Research in the Sociology of Organizations – serie

This series considers theoretical, methodological and research issues relevant to organizational sociology. It is specifically concerned with trying to specify the unique contributions of broad sociological theories and research techniques to the analysis of organizations. Both micro and macro sociological approaches are emphasized. From a micro perspective an effort is made to bring to the forefront such perspectives as phenomenology, ethnomethodology and symbolic interaction. The macro analysis also places an emphasis on the institutional, historical and cultural examination of organizations. An effort is made to use this series as a forum for the presentation of theories and research which challenge conventional views of organizational sociology. This volume presents an examination of organizations which is cross-cultural, covering all areas of cultural diversity and spanning countries, generations and identities.

This work on networks in and around organizations is part of a series that considers the theoretical, methodological and research issues relevant to organizational sociology. Both micro and macro sociological approaches are emphasized.

This work on organizational politics is part of a series that considers the theoretical, methodological and research issues relevant to organizational sociology. Both micro and macro sociological approaches are emphasized.

An influential concept in the social science literature, the theory of social capital, asserts that social actors gain resources through relationships with other actors. While social capital research has largely focused on individuals as the unit of analysis, this volume looks at social capital of organizations, or Corporate Social Capital (CSC), exploring how and to what extent social networks facilitate or impede the attainment of organizational goals. This collection of papers posits a distinction between social structure and its outcomes, noting that while positive outcomes yield social capital, the structure can also prohibit and obstruct action, resulting instead in social liability. The contributing authors pay particular attention to the sets of social conditions that lead to either capital or liability, and succeed in setting a research agenda that looks toward more effective management of organizational social capital.

This work brings together empirical research and thematic commentaries which chart out research directions for politically-inflected studies of organizational and institutional change. The chapters give practical voice to the theoretical questions and research designs of an emerging agenda for organization theory that engages questions about broader social structure and organizations with theory in cultural analysis, stratification, and entrepreneurship. Cases include historical studies of the evolution of the fire insurance industry in the 19th century, studies of the organizational vitality of contemporary evangelical Protestantism, the emergence of gay and lesbian identity organizations, challenges in the institutional structuring of the mutual fund industry the post-Soviet Russia, stratification and status organizing processes in entrepreneurial organizations, studies of social movements and organizations, both external to and inside of organizations.

Postmodern philosophy has had a profound effect on intellectuals throughout the world. Its influence has seeped into many fields other than philosophy including literature, psychology, sociology, political science, history, journalism and management. However, there is a debate within the intellectual community as to whether this influence has been beneficial or harmful with no resolution yet in sight. This book contributes to the debate within the field of management. The book includes four chapters by the most highly regarded pro postmodern scholars and an equal number of chapters by the most highly regarded anti postmodern scholars. Adding to the controversy is a final chapter which argues that Ayn Rand's philosophy of objectivism is the proper alternative to postmodernism.

Transactions often differ on important dimensions from spot exchanges on perfect neo-classical markets. Information is seldom complete and instantaneous exchange is just as rare as full competition. The authors in this volume extend the standard economic model stressing the proposition that the social context is an important determinant of the governance of transactions. To foster the development of a body of cumulative knowledge in the new economic sociology, this approach is consistently applied to a diversity of topics including purchase relations, strategic alliances, and relations among lawyers and clients as well as employers and employees. This volume is divided in three parts. The first part surveys purposive behaviour models in research on governance as well as theoretical work extending these models. The contributions in the second and third part all have an empirical component and deal with governance in the various phases of exchange relations: search and selection, negotiating and contracting, contract execution and performance, and conflict regulation. The second part focuses on governance in markets, while the third part discusses governance in organizations.

The purpose of this volume is to produce a collection of articles by leading social psychologists and organizational scholars that focus on legitimacy processes in organizations. Over the last two decades in social psychology within sociology, scholars have developed legitimacy theories that strive to show how legitimacy processes merge into structures. Also, in organizational research, issues of legitimacy processes are of central concern - for example, in neoinstitutional theory. Therefore, it is worthwhile to devote a volume that will address specifically how these legitimacy processes operate in organizations. This collection of papers will accomplish two goals. First, the contributors will have an opportunity to discuss how legitimacy processes contribute to our understanding of how organizations are structured and how they work. In addition, by examining legitimacy processes, the contributors will be able to explore the micro/macro implications of these processes. Second, this volume should stimulate more discussion between social psychologists and organizational researchers on issues of legitimacy and future directions for understanding legitimacy processes.

The cultural industries have been considered unique and out of the mainstream, not a subject for developing general theory, and therefore relatively understudied by organizational scholars. We argue it is no longer the case that cultural industries are so unique representing small markets and industries of little matter to research in the sociology of organizations. Cultural industries are now one of the fastest growing and most vital sectors in the U.S. and global economies (U.S. Census Reports, 2000). This growth is fueled in large part by the nature of the symbolic, creative, and knowledge-based assets of cultural industries. In this volume, the manuscripts recognize that the functions of the symbolic, creative, and knowledge-based assets of cultural industries are also characteristic of the professional services and other industries as well. The manuscripts illustrate how the boundaries become blurred between cultural and other related industries that also rest upon the endeavors of and knowledge of creative workers. These dynamic interactions in the commercial landscape between the cultural, professional services, and other industries provide a richer context for the authors in this volume to examine changes in a specific market or industry, and also to advance our understanding of the institutional transformation of organizations.

This volume includes studies of organizations that deliver professional services, including accounting, law, and management consulting firms. These organizations are of importance for several reasons: they underpin the modern economy, enabling economic exchange; they constitute the 'intellect industry', developing and disseminating new ideas; and, they are exemplars of knowledge-intensive organizations. Contributors include researchers from North America and Europe. This book series is available electronically online.

This volume takes stock of entrepreneurship research within organizational sociology, critically examining the theoretical presuppositions of the field and situating extant research within the sociological canon. The contributors to this volume exemplify how the disciplinary lens of sociology provides a systematic foundation to understand the context, process, and effects of entrepreneurial activity. Topics explored include entry into entrepreneurship, immigrant entrepreneurship and enclaves, academic entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurialism related to new organizational forms. The breadth and depth of the research offered by the esteemed scholars that have contributed to this volume highlight the progressive nature of sociological research on entrepreneurship. Taken as a whole, the volume points the way towards a more comprehensive framework for the development of the sociology of entrepreneurship. "Research in the Sociology of Organizations" is an international series. It is especially concerned with specifying the unique contributions of sociological theories and research techniques to the analysis of organizations. Each volume aims to foster debate and dialogue about the value of new theories and research to the field of organizational sociology as well as the growing international community of organizational scholars.

This Book Set of A & B.Since the mid-20th century, organizational theorists have increasingly distanced themselves from the study of core societal power centers and important policy issues of the day. This has been driven by a shift away from the study of organizations, politics, and society and towards a more narrow focus on instrumental exchange and performance. As a result, our field has become increasingly impotent as a critical voice and contributor to policy. For a contemporary example, witness our inability as a field to make sense of the recent U.S. mortgage meltdown and concomitant global financial crisis. It is not that economic and organizational sociologists have nothing to say. The problem is that while we have a great deal of knowledge about finance, the economy, entrepreneurship and corporations, we fail to address how the knowledge in our field can be used to contribute to important policy issues of the day. This double-volume brings together some of the very top scholars in the world in economic and organizational sociology to address the recent global financial crisis debates and struggles around how to organize economies and societies around the world.

Consumers, producers, critics, and other market agents rely on socially constructed categories like 'craft' beers, houseware 'collectibles', and 'thriller' films for their understanding of products and producers in markets. Although organizational and sociological accounts often take such categories as given, researchers increasingly acknowledge that category emergence, development, and functioning represent key aspects of how markets work. Take, for example, the U.S. brewing industry, which has become segmented into mass versus specialty producers. Many beer lovers who appreciate the characteristics of a beer made by small, specialty breweries are not willing to buy an equivalent beer made by an integrated, major producer. Knowledge of what specialty beer has come to mean and represent to consumers as the product of an authentic, artisanal production process and delivery is crucial for our understanding of how this market and competitive dynamics within it have evolved. This volume focuses on how market categories shape processes of production and consumption and how these activities in turn shape category systems. This volume consists of original contributions to theory and empirical research by a diverse group of esteemed authors. Topics explored include how new categories emerge, become enacted and gain consensus, how categories are used by market agents (including as tools for interpretation, as mobilization frames, and as cognitive infrastructures for learning), and how category systems change over time. These topics are explored from a variety of perspectives: new institutional theory, organizational ecology, social movement theory, and socio-cognitive theories of markets. The breadth of perspectives in this volume attests to the importance of this topic to sociological studies of market processes.

What is the relationship between philosophy and organization theory (OT)? While at first glance there might appear to be little, a closer look reveals a rich pattern of connections. More than any other type of human inquiry, philosophy helps make us self-aware of critical assumptions we tacitly incorporate in our organizational theorizing; it creates a deeper awareness of the 'unconscious metaphysics' underpinning our efforts to understand organizations. This volume includes papers that explore connections between several streams in philosophy and OT. As the titles of the papers suggest, most authors write about a particular philosopher or group of philosophers that make up a distinct school of thought, summarize important aspects of his/their work, and tease out the implications for OT. The central question authors explore is: 'what does a particular philosophy contribute to OT?' Either addressing this question in historical or exploratory terms, or in a combination of both, the end result is similar: particular philosophical issues, properly explained, are discussed in relation to important questions in OT.

Since the mid-20th century, organizational theorists have increasingly distanced themselves from the study of core societal power centers and important policy issues of the day. This has been driven by a shift away from the study of organizations, politics, and society and towards a more narrow focus on instrumental exchange and performance. As a result, our field has become increasingly impotent as a critical voice and contributor to policy. For a contemporary example, witness our inability as a field to make sense of the recent U.S. mortgage meltdown and concomitant global financial crisis. It is not that economic and organizational sociologists have nothing to say. The problem is that while we have a great deal of knowledge about finance, the economy, entrepreneurship and corporations, we fail to address how the knowledge in our field can be used to contribute to important policy issues of the day. This book brings together some of the very top scholars in the world in economic and organizational sociology to address the recent global financial crisis debates and struggles around how to organize economies and societies around the world.

How does organizations' embeddedness in broader social and cultural communities influence their behavior? And how has this changed with recent communication technology advances and globalization trends? In this volume, we consider how diverse types of communities influence organizations, as well as the associated benefit of developing a richer accounting for community processes in organizational theory. One goal of the volume is to move beyond the focus on social proximity and networks that has characterized existing work on communities. The papers in this volume consider specific topics that expand the definition of community beyond geography to include how transnational communities form and affect organizations' perception, the development of a community-form (C-form) organization as an important organizational architecture for understanding twenty-first century business, and how virtual communities influence key organizational processes. While there has been a recent revival of research into the effects of both geographic and non-geographic communities on organizational behaviors, this volume is the first effort to bring both perspectives together in order to aid in the identification of common and disparate mechanisms across multiple types of communities and how community as an organizing logic sits vis-a-vis other logics related to the market, corporation, family and religion.

Organizations are central actors of modern society. No understanding of our world is complete without a theory of how they work. This insight is grounded in the foundational texts of classical social theory, and it remains as true as ever today. Be they multinational corporations or start-up firms, established political parties or insurgent social movements, successful organizations must engage in power-projects. Such is the overarching argument of this volume, a collection of papers by many of the world's leading social scientists and organizational scholars. Many contributions analyze empirical data to generate cutting-edge arguments about the actual working of organizations, institutions, and markets. Other papers represent original theoretical arguments that propose new ways to see and study power. Topics addressed include the nature of post-bureaucratic (polyarchic) organizations, strategic action within fields, identity and contentious politics, and emergent forms of resistance. Collectively, the papers that comprise this volume set a fresh agenda for the study of power in and across organizations and institutions.

The year 2012 was the 40th anniversary of the publication of Cohen, March, and Olsen's influential article "The Garbage Can Model of Organizational Choice", which offered a major new perspective on organizational decision making. To celebrate this enduring paradigm, its impact on our understanding of organizational decision making, and the broad streams of research it has influenced, this collection of papers provides a rich demonstration of the influence that the GCM is continuing to have on current research. The chapters make original contributions to research on organizational decision making by developing new models and theoretical extensions based on or inspired by prior garbage can work, by applying garbage can concepts and interpretations to new problems and novel settings. The book includes a paper from Cohen, March and Olsen, who record their memories of initial encounters with garbage can ideas of organizational decision making, impressions of their current condition, and some thoughts on convolutions they may experience in the years ahead.

This special volume brings together leading scholars in the field of organisation studies to reflect on the universal phenomena of hierarchy (vertical organisation of tasks) and bureaucracy (rule-bound execution of tasks). The result is a colourful kaleidoscope of thought-provoking, critical and refreshingly non-mainstream analysis of hierarchy and bureaucracy. The chapters range from minute accounts of a single case to broader historical analysis, from the 'classical' journal paper to essay-style elaborations. The first section provides fundamentals and historical accounts of bureaucracy, highlighting negative and positive effects of bureaucracy and a differentiated picture with some future outlook. The second section focuses on the analysis of organisational, cultural and socio-psychological aspects of hierarchy and bureaucracy by interrogating hierarchy in contemporary work via a new framework, exploring the cultural fantasy of hierarchy and sovereignty, and examining subordinates' challenges to organisational hierarchy. The final section comprises two chapters which provide some alternative views on, and alternatives to hierarchy. One is alarming, the other is puzzling.

Organizations are under constant pressure to be ambidextrous. They must be able to exploit existing processes, routines and systems at the same time as they must engage in exploration through playfulness, relaxed control and experimentation. We know little about the human costs and challenges of ambidexterity. In this volume we explore the impact of ambidextrous organizations on individuals' working lives. The authors analyze how employees are required to follow routines at the same time as they are expected to break these routines. They also explore how the individual dilemmas of ambidexterity play out in the lives of precarious work, online communities, management consultants, workers in the automotive industry, and consumers of pop-management books in the US. The result is a rich and fascinating picture of individuals whose working lives are made up of a continued tension between the quest to be exploitative and explorative.

Both history and current events attest to the continued significance of religion in society. Despite the role and importance of the institution of religion, and the profound influence that religious organizations continue to exert, it occupies a curiously marginal place in organization theory. At the same time, organization theory has been criticized for its narrow focus on corporations and there have been calls to study a much broader range of organizational forms (e.g., Bamberger and Pratt, 2010). Interestingly, the small number of studies on religious organizations to have published have had a disproportionate impact on the field. This suggests that religious organizations deserve more attention, and that attending to them will have significant benefits for our understanding of organizations. This volume brings together leading organization theorists with an interest in religion. The aim is to consolidate and make available in one place existing knowledge on religion and organizations, as well as encouraging more organization theorists to include religion as part of their research activities and agenda.

Some 20 years after the emergence of configurational theory as a key perspective in organization studies in the 1990s, this approach has yet to deliver on its promise. While we know that configurations the relative arrangement of parts and elements - matters, empirical research on configurations is just beginning to deliver on its promise.

The Institutional Logics Perspective is one of the fastest growing new theoretical areas in organization studies (Thornton, Ocasio & Lounsbury, 2012). Building on early efforts by Friedland & Alford (1991) to "bring society back in" to the study of organizational dynamics, this new scholarly domain has revived institutional analysis by embracing a focus on the dynamic and heterogeneous nature of institutions. In doing so, it has embraced a more practice-centered approach to agency that emphasizes situated interactions, the importance of history, the role of both symbolic and material elements, and the study of cross-level processes and mechanisms. This two volume set, seeded by an ABC Network conference held in Banff, Alberta, CANADA in June 2012, provides a fresh set of papers by scholars at the cutting edge of research on institutional logics. As a whole, the papers provide many novel theoretical insights about institutional logics in action - focusing on their dynamics, complexity, and evolving relationship to actors as actors actively navigate their social worlds.

The Institutional Logics Perspective is one of the fastest growing new theoretical areas in organization studies (Thornton, Ocasio & Lounsbury, 2012). Building on early efforts by Friedland & Alford (1991) to "bring society back in" to the study of organizational dynamics, this new scholarly domain has revived institutional analysis by embracing a focus on the dynamic and heterogeneous nature of institutions. In doing so, it has embraced a more practice-centered approach to agency that emphasizes situated interactions, the importance of history, the role of both symbolic and material elements, and the study of cross-level processes and mechanisms. This two volume set, seeded by an ABC Network conference held in Banff, Alberta, CANADA in June 2012, provides a fresh set of papers by scholars at the cutting edge of research on institutional logics. As a whole, the papers provide many novel theoretical insights about institutional logics in action - focusing on their dynamics, complexity, and evolving relationship to actors as actors actively navigate their social worlds.

Recent changes to the funding and governance of higher education and scientific research systems are affecting both the organisation of the sciences and the nature of universities as strategic actors in many countries. Transforming the organisational contexts in which research is carried out has altered the dynamics of scientific change through shifts in the authority relations that influence the development and implementation of organisational strategies. The first part of this book deals with the transformation of universities as strategic organisational actors - in some cases creating them as such - while the second shows how governance and authority shifts are affecting the kinds of research goals being pursued by academics in different public science systems. By bringing together the analysis of organisational change in universities with that of how institutional changes are affecting intellectual innovation in different fields, this volume integrates work in the sociology of organisations, science policy, higher education studies, innovation research and the sociology of science. It is therefore of interest to a wide academic and policy development audience in many countries.

Social network analysis has transformed the study of organizations over the past 30 years. Rather than focus on individuals or teams, network scholars view the organization as a nexus of relationships. As its popularity increases, the scholarship is evolving in many directions including new theory on network dynamics, multilevel thinking, multiplex networks, digital networks, instrumental and affective ties, and cross-cultural considerations, in addition to advances in methods and measures, and new organizational applications. This compendium of essays points the way to contemporary issues in organizational social networks. Research in the Sociology of Organizations is an established international, peer-reviewed series that examines cutting edge theoretical, methodological and research issues in organizational studies. The series is especially concerned with specifying the unique contributions of sociological theories and research techniques to the analysis of organizations. In addition to publishing high quality original research, each volume aims to foster debate about the value of new theories and research to the growing international community of organizational studies scholars. Each volume is designed around carefully selected and interesting themes that aim to facilitate the development of new research communities and perspectives within the organizational studies field. All contributions are peer reviewed to ensure high quality, and are individually downloadable through your library website, enabling wide distribution and easy access.

In 2008, the world entered a new period of turmoil. Financial markets collapsed, banks and other financial institutions went in to crisis; credit dried up, consumption reduced and firms started to cut back and reduce investment in the light of uncertainty. Unemployment increased and welfare payments increased. States that borrowed to save their banks and to maintain their spending found the financial markets and the international institutions condemning their profligacy and urging austerity policies. This book is concerned with what happens when elites are challenged by such a crisis; in our terms, elites are 'on trial' firstly for their role in the past and shaping the context for the crisis, secondly in terms of how they responded to the crisis and finally in terms of what role they are playing in the aftermath. Can they reestablish their legitimacy or will they fail this trial and find themselves replaced by other groups with different objectives? This collection draws together a variety of studies and approaches to these issues from a group of international authors which helps us understand 'elites on trial' in the contemporary period.

Philip Selznick is a towering figure in the history of organizational studies. His direct contributions to organizational scholarship are relatively few in number and were mostly produced in the early years of his remarkable academic career. But, these early organizational writings, which include TVA and the Grass Roots (1949) and Leadership in Administration (1957), exerted a profound, multi-faceted, and enduring influence on a then-nascent field . They are also widely viewed as the "founding documents" of institutional theory. Each of the papers in this volume revisits Selznick's early work, rearticulates some part of his larger perspective, and says something about its originality and historical significance. They also bring Selznick's perspective to bear on more contemporary issues, apply it to new problems, and explain why it still "matters" in the here and now. Though Selznick's work is an important part of our shared past as organizational scholars, it's also highly relevant to our collective present and our possible future. Taken together, these chapters provide some indication of what that future could look like.

The year 2012 was the 40th anniversary of the publication of Cohen, March, and Olsen's influential article "The Garbage Can Model of Organizational Choice", which offered a major new perspective on organizational decision making. To celebrate this enduring paradigm, its impact on our understanding of organizational decision making, and the broad streams of research it has influenced, this collection of papers provides a rich demonstration of the influence that the GCM is continuing to have on current research. The chapters make original contributions to research on organizational decision making by developing new models and theoretical extensions based on or inspired by prior garbage can work, by applying garbage can concepts and interpretations to new problems and novel settings. The book includes a paper from Cohen, March and Olsen, who record their memories of initial encounters with garbage can ideas of organizational decision making, impressions of their current condition, and some thoughts on convolutions they may experience in the years ahead.