Theories of Organization

Henry L. Tosi′s Theories of Organization offers a unique treatment of a broad range of important theoretical approaches to the study of organizations, including a thorough overview of classical theory, institutional theory, population ecology, critical organization theory, and postmodern approaches. Tosi also provides a helpful summary of the work of Chester Barnard, the contributions of James March and Herbert Simon, and economic approaches to organization.

Rather than focusing on specific topics, such as authority, goals, and organizational structure, this unique treatment of organizational theory provides comprehensive coverage of the important variables and relationships in each of a broad range of theories, thus providing the reader with a thorough understanding of each of the theoretical models included.

Key Features:

• Includes excerpts from seminal works and summaries of key theoretical models that form the basis of the field of organization theory
• Features a logical organization, with each of the main sections serving as a summary or abstract of a theoretical framework—including variables and propositions—thus allowing the reader to see the entire theoretical framework and all of its attendant interrelationships
• Provides concepts and methodology that have been class-tested successfully over many years
• Helps readers understand each of the theoretical models included by explaining the variables constituting each theoretical network in a clear, straightforward writing style

Intended Audience: This book is useful as a supplemental text in advanced undergraduate or graduate courses in Organizational Theory.

Henry Tosi is currently the McGriff Professor of Management Emeritus at the University of Florida. He received his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in 1964. Before coming to Gainesville, he was on the faculty at Michigan State University and the University of Maryland. He has been a visiting faculty member at the University of California-Irvine, Emory University, Cornell University in the United States. He also has held visiting appointments at Luigi Bocconi University (Milan, Italy), LUISS (Rome, Italy), the University of Catania in Sicily, and the University of Modena (Modena, Italy). He has been the President of the Midwest Division of the Academy of Management, a founding member of the Organizational Behavior Division and the Research Methods Division of the Academy of Management, as well as serving on the Board of Governors. In addition, he has served on the editorial review boards of Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Business Research, and The Academy of Management Review. Along with Bernard Bass and Robert House, he is a founding editor of The Leadership Quarterly. His research has covered a range of diverse topics. His work on Management by Objectives was among the first serious research studies on the role of goals and goal setting in organizations. His most recent work has been on CEO compensation issues and organizational control. His scholarly papers have appeared in The Academy of Management Journal, The Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Personnel Psychology, The Journal of Applied Psychology, The Journal of Business, Human Relations, Business Horizons, and The California Management Review.