"Organizational theory refers to a series of interrelated concepts that involve the sociological study of the structures and operations of formal social organizations."
This subfield studies the structure and functioning of public organizations, including management and decision-making processes.
History of Organization Theory: An overview of the key ideas and concepts that have shaped organization theory over time.
Classical Theory: A focus on the earliest theories of organizations, including scientific management and bureaucratic theory.
Human Relations Theory: A focus on the social and interpersonal aspects of organizations and how they affect employee motivation and productivity.
Contingency Theory: An examination of how different organizational structures and strategies are contingent on external factors such as technological change, industry dynamics, and environmental factors.
Systems Theory: A focus on how organizations are complex systems with interconnected components that influence each other in numerous ways.
Organizational Culture: An exploration of the shared beliefs, values, and norms that shape the attitudes and behaviors of employees within an organization.
Organizational Change: An examination of the processes and challenges associated with changing organizational structures, processes, and cultures.
Power and Politics in Organizations: A focus on the ways in which power and politics shape organizational decision-making, influence, and outcomes.
Organizational Learning: An exploration of the ways in which organizations acquire, create, and transfer knowledge and skills for continuous improvement and adaptation.
Leadership: A focus on the skills, behaviors, and attributes of effective leaders and their impact on organizational performance and culture.
Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility: An examination of the moral and ethical implications of organizational decisions and actions, and their impact on stakeholders and society at large.
"Organizational theory also seeks to explain how interrelated units of organization either connect or do not connect with each other."
"Organizational theory also concerns understanding how groups of individuals behave, which may differ from the behavior of an individual."
"The behavior organizational theory often focuses on is goal-directed."
"Organizational theory covers both intra-organizational and inter-organizational fields of study."
"Theories of organizations initially took a rational perspective."
"In a rational organization system, there are two significant parts: Specificity of Goals and Formalization."
"The division of labor is the specialization of individual labor roles, associated with increasing output and trade."
"Max Weber's conception of bureaucracy is characterized by the presence of impersonal positions that are earned and not inherited, rule-governed decision-making, professionalism, chain of command, defined responsibility, and bounded authority."
"Contingency theory holds that an organization must try to maximize performance by minimizing the effects of various environmental and internal constraints."
"Dwight Waldo in 1978 wrote that '[o]rganization theory is characterized by vogues, heterogeneity, claims and counterclaims.'"
"Organization theory cannot be described as an orderly progression of ideas or a unified body of knowledge."
"Suggestions to view organizations as a series of logical relationships between its participants have found its way into the theoretical relationships between diverging organizational theories as well."
"as explains the interdisciplinary nature of the field."
"The issues to which it should address itself (such as supervisory style and organizational culture)."
"the concepts and variables that should enter into such a theory."
"Modernization theorist Frank Dobbin wrote that 'modern institutions are transparently purposive.'"
"the ability to navigate this requisite variety may depend upon the development of a range of response mechanisms."
"The interdisciplinary nature of the field."