Formal Organizations

A Comparative Approach

By: Peter M. Blau, W. Richard Scott

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Paperback | 1 January 1962

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344 Pages

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22.86 x 15.24 x 1.96

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Upon its publication in 1962, this book became one of the founding texts of organizational sociology. Bringing together diverse approaches, it presented a new focus of interest: the formal organization. Blau and Scott raised the level of analysis from attention solely on individual participants and work groups to a broader understanding of organizations as collective actors.

In the book, the authors reviewed multiple types of studies--including case studies, experimental research, and surveys--and integrated them to define new central themes. They used their own empirical studies of two social welfare agencies to illustrate the ways in which varying organizational contexts shape work group and participant attitudes and activities. Formal Organizations served to integrate research on both formal and informal systems, authority and leadership, and stressed the importance of links to the wider environment. This reissue, which includes a new introduction by Scott, makes this seminal work accessible to a new generation of scholars and practitioners.

Industry Reviews

"This reissue of Formal Organizations by Blau and Scott is wonderful news. As was true for the past generation, once again every student of organizations can and should read this classic text. Everyone can benefit immensely from its timeless contribution to the understanding of organizations." - Andrew H. Van de Ven, University of Minnesota "Formal Organizations is a must-read for anyone wishing to understand the roots of contemporary organizational sociology. In this book, Blau and Scott anticipated - and catalyzed - many of the perspectives on organizations that emerged in the 1970s and that continue to influence current debates in the field. This timely reissue provides a welcome reminder of the historical context for much of what we take for granted about organizational sociology today." - Howard E. Aldrich, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

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List of Tables	p. vii
Introduction to the Classic Edition	p. ix
Preface	p. xvii
Introduction	p. 1
The Concept of Formal Organization	p. 2
The Study of Formal Organizations	p. 8
Methods in the Study of Organizations	p. 15
The Comparative Approach	p. 25
The Nature and Types of Formal Organizations	p. 27
Theoretical Concepts	p. 27
Typologies of Formal Organizations	p. 40
Types of Formal Organizations	p. 45
Concluding Remarks	p. 58
The Organization and Its Publics	p. 59
Professional and Bureaucratic Orientation	p. 60
The Public	p. 74
Conflicts with Clients	p. 81
Concluding Remarks	p. 85
The Social Structure of Work Groups	p. 87
Informal Organization	p. 89
Effects of Group Structure	p. 100
The Larger Organization and Work-Group Structure	p. 108
Concluding Remarks	p. 115
Processes of Communication	p. 116
Experiments on Communication and Performance	p. 116
Field Studies of Communication in Formal Organizations	p. 128
Variations in Communication Patterns	p. 134
Concluding Remarks	p. 139
The Role of the Supervisor	p. 140
Styles of Supervision	p. 141
Supervision and Performance	p. 150
Hierarchical and Peer Relations	p. 159
Concluding Remarks	p. 163
Managerial Control	p. 165
The Hierarchy	p. 167
Impersonal Mechanisms of Control	p. 176
Questioning Some Prevailing Assumptions	p. 183
Concluding Remarks	p. 192
The Social Context of Organizational Life	p. 194
The Social Environment of Organizations	p. 195
Organizational Analysis	p. 206
Interorganizational Processes	p. 214
Concluding Remarks	p. 221
Organizational Dynamics	p. 222
Organizational Development	p. 223
Emergent Patterns	p. 234
Dilemmas of Formal Organization	p. 242
Dialectical Processes of Change	p. 250
Description and Comparison of the Two Welfare Agencies	p. 254
Bibliography	p. 258
Index of Names	p. 303
Index of Topics	p. 306
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Formal Organizations

A Comparative Approach

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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