Robert F. Freeland is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin. He has published in the American Journal of Sociology and Business History Review, and is the recipient of the 1998 Social Science History Association's President's Book Prize for this book.

'Undoubtedly, this is one of the most important books on organizations published over the last decade, one that will generate much-needed debate about a topic and a theory that should have been scrutinized a long time ago.' Mauro F. Guillén, American Journal of Sociology

• 1. The modern corporation and the problem of order; 2. Creating corporate order: conflicting versions of decentralization at GM, 1921–33; 3. Administrative centralization of the M-Form, 1934–41; 4. Participative decentralization redefined: mobilizing for war production, 1941–5; 5. The split between finance and operations: postwar problems and organization structure, 1945–8; 6. Consent as an organization weapon: coalition politics and the destruction of cooperation, 1948–58; 7. Consent destroyed: the decline and fall of General Motors, 1958–80; 8. Conclusion.

Robert F. Freeland is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin. He has published in the American Journal of Sociology and Business History Review, and is the recipient of the 1998 Social Science History Association's President's Book Prize for this book.

'Undoubtedly, this is one of the most important books on organizations published over the last decade, one that will generate much-needed debate about a topic and a theory that should have been scrutinized a long time ago.' Mauro F. Guillén, American Journal of Sociology

• 1. The modern corporation and the problem of order; 2. Creating corporate order: conflicting versions of decentralization at GM, 1921–33; 3. Administrative centralization of the M-Form, 1934–41; 4. Participative decentralization redefined: mobilizing for war production, 1941–5; 5. The split between finance and operations: postwar problems and organization structure, 1945–8; 6. Consent as an organization weapon: coalition politics and the destruction of cooperation, 1948–58; 7. Consent destroyed: the decline and fall of General Motors, 1958–80; 8. Conclusion.

Robert F. Freeland is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin. He has published in the American Journal of Sociology and Business History Review, and is the recipient of the 1998 Social Science History Association's President's Book Prize for this book.

'Undoubtedly, this is one of the most important books on organizations published over the last decade, one that will generate much-needed debate about a topic and a theory that should have been scrutinized a long time ago.' Mauro F. Guillén, American Journal of Sociology

• 1. The modern corporation and the problem of order; 2. Creating corporate order: conflicting versions of decentralization at GM, 1921–33; 3. Administrative centralization of the M-Form, 1934–41; 4. Participative decentralization redefined: mobilizing for war production, 1941–5; 5. The split between finance and operations: postwar problems and organization structure, 1945–8; 6. Consent as an organization weapon: coalition politics and the destruction of cooperation, 1948–58; 7. Consent destroyed: the decline and fall of General Motors, 1958–80; 8. Conclusion.