Sociology of Organizations
, Inhoudsopgave
1 Organizations as rational systems ........................................................................................................... 5
1.1 The encapsulation of social life in organizational relations ................................................................. 5
1.2 Types of organizational problems and publics ..................................................................................... 5
1.3 General definitions of organization ...................................................................................................... 7
1.4 The study of organizations: From common to divergent features ....................................................... 9
1.5 What is an organization? A rational system definition ...................................................................... 10
1.6 Organizations as rational systems ..................................................................................................... 11
1.6.1 Taylor’s scientific management..................................................................................................... 11
1.6.2 Fayol’s administrative theory ........................................................................................................ 13
1.6.3 Simon’s theory of administrative behavior ................................................................................... 15
1.6.4 Weber’s theory of bureaucracy..................................................................................................... 16
2 Organizations: natural and open system perspectives .......................................................................... 19
2.1 Organizations as natural systems: Goal Complexity .......................................................................... 19
2.2 Summary of the differences between ration system and natural system goals ................................ 22
2.3 Organizations as natural systems: informal structures...................................................................... 23
2.4 Barnard’s cooperative system ............................................................................................................ 23
2.5 Mayo and the human relations school ............................................................................................... 24
2.5.1 Douglas McGregor ......................................................................................................................... 26
2.5.2 Research Offshoots ....................................................................................................................... 27
2.5.3 Reform efforts ............................................................................................................................... 27
2.6 Final remarks ...................................................................................................................................... 28
2.7 Critique ............................................................................................................................................... 28
2.8 Organizations as open systems .......................................................................................................... 28
2.8.1 Scale of system complexity ........................................................................................................... 29
2.9 Main messages from the natural and open system perspectives ...................................................... 31
3 Organizational typologies and correlation studies ................................................................................ 33
3.1 Typology studies ................................................................................................................................. 33
3.1.1 Typology of Blau & Scott ............................................................................................................... 33
3.1.2 Burns and Stalker .......................................................................................................................... 36
3.2 Correlation studies ............................................................................................................................. 37
3.2.1 Hage and Acke: Axiomatic theory of organization ........................................................................ 37
3.2.2 Lawrence and Lorsch ..................................................................................................................... 38
4 Organizations and micro perspectives A ............................................................................................... 41
4.1 Micro versus macro perspective ......................................................................................................... 41
4.2 Contingency theory ............................................................................................................................ 42
4.3 Joan Woodward: industrial organization theory................................................................................ 43
4.3.1 First major trend: Positive, linear relationship between technical complexity and aspects of
organization chart........................................................................................................................................ 44
4.3.2 Second major trend: curvilinear relationship between technical complexity and mechanistic vs
organic structure ......................................................................................................................................... 44
, 4.3.3 Third major trend: Firms are more successful financially when they conformed to the median
organizational form ..................................................................................................................................... 45
4.4 Types of contingencies ....................................................................................................................... 46
4.5 Underlying assumptions ..................................................................................................................... 46
4.6 Donaldon’s SARFIT model .................................................................................................................. 48
4.6.1 Conceptual and theoretical integration: task ................................................................................ 49
4.6.2 Contingency theories: organic and bureaucratic .......................................................................... 50
5 Organizations and micro perspectives B ................................................................................................ 53
5.1 Resource Dependence Theory ............................................................................................................ 53
5.1.1 Hickson et al: strategic contingencies theory of intra-organizational power ............................... 53
5.1.2 What is power according to Hickson ............................................................................................. 55
5.1.3 Pfeffer & Salanzic’s Departmental vision of resource dependence theory .................................. 56
5.1.4 RDT: From intra-organizational subunit power to inter-organizational relations ......................... 58
5.1.5 Critique .......................................................................................................................................... 60
5.2 Williamson: Transaction cost theory .................................................................................................. 61
5.2.1 Market regime ............................................................................................................................... 62
5.2.2 Hierarchy regime ........................................................................................................................... 63
5.2.3 Illustration of situations when a make or buy system is inserted ................................................. 63
5.3 Case studies ........................................................................................................................................ 64
5.3.1 Keiretsu ......................................................................................................................................... 64
6 Organizations and macro perspectives .................................................................................................. 66
6.1 Micro versus macro perspectives ....................................................................................................... 66
6.2 Organizational ecology approach ...................................................................................................... 67
6.2.1 Methodological requirements of studying populations of organizations ..................................... 67
6.2.2 Typical characteristics for an organizational ecology approach.................................................... 68
6.2.3 Reasons populations can change .................................................................................................. 69
6.2.4 Stinchcombe .................................................................................................................................. 70
6.3 Examples of studies ............................................................................................................................ 71
6.3.1 Newspaper organization: Delacroix and Caroll ............................................................................. 71
6.3.2 Concentration and specialization: dynamics of niche width by Delacroix and Caroll ................... 74
6.3.3 Concentration and specialization: dynamics of niche width ......................................................... 75
7 Organizations and macro perspectives B ............................................................................................... 77
7.1 Neo-institutional theory ..................................................................................................................... 77
7.1.1 What is an institution? .................................................................................................................. 78
7.1.2 Theory by DiMaggio and Powell .................................................................................................... 81
7.1.3 Case study by Mckinley ................................................................................................................. 83
8 Organizational sociology: current problems & future prospects............................................................ 86
8.1 Trend 1: From unitary to multiparadigm ........................................................................................... 86
8.2 Trend 2: From monocultural towards a multicultural studies ............................................................ 87
8.3 Trend 3: From present-centered to longitudinal and historical analysis ............................................ 87
8.4 Trend 4: evolution from micro to macro units and levels of analysis ................................................. 88
8.5 Trend 5: From structure to process .................................................................................................... 88
,
, Inhoudsopgave
1 Organizations as rational systems ........................................................................................................... 5
1.1 The encapsulation of social life in organizational relations ................................................................. 5
1.2 Types of organizational problems and publics ..................................................................................... 5
1.3 General definitions of organization ...................................................................................................... 7
1.4 The study of organizations: From common to divergent features ....................................................... 9
1.5 What is an organization? A rational system definition ...................................................................... 10
1.6 Organizations as rational systems ..................................................................................................... 11
1.6.1 Taylor’s scientific management..................................................................................................... 11
1.6.2 Fayol’s administrative theory ........................................................................................................ 13
1.6.3 Simon’s theory of administrative behavior ................................................................................... 15
1.6.4 Weber’s theory of bureaucracy..................................................................................................... 16
2 Organizations: natural and open system perspectives .......................................................................... 19
2.1 Organizations as natural systems: Goal Complexity .......................................................................... 19
2.2 Summary of the differences between ration system and natural system goals ................................ 22
2.3 Organizations as natural systems: informal structures...................................................................... 23
2.4 Barnard’s cooperative system ............................................................................................................ 23
2.5 Mayo and the human relations school ............................................................................................... 24
2.5.1 Douglas McGregor ......................................................................................................................... 26
2.5.2 Research Offshoots ....................................................................................................................... 27
2.5.3 Reform efforts ............................................................................................................................... 27
2.6 Final remarks ...................................................................................................................................... 28
2.7 Critique ............................................................................................................................................... 28
2.8 Organizations as open systems .......................................................................................................... 28
2.8.1 Scale of system complexity ........................................................................................................... 29
2.9 Main messages from the natural and open system perspectives ...................................................... 31
3 Organizational typologies and correlation studies ................................................................................ 33
3.1 Typology studies ................................................................................................................................. 33
3.1.1 Typology of Blau & Scott ............................................................................................................... 33
3.1.2 Burns and Stalker .......................................................................................................................... 36
3.2 Correlation studies ............................................................................................................................. 37
3.2.1 Hage and Acke: Axiomatic theory of organization ........................................................................ 37
3.2.2 Lawrence and Lorsch ..................................................................................................................... 38
4 Organizations and micro perspectives A ............................................................................................... 41
4.1 Micro versus macro perspective ......................................................................................................... 41
4.2 Contingency theory ............................................................................................................................ 42
4.3 Joan Woodward: industrial organization theory................................................................................ 43
4.3.1 First major trend: Positive, linear relationship between technical complexity and aspects of
organization chart........................................................................................................................................ 44
4.3.2 Second major trend: curvilinear relationship between technical complexity and mechanistic vs
organic structure ......................................................................................................................................... 44
, 4.3.3 Third major trend: Firms are more successful financially when they conformed to the median
organizational form ..................................................................................................................................... 45
4.4 Types of contingencies ....................................................................................................................... 46
4.5 Underlying assumptions ..................................................................................................................... 46
4.6 Donaldon’s SARFIT model .................................................................................................................. 48
4.6.1 Conceptual and theoretical integration: task ................................................................................ 49
4.6.2 Contingency theories: organic and bureaucratic .......................................................................... 50
5 Organizations and micro perspectives B ................................................................................................ 53
5.1 Resource Dependence Theory ............................................................................................................ 53
5.1.1 Hickson et al: strategic contingencies theory of intra-organizational power ............................... 53
5.1.2 What is power according to Hickson ............................................................................................. 55
5.1.3 Pfeffer & Salanzic’s Departmental vision of resource dependence theory .................................. 56
5.1.4 RDT: From intra-organizational subunit power to inter-organizational relations ......................... 58
5.1.5 Critique .......................................................................................................................................... 60
5.2 Williamson: Transaction cost theory .................................................................................................. 61
5.2.1 Market regime ............................................................................................................................... 62
5.2.2 Hierarchy regime ........................................................................................................................... 63
5.2.3 Illustration of situations when a make or buy system is inserted ................................................. 63
5.3 Case studies ........................................................................................................................................ 64
5.3.1 Keiretsu ......................................................................................................................................... 64
6 Organizations and macro perspectives .................................................................................................. 66
6.1 Micro versus macro perspectives ....................................................................................................... 66
6.2 Organizational ecology approach ...................................................................................................... 67
6.2.1 Methodological requirements of studying populations of organizations ..................................... 67
6.2.2 Typical characteristics for an organizational ecology approach.................................................... 68
6.2.3 Reasons populations can change .................................................................................................. 69
6.2.4 Stinchcombe .................................................................................................................................. 70
6.3 Examples of studies ............................................................................................................................ 71
6.3.1 Newspaper organization: Delacroix and Caroll ............................................................................. 71
6.3.2 Concentration and specialization: dynamics of niche width by Delacroix and Caroll ................... 74
6.3.3 Concentration and specialization: dynamics of niche width ......................................................... 75
7 Organizations and macro perspectives B ............................................................................................... 77
7.1 Neo-institutional theory ..................................................................................................................... 77
7.1.1 What is an institution? .................................................................................................................. 78
7.1.2 Theory by DiMaggio and Powell .................................................................................................... 81
7.1.3 Case study by Mckinley ................................................................................................................. 83
8 Organizational sociology: current problems & future prospects............................................................ 86
8.1 Trend 1: From unitary to multiparadigm ........................................................................................... 86
8.2 Trend 2: From monocultural towards a multicultural studies ............................................................ 87
8.3 Trend 3: From present-centered to longitudinal and historical analysis ............................................ 87
8.4 Trend 4: evolution from micro to macro units and levels of analysis ................................................. 88
8.5 Trend 5: From structure to process .................................................................................................... 88
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