Order on the Edge of Chaos: Social Psychology and the Problem of Social Order

Order and stability are tenuous and fragile. People have to work to create and sustain a semblance of stability and order in their lives and in their organizations and larger communities. Order on the Edge of Chaos compares different ideas about how we coordinate and cooperate. The ideas come from 'micro-sociology', and they offer new answers to the classic question of Thomas Hobbes: 'how is social order possible?' The most common answers in sociology, political science, and economics assume a fundamental tension between individual and group interests. This volume reveals that social orders are problematic even without such tension, because when people interact with each other, they verify their identities, feel and respond to emotions, combine different goal frames, and develop shared responsibility. The ties of people to groups result from many aspects of their social interactions, and these cannot be explained by individual self-interest.

Edward J. Lawler is the Martin P. Catherwood Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations and Professor of Sociology at Cornell University, New York. He has co-authored three books and edited or co-edited thirty-one volumes in the annual series, Advances in Group Processes. In 2001, he received the Cooley-Mead Award for career achievement from the Social Psychology Section of the American Sociological Association, and in 2003 his paper, 'An Affect Theory of Social Exchange' won the 2002 Theory Prize from the Theory Section of the American Sociological Association. His book (co-authored with Shane Thye and Jeongkoo Yoon), Social Commitments in a Depersonalized World (2009), won the 2010 James Coleman Best Book Award from the Rationality and Society Section of the American Sociological Association.

Shane Thye is a Professor of Sociology at the University of South Carolina. He is the series co-editor (with Edward J. Lawler) of Advances in Group Processes. He recently completed Social Commitments in a Depersonalized World (2009) with Lawler and Yoon. He works primarily in the areas of group dynamics and experimental sociology. His work has appeared in outlets such as the American Sociological Review, the American Journal of Sociology, and Social Forces.

Jeongkoo Yoon is Professor in the School of Management at Ewha Womans University, South Korea. His research applies power and exchange theories to solve issues of contemporary organizations such as empowerment, leadership, and change. He coauthored the book Social Commitments in a Depersonalized World (2009) with Lawler and Thye. He also published two award-winning best seller books in Korea, Change Management for 100 Year Sustainable Companies (2010) and What Is Authenticity? (2012). He served as Editor of the Korean Journal of Management and Chair of the Korean Association of Leadership. He is currently on the editorial board of the British Journal of Management.