Organizing and Organizations: An Introduction

"The book turned out to be very different from my expectations, and far more relevant--it provides a better description of real organizations....Instead of following standard textbook topics, it describes what it is like to live and work in an organization." --Journal of the Operational Research Society "If one is looking for a novel approach and a very readable style, this book is rather ahead of the field. The introduction and conclusion are regarded as the centre and the rest as the spokes of a wheel. The reader may turn it as they wish to move from one topic to another. There is rather good cross-referencing to guide the novice hither and thither. The thesaurus/dictionary is very well set out with important concepts in bold. The publishers, Sage, have done a fine job here and the upshot is commendable. It goes without saying that all the political correct flourishes are present, for example, race, gender, and so on. The entries are closely integrated with the text by way of cross-references and further reading is neatly flagged." --Journal of General Management "A surprisingly enjoyable read--a far cry from the traditional textbooks for students of organizational theory and behavior. Each chapter reflects a live issue or activity within organizational life, illustrated by entertaining anecdotes, quotes, and short case studies. These first hand accounts . . . effectively illustrate the combination of theoretical concepts and practical implications. . . . This book is a highly readable introduction to organizational behavior and organization theory, made so by the many interesting firsthand experiences interwoven throughout the text." --Empowerment in Organizations: An International Journal "There is much of interest and topicality. . . . The exposition is clear, brief, and sewn with examples. . . . Within the constraints of an introductory text, it is quite adventurous. . . . [Students] will find Organizing and Organizations is written in a style they will like. . . . The book is to be recommended for first year classes. . . . Its price and high ′production values′ makes it attractive." --Work, Employment, and Sociology Organizing and Organizations does what most other texts in the field do not: It captures and conveys the "lived experience" of being and working in organizations while also introducing key concepts, research, and literature in organizational analysis. Rather than reproducing conventional categories, chapter headings reflect the "live" issues and activities--the deals and games, order and disorder, tensions and conflicts, pleasures and pain--of being and working in organizations. Theoretical concepts and practical implications are lightly, but cogently woven into an engrossing and accessible narrative which draws on a large number of first-hand accounts by professionals in organizations. The final section comprises a substantial thesaurus/dictionary defining and discussing over 150 terms and concepts that were introduced earlier. Meeting the clear need for a text that integrates the theoretical and experiential understanding of organizations, Organizing and Organizations will be an essential resource for scholars and students of organizational behavior, organization and management theory, and the psychology and sociology of organizations.

Stephen Fineman is Professor of Organizational Behaviour, School of Management, University of Bath

CONTRIBUTORS′ AFFILIATIONS OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA:

Gillian Bendelow University of Warwick

Karen P Harlos University of Otago, Dunedin

Avraham N Kluger The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Berry Mayall University of London

Anat Rafaeli Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion, Haifa

Varda Wasserman The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Yiannis Gabriel is Professor of Organizational Theory at Bath University. Yiannis has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London and a PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley.

 

Yiannis is well known for his work into organizational storytelling and narratives, leadership, management learning and the culture and politics of contemporary consumption. He has used stories as a way of studying numerous social and organizational phenomena including leader-follower relations, group dynamics and fantasies, nostalgia, insults and apologies. He has also carried out extensive research on the psychoanalysis of organizations.

 

Yiannis is founder and coordinator of the Organizational Storytelling Seminar series, now in its fourteenth year (See http://www.organizational-storytelling.org.uk/), the author of nine books and numerous articles. He is elected to the board of EGOS and is currently Senior Editor of Organization Studies. His enduring fascination as a researcher lies in what he describes as the unmanageable qualities of life in and out of organizations.