a highly relevant book... contrasting with more traditional books about organization

Henrik B. Sørensen, Aarhus University, Denmark

The writing style is clear and concise, and consistent across chapters. It is particularly well written for students whose first language is not English.

Dr Melissa Tyler, Essex Business School, UK

Its excellence is its depth and effort to map out in a sensible yet academically rigorous way an enormous field of work. Succeeds admirably.

Dr. Paul McGrath, Smurfit School of Business, University College Dublin, Ireland

Exploring organization theory from its origins right up to present-day debates, the authors encouraging the reader to engage in a critical dialogue between varying perspectives. Using various forms of organizational theory that both underpin and challenge common sense ways of viewing (and managing) organizations, the aim of this new edition is to provide a clearly structured and interesting exploration of the ways in which the variety of theories and perspectives that constitute Organization Theory provide profound challenges for organizations in the twenty-first century.

If you need to know what organization theory is and why does it matter? What impact it has on today’s organisations and what challenges it poses, as well as the solutions can it offer, this is the book for you. Thoroughly revised and updated, with new sections on theoretical development in the field, the new edition of Organizational Theory includes a rich set of pedagogical features to support the reader including:

* Stop and Think boxes to invite personal or group reflection
* Brief Biographies of seminal thinkers
* Case Studies on organizations such as Lehmann Brothers, The British Geological Survey and Microsoft
* Ideas and Perspectives features introduce and summarize key theories
* Greater coverage of the relationship between organization theory and management.

This book is suitable for final year undergraduate, postgraduate students for whom the study of organizational theory, analysis and design is an integral part of their degree programme. The text should also be of interest to as students studying courses on management, and orgnizational behaviour.

John McAuley is Emeritus Professor of Organization Development and Management at Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University. Joanne Duberley is Professor of Organisational Studies at Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham. Phil Johnson is Professor of HRM and Organization Studies at at the Management School, Sheffield University

“A critical introduction to Organisation Theory that you can understand, apply and enjoy!”

This book addresses fundamental questions such as what is organisation theory and why does it matter. It explores the historical development of organization theory from its origins right up to present-day debates. It asks what challenges it presents to contemporary organisations, and explores the solutions it can provide.

Organization Theory brings a fresh approach to long-standing questions and is aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students for whom the study of organizational theory or analysis is an integral part of their degree programme.