Organization Theory

by Derek S. Pugh

Book Overview

As consumers, clients, customers or, perhaps most significantly, as employers or employees, everyone depends on formal organizations. This resource book explains how such organizations work and why... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140806016
• ISBN13: 9780140806014
• Release Date: February 1972
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Introduction into the field of organization theory

Derek S. Pugh is Emeritus Professor of International Management at the Open University Business School. This fifth edition was published in 2007 and consists of six interrelated sections, whereby each part consists of 4-to-5 chapters each. The 30 chapters overall are written by writers whose work has had a clear impact on the subject of organization theory. " ... organization theory can be defined as the study of the structure, functioning and performance of organizations and the behaviour of groups and individuals within them." Part I - The Structure of Organizations examines the structural differences encountered across numbers of organizations. Max Weber analyses three general types of organization stemming from the bases for wielding authority. Derek Pugh himself describes in detail the management structures of modern organizations. Oliver E. Williamson examines the complex nature of the modern corporation. Christopher Bartlett and Sumantra Ghoshal focus on international corporations. Charles Handy discusses the impact of the virtual organization on structure and management. Part II - The Organization in Its Environment analyses the need of organizations to function in different environments. Tom Burns highlights the limitations of formal bureaucracies and discusses the change toward organismic systems for greater flexibility. Paul Lawrence and Jay Lorsch continue the exploration of the relationship of the organization to the environment. Jeffrey Pfeffer and Gerald Salancik argue that all organizational functioning is a result from the organization's dependence on other institutions in its environment. Raymond Miles and Charles Snow demonstrate that organizations must achieve a strategic fit between their environments and their management strategies and structures. Michael T. Hannan and John Freeman take an ecological and evolutionary view of organizational functioning. Geert Hofstede underlines the importance of national culture to organizational behaviour. Part III - Management and Decision-Making presents overall principles on the management of organizations, included the tasks and the processes. Henri Fayol is the first modern management writers to propound a theoretical analysis on role of managers. His principles of authority and responsibility, unity of command, good order, esprit de corps are the common currency of management parlance. Henry Mintzberg provides a new way of classifying managerial work, consisting of interpersonal, informational and decisional set of tasks. Rosabeth Moss Kanter underlines the importance of the correct use of managerial power in achieving organizational performance. James March maintains that decision-making is the key distinctive activity of managers. Part IV - People in Organizations is concerned to the analysis of the behaviour of people and the effect on/by organization processes. Elton Mayo is the inspirer of the famous Hawthorne studies and the founding father of the human relations movemen