Description
Book SynopsisOrganizations act, but what determines how and when they will act? There is precedent for believing that the organization is but an extension of one or a few people, but this is a deceptively simplified approach and, in reality, makes any generalization in organizational theory enormously difficult. Modern-day organizationsâmanufacturing firms, hospitals, schools, armies, community agenciesâare extremely complex in nature, and several strategies, employing a variety of disciplines, are needed to gain a proper understanding of them.
Organizations in Action is a classic multidisciplinary study of the behavior of complex organizations as entities. Previous books on the subject focused on the behavior of people in organizational contexts, but this volume considers individual behavior only to the extent that it helps explain the nature of organizations. James D. Thompson offers ninety-five distinct propositions about the behavior of organizations, all relevant regardless o
Table of Contents
PREFACE TO THE TRANSACTION EDITION,
INTRODUCTION TO THE TRANSACTION EDITION: THOMPSON'S BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS, PREFACE, Part One, 1. Strategies for Studying Organizations, 2. Rationality in Organizations, 3. Domains of Organized Action, 4. Organizational Design, 5. Technology and Structure, 6. Organizational Rationality and Structure, 7. The Assessment of Organizations, Part Two, 8. The Variable Human, 9. Discretion and Its Exercise, 10. The Control of Complex Organizations, 11. The Administrative Process, 12. Conclusion, BIBLIOGRAPHY, NAME INDEX, SUBJECT INDEX
