearn, J. (1994). Naming men as men: Implications for work, organization and management. Gender, Work and Organization, Vol. 1:1, 1-22.Hassard, J. & Parker, M. (Eds.). 1993. Postmodernism and organizations. London: Sage.Morgan, G. (1980). Images of Organization. Beverley Hills, CA: SageParker, M.(2002) Against Management. Oxford: PolityWillmott, H. 1993. Strength is Ignorance; Slavery is Freedom : Managing Culture in Modern Organizations. Journal of Management Studies Vol.30:4, 515-552

*Beadle, R & Moore, G. (2011). MacIntyre, Neo-Aristotelianism and Organization Theory. Research in the Sociology of Organizations Vol. 32, 85-121.Ghoshal, S. (2005). Bad management theories are destroying good management practices. Academy of Management Learning and Education, Vo.4:1, 75-91Mintzberg, H. (2009). Managing. Harlow: Pearson Education.Sandberg, J & Tsoukas, H. (2011). Grasping the logic of practice: Theorizing through practical rationality. Academy of Management Review Vol. 36:2, 338-350

*Burrell, G & Morgan, G. (1979). Sociological Paradigms and Organizational Analysis. London: HeinemannRollinson, D (2011) Chapter 1 in Hill, P et al. Culture and Organisation, Harlow: Pearson Custom TextTsoukas, H & Cummings, S. (1997). Marginalization and Recovery: The Emergence of Aristotelian Themes in Organization Studies Organization Studies Vo.18:4, 655--683

*