Organization studies (also called organization science or organizational studies) is the academic field interested in a collective activity, and how it relates to organization, organizing, and management. It is "the examination of how individuals construct organizational structures, processes, and practices and how these, in turn, shape social relations and create institutions that ultimately influence people".
Organizational studies comprise different areas that deal with the different aspects of the organizations, many of the approaches are functionalist but critical research also provide an alternative frame for understanding in the field. Fundamental to the study of management is organizational change.
Historically, facilitating organizational change has proven to be a difficult subject, which is why different theoretical frameworks have evolved in an attempt to strategically streamline this process, such as utilizing external actors, or interim organizations, where it is important to define the expectations of the outcome of change before initiating it, so as to provide measurability.
History
It has followed numerous 'turns' since its emergence in the 1960s: linguistic turn, spatial turn, practice turn, process turn, materiality turn, communication turn... A turn is a collective direction of research, focused on some coherent sets of concepts, theories, and ideas, which represent a point of bifurcation for the field itself. Most turns in organization studies relate to broader ones in social sciences and humanities. Researchers studying organizations and/or organizing processes have a recurring concern that those who work in organizations do not find organizational research particularly relevant. There is therefore a growing interest in the impact of organization studies. Public administrations also, around the world, are adopting massively new organizational models to increase their efficiency and improve public services. The Organization Studies field is becoming more popular also because the borders between a well-defined organization and customers, citizens, businesses, and professionals are more and more undefined. For example, social organization has been the subject of study in Spatio-temporal cohesiveness in human network theory.
With the recent historical turn, there is growing interest in historical organization studies, promising a closer union between organizational and historical research whose validity derives from historical veracity and conceptual rigor, enhancing understanding of historical, contemporary and future-directed social realities. Organizational studies as a discipline is also closely related to metathinking.
Journals
Major academic journals of the field are, among others: Organization Science, Organization Studies, Organization Theory and Organization.
Conferences
Researchers interested in organizations and organizing meet in the context of numerous conferences and workshops: the Academy of Management Annual Conference (in particular the OMT division), the European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS), the Asia Pacific conference on Research in Organization Studies (APROS), the American and European Conference on Organization Studies (LAEMOS), the Organization Studies Summer Workshop, the International Symposium on Process Organization Studies (PROS), the Standing Conference on Organizational Symbolism (SCOS), the International Research Network (puntOorg), the Organizations, Artifacts & Practices (OAP) workshop, Organization Science Winter Conference, etc.
Subfields
- Critical Management Studies - Theoretically informed critiques of management and organisation, grounded in a critical theory perspective.
- Organizational behavior – Study of human behavior in organizational settings
- Organizational culture – Customary behaviours in an organization
- Organizational ecology – Academic discipline; examines how goal-driven social entities grow, survive and die
- Organizational learning – Academic discipline; examines how goal-driven social entities add and create knowledge
- Organizational psychology – Branch of psychology
- Organizational theory – Sociological study of social organizations
- Orgology
- Management science – Study of problem-solving in human organizations
- Management cybernetics – Application of cybernetics to management and organizations
See also
- Outline of organizational theory
References
- Tsoukas, H., & Knudsen, C. (2005). The Oxford handbook of organization theory. Oxford Handbooks Online.
- Clegg, S. R., Hardy, C., Lawrence, T., & Nord, W. R. (Eds.). (2006). The Sage handbook of organization studies. Sage.
- Stewart Clegg, James Russell Bailey, International Encyclopedia of Organization Studies.. [1][dead link], Sage Publications, 2008
- Suddaby, Roy; Foster, William M. (2017-01-01). "History and Organizational Change". Journal of Management. 43 (1): 19–38. doi:10.1177/0149206316675031. ISSN 0149-2063.
- Vriens, Dirk; Achterberg, Jan (2019). "Episodic interventions in organizational structures". Organizational Development. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315695228-4. ISBN 9781315695228. S2CID 197707922.
- MacIntosh, Robert; Beech, Nic; Bartunek, Jean; Mason, Katy; Cooke, Bill; Denyer, David (2017-01-01). "Impact and Management Research: Exploring Relationships between Temporality, Dialogue, Reflexivity, and Praxis" (PDF). British Journal of Management. 28 (1): 3–13. doi:10.1111/1467-8551.12207. ISSN 1467-8551. S2CID 152252273.
- Yoo, Jin Soung; Hwang, Joengmin (2008). "A Framework for Discovering Spatio-temporal Cohesive Networks". Advances in Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 5012. springer.com. pp. 1056–1061. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-68125-0_113. ISBN 978-3-540-68124-3.
- Casalino, N. (2014). "Learning to Connect: a Training Model for Public Sector on Advanced E-Government Services and Inter-Organizational Cooperation". International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning. 7 (1): 24–31. doi:10.3991/ijac.v7i1.3577. ISSN 1867-5565.
- Maclean, Mairi; Harvey, Charles; Clegg, Stewart R. (2016-10-01). "Conceptualizing Historical Organization Studies". Academy of Management Review. 41 (4): 609–632. doi:10.5465/amr.2014.0133. hdl:10453/41332. ISSN 0363-7425.
- Shannon, Nick; Frischherz, Bruno (2020). Metathinking - The Art and Practice of Transformational Thinking. Springer Cham. pp. 175–176. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-41064-3. ISBN 978-3-030-41064-3. S2CID 242428640.
Further reading
- Burton, Richard M. (2006). Organization Design: The Evolving State-of-the-Art. Springer Boston. ISBN 978-0387341729.
Organization studies also called organization science or organizational studies is the academic field interested in a collective activity and how it relates to organization organizing and management It is the examination of how individuals construct organizational structures processes and practices and how these in turn shape social relations and create institutions that ultimately influence people Organizational studies comprise different areas that deal with the different aspects of the organizations many of the approaches are functionalist but critical research also provide an alternative frame for understanding in the field Fundamental to the study of management is organizational change Historically facilitating organizational change has proven to be a difficult subject which is why different theoretical frameworks have evolved in an attempt to strategically streamline this process such as utilizing external actors or interim organizations where it is important to define the expectations of the outcome of change before initiating it so as to provide measurability HistoryIt has followed numerous turns since its emergence in the 1960s linguistic turn spatial turn practice turn process turn materiality turn communication turn A turn is a collective direction of research focused on some coherent sets of concepts theories and ideas which represent a point of bifurcation for the field itself Most turns in organization studies relate to broader ones in social sciences and humanities Researchers studying organizations and or organizing processes have a recurring concern that those who work in organizations do not find organizational research particularly relevant There is therefore a growing interest in the impact of organization studies Public administrations also around the world are adopting massively new organizational models to increase their efficiency and improve public services The Organization Studies field is becoming more popular also because the borders between a well defined organization and customers citizens businesses and professionals are more and more undefined For example social organization has been the subject of study in Spatio temporal cohesiveness in human network theory With the recent historical turn there is growing interest in historical organization studies promising a closer union between organizational and historical research whose validity derives from historical veracity and conceptual rigor enhancing understanding of historical contemporary and future directed social realities Organizational studies as a discipline is also closely related to metathinking JournalsMajor academic journals of the field are among others Organization Science Organization Studies Organization Theory and Organization ConferencesResearchers interested in organizations and organizing meet in the context of numerous conferences and workshops the Academy of Management Annual Conference in particular the OMT division the European Group for Organizational Studies EGOS the Asia Pacific conference on Research in Organization Studies APROS the American and European Conference on Organization Studies LAEMOS the Organization Studies Summer Workshop the International Symposium on Process Organization Studies PROS the Standing Conference on Organizational Symbolism SCOS the International Research Network puntOorg the Organizations Artifacts amp Practices OAP workshop Organization Science Winter Conference etc SubfieldsCritical Management Studies Theoretically informed critiques of management and organisation grounded in a critical theory perspective Organizational behavior Study of human behavior in organizational settings Organizational culture Customary behaviours in an organization Organizational ecology Academic discipline examines how goal driven social entities grow survive and die Organizational learning Academic discipline examines how goal driven social entities add and create knowledge Organizational psychology Branch of psychologyPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets Organizational theory Sociological study of social organizations Orgology Management science Study of problem solving in human organizations Management cybernetics Application of cybernetics to management and organizationsSee alsoOutline of organizational theoryReferencesTsoukas H amp Knudsen C 2005 The Oxford handbook of organization theory Oxford Handbooks Online Clegg S R Hardy C Lawrence T amp Nord W R Eds 2006 The Sage handbook of organization studies Sage Stewart Clegg James Russell Bailey International Encyclopedia of Organization Studies 1 dead link Sage Publications 2008 Suddaby Roy Foster William M 2017 01 01 History and Organizational Change Journal of Management 43 1 19 38 doi 10 1177 0149206316675031 ISSN 0149 2063 Vriens Dirk Achterberg Jan 2019 Episodic interventions in organizational structures Organizational Development Routledge doi 10 4324 9781315695228 4 ISBN 9781315695228 S2CID 197707922 MacIntosh Robert Beech Nic Bartunek Jean Mason Katy Cooke Bill Denyer David 2017 01 01 Impact and Management Research Exploring Relationships between Temporality Dialogue Reflexivity and Praxis PDF British Journal of Management 28 1 3 13 doi 10 1111 1467 8551 12207 ISSN 1467 8551 S2CID 152252273 Yoo Jin Soung Hwang Joengmin 2008 A Framework for Discovering Spatio temporal Cohesive Networks Advances in Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining Lecture Notes in Computer Science Vol 5012 springer com pp 1056 1061 doi 10 1007 978 3 540 68125 0 113 ISBN 978 3 540 68124 3 Casalino N 2014 Learning to Connect a Training Model for Public Sector on Advanced E Government Services and Inter Organizational Cooperation International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning 7 1 24 31 doi 10 3991 ijac v7i1 3577 ISSN 1867 5565 Maclean Mairi Harvey Charles Clegg Stewart R 2016 10 01 Conceptualizing Historical Organization Studies Academy of Management Review 41 4 609 632 doi 10 5465 amr 2014 0133 hdl 10453 41332 ISSN 0363 7425 Shannon Nick Frischherz Bruno 2020 Metathinking The Art and Practice of Transformational Thinking Springer Cham pp 175 176 doi 10 1007 978 3 030 41064 3 ISBN 978 3 030 41064 3 S2CID 242428640 Further readingBurton Richard M 2006 Organization Design The Evolving State of the Art Springer Boston ISBN 978 0387341729
