Organization Theory and Governance for the 21st Century

Description

Exposing students to post-traditional theory as well as to operationalize theory, this book clearly shows how theyve been applied and with what impact. The book first covers the classical foundations of organization theory, beginning with rationalist approaches and the behavioural revolution, and then delving into the diversity of network theory, chaos and complexity, structural-functionalism, and transaction cost economics. The authors then demonstrate how these theories are operationalized; i.e. how they can be applied to various management and administrative functions, including managing individual behaviour, affecting organizational change, understanding and shaping group dynamics, and managing organization/environment relations. The final section introduces students to post-traditional theory, links back to classical foundations, and demonstrates how these theories are being applied in organizations involved in governance. Austin and Parkes also discuss the implications and provide critiques of these th