Normal Organizational Wrongdoing: A Critical Analysis of Theories of Misconduct in and by Organizations - Hardcover

Palmer, Donald

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 019957359X ISBN 13: 9780199573592

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2012

Synopsis

Instances of wrongdoing in and by organizations have featured heavily in news headlines in recent years. Why do organizational participants--employees, managers, senior officials--engage in illegal, unethical, and socially irresponsible behavior?

The dominant view of wrongdoing as an abnormal phenomenon assumes that the perpetrator is a rational, proactive actor, working in isolation. However, Palmer develops an alternative approach in this book, examining wrongdoing as a normal occurrence, produced by boundedly rational actors whose behaviour is shaped by the immediate social context over a period of time.

The book provides a comprehensive critical review of the theory and research on organizational wrongdoing. By using rich case study material, it illuminates different perspectives, potential explanations, and policy suggestions for the reduction of organizational wrongdoing.

About this title

About the Author

Donald Palmer, Professor of Organizational Behavior, Graduate School of Management, University of California, Davis

Donald Palmer is Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Management, University of California, Davis. He has served as Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and as chair of the Department of Sociology at Reed College. Professor Palmer has conducted quantitative empirical studies on corporate strategy, structure, and inter-organizational relations and qualitative studies of organizational wrongdoing, which have been published in the American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Annual Review of Sociology, Social Forces, Research in the Sociology of Organizations Administrative Science Quarterly, Research in Organizational Behavior, Strategic Organization, and Journal of Management Inquiry. He was an Associate Editor of Administrative Science Quarterly from 2000 to 2002 and Editor of the journal from 2003 to 2008.

Review

"Donald Palmer has developed a provocative argument about the inevitability of organizational wrongdoing. What we have here is a critical, inclusive, sociological analysis that takes the perspective of embedded wrongdoers...[The book] could easily be a basic text for organizational studies courses of any kind. Why? Basic positions are presented and compared. Ethics are not compartmentalized. Applications are not oversimplified. Readers understand more clearly why organizational participants may develop a cynical outlook." --Administrative Science Quarterly

"Palmer's book is both important and timely... [and his] exploration of these questions covers a wide range of disciplines -- sociology, psychology, social psychology, criminology, political science, economics, and philosophy -- giving his book an impressive breadth. He provides thorough and careful descriptions and illustrations of eight specific explanations of organizational wrongdoing... Anyone with an interest in corporate scandals will find these case studies rich and compelling." --Contemporary Sociology

"...Palmer provides an overview of the underlying theories, drawing on a range of disciplines - sociology, economics, psychology, ethics and management - and provides examples showing how each explanation can be applied... the book is very useful for anyone interested in organizations and ethics. With his fine review of relevant theories and by providing a wealth of examples, Palmer is able to demonstrate that organizational wrongdoing is indeed 'normal', as his title suggests." --Work Employment Society Review

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 019957359X
• ISBN 13: 9780199573592
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 330