Routledge Management, Organizations and Contemporary Social Theory

Social theorists speculate about large-scale social questions, asking of any phenomenon, how is it possible? This book addresses how various social theories contribute key insights into the nature of organizations and management. The cast of characters to be found in this book have had a transcendental impact, including on the practices of the management and organization disciplines. For students, however, engaging with social theory in a conversation that is much broader and potentially richer than those that may have been previously encountered is not at first easy. The question is where to begin: this book provides answers. Drawing on research from international contributors, this valuable textbook is an essential resource for students and introduces key social theories and theorists making them accessible to a management audience. The chapters include objectives and end-of-chapter reflective questions, as well as a glossary for readers grappling with new terms. Review “This collection of essays will change the way theory of Organizations is done for the next generation because each chapter questions traditional ways of knowing and being.” David Boje, Regents Professor, University of New Mexico “Stewart Clegg, Miguel Cunha and their contributors have woven a thick and rich tapestry of the main social theories that have shaped ineluctably our ideas of organizing and managing. Their tapestry highlights the wide diversity of approaches that converge on organization but it also reveals some of the blind spots and misconceptions that they surface about each other. It further demonstrates how the study of organization and management has itself become an arena where different theoretical fads and fashions compete for the limelight. This original anthology will be an indispensable resource for every serious scholar of organization and management for years to come and a decisive marker of the state of organization theory in our time.” Yiannis Gabriel, Professor Emeritus University of Bath, Visiting Professor Lund University “What do we know about organizing and managing in the 21st century? Actually, quite a lot: there are many theories and theorists that help to understand the developments taking place in these complex and confusing times. Stewart Clegg and Miguel Cunha have mobilized an excellent group of scholars who present, correctly and accessibly, the main social science theories that explain what is happening in contemporary organizations, among contemporary organizations, and outside of these. This edited volume will be a necessary lecture for students at all levels of university education but should be of interest to practitioners as well.” Barbara Czarniawska, Professor of Management Studies, University of Gothenburg “Stewart Clegg and Miguel Cunha have put together a book that is both intriguing and challenging. It is intriguing in the way in which it very deliberately links the study of management and organizations back to wider concerns of social theory. And it is challenging as it pushes forward debates about the role of organization theory in times of rapid change. It is as necessary a read for students of management and organizations who are beginning their studies as it is for those of us who are long in the tooth and need to be refreshed in our thinking.”C.R. (Bob) Hinings, Professor Emeritus, Department of Strategic Management and Organization, Alberta School of Business, University of Alberta “This book makes a fantastic job of reviewing key approaches on contemporary social theory as a crucial resource to think about management and organization in world that surprise us as never before. Chapters are well written and offer rich insights to make sense of the world of management and organization.” Rafael Alcadipani, Professor, Fundação Getúlio Vargas Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo “Management, Organizations and Contemporary Social Theory is an excellent collection of schola