Organizational studies
Organizational studies,
organizational behavior, and
organizational theory are related terms for the academic study of
organizations, examining them using the methods of
economics,
sociology,
political science,
anthropology, and
psychology. Related practical disciplines include
human resources (HR) and
industrial and organizational psychology.
Organizational studies is the study of individual and
group dynamics in an organizational setting, as well as the nature of the organizations themselves. Whenever people interact in organizations, many factors come into play. Organizational studies attempts to understand and model these factors.
Like all social sciences, organizational behavior seeks to
control,
predict, and
explain. But there is some controversy over the ethical ramifications of focusing on controlling workers' behavior. As such,
organizational behavior or
OB (and its cousin,
Industrial psychology) have at times been accused of being the scientific tool of the powerful. Those accusations notwithstanding, OB can play a major role in
organizational development and success.
The Greek philosopher
Plato wrote about the essence of leadership.
Aristotle addressed the topic of persuasive communication. The writings of 16th century Italian philosopher
Niccolo Machiavelli laid the foundation for contemporary work on organisational power and politics. In 1776,
Adam Smith advocated a new form of organisational structure based on the division of labour. One hundred years later, German sociologist
Max Weber wrote about rational organisations and initiated discussion of charismatic leadership. Soon after,
Frederick Winslow Taylor introduced the systematic use of goal setting and rewards to motivate employees. In the 1920's, Australian-born Harvard professor
Elton Mayo and his colleagues conducted productivity studies at Western Electric's Hawthorne plant in the United States.
Though it traces its roots back to
Max Weber and earlier, organizational studies is generally considered to have begun as an academic discipline with the advent of
scientific management in the 1890s, with
Taylorism representing the peak of this movement. Proponents of scientific management held that rationalizing the organization with precise sets of instructions and time-motion studies would lead to increased productivity. Studies of different
compensation systems were carried out.
After the First World War, the focus of organizational studies shifted to analysis of how human factors and psychology affected organizations, a transformation propelled by the discovery of the
Hawthorne Effect. This
Human Relations Movement focused more on
teams,
motivation, and the actualization of the goals of individuals within organizations.
Prominent early scholars included:
*
Chester Barnard*
Henri Fayol*
Mary Parker Follett*
Frederick Herzberg*
Abraham Maslow*
David McClelland*
Victor VroomThe Second World War further shifted the field, as the invention of large-scale logistics and
operations research led to a renewed interest in rationalistic approaches to the study of organizations. In addition, the growing interest in theory and methods native to the sciences became prominent, including
systems theory, the study of
complexity theory and
complexity strategy. This included influential work by these scholars:
*
Herbert Alexander Simon*
James G. MarchIn the 1960s and 1970s, the field was strongly influenced by
social psychology and the emphasis in academic study was on
quantitative research.
Starting in the 1980s, cultural explanations of organizations and change became an important part of study. Qualitative methods of study became more acceptable, informed by
anthropology,
psychology and
sociology.
Organizational behavior is currently a growing field. Organizational studies departments are generally within business schools, although many universities also have industrial pyschology and industrial economics programs as well.
The field is highly influential in the business world with practitioners like
Peter Drucker and
Peter Senge who turned the academic research into business practices. Organization behavior is becoming more important in the global economy as people with diverse backgrounds and cultural values have to work together effectively and efficiently. It is also under increasing criticism as a field for its ethnocentric and pro-capitalist assumptions (see
Critical Management Studies).
A variety of methods are used in organizational studies. They include quantitative methods such as those found in other social sciences such as
multiple regression and
ANOVA experimental designs. In addition,
computer simulation in organizational studies has a long history in the organizational studies. Finally, Qualitative methods are also used such as
ethnography which involves direct
participant observation, single- and multiple-
case analysis, and other historical methods.
Journal of Management Journal of Applied Psychology Academy of Management Journal Academy of Management Review Administrative Science Quarterly [
1]
Management Science Organizational Science Strategic Management Journal Organizational behavior is used in the
United States, while
organizational behaviour is preferred in
Canada and various places such as
English academic circles. Within the
Commonwealth of Nations,
organisational behaviour is more common.
* Robbins, Stephen P.
Organizational Behavior - Concepts, Controversies, Applications. 4th Ed. Prentice Hall (2004) ISBN 0131709011.
* Weick, Karl E.
The Social Psychology of Organizing 2nd Ed. McGraw Hill (1979) ISBN 0-07-554808-9.
* Simon, Herbert A.
Administrative Behavior: A Study of Decision-Making Processes in Administrative Organizations 4th Ed. The Free Press (1997) ISBN 0-684-83582-7.
*
An overview of the field, including readings and outlines of major theories*
History of I/O*
Intro to Organizational Behavior* Barley, S., & Kunda, G. (1992) "Design and devotion: Surges of rational and normative ideologies of control in managerial discourse",
Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. 37, pp. 363-399.
* Research on Organizations:
Bibliography Database and Maps*
Administrative Science*
Complexity Theory and Organizations*
Critical management studies*
Culture*
Emotions*
Formal organization*
Leadership*
List of human resource management topics*
McDonaldization*
Motivation*
Organization development*
Organizational commitment*
Persuasion and attitude change*
Power (sociology)*
Relationships*
Social networks
*
Teams*
Theory X and theory Y*
Triarchy*
Unorganisation
