Fiona Wilson provides an accessible,
critical introduction to organizational behaviour.
This engagingly written textbook introduces
students to key topics, ideas, and research in organizational behavior. Without assuming
prior knowledge of the subject, the student is nevertheless encouraged to critically
assess and question the traditional approach to the study of organizational life.
The text introduces students to both traditional and
non-traditional areas of research, acting as a springboard for further research and
critical thinking. The range of themes and topics explored provides a rich picture of the
realities of organizational life, and of the varied contributions that make up the study
of organizational behavior. For example, the concept of alienation is discussed in
relation to both assembly lines and to call centres, leading into a discussion about the
meaning of work.
The new edition takes the reader from
critical perspectives on classic organizational topics—including new chapters on
Personality and Perception—to the core of the critical approaches, including power,
resistance, and alternative forms of organization. The Introduction also provides more
detail on the different implications of taking a functionalist or critical approach to the
study of organizational behavior—a theme which runs throughought the book.
The third edition also includes enhanced pedagogy,
ensuring that the book is highly accessible. Questions, further reading suggestions, and
annotated examples of films and novels that illustrate themes and topics from each
chapter, help students to interact with the text, and support instructors to prepare.
"Stop and Think" boxes encourage students to engage with and reflect on the text
by drawing on their own experiences and perspectives, and numerous and varied examples and
cases, drawn from both research and organizational life, bring the text to life and add
depth.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
1 Scene Setting 7
2 Rationality: From Founding Fathers to Eugenics. Is it all
about Fitting Worders to Jobs? 25
3 Rationality and Bureaucracy 49
4 What Work Means 65
5 The View from Below 73
6 Sexuality, Sex Typing, Managing Emotions, and Feeling in
Control 91
7 When Organizational Behaviour is not so 'Good'
105
8 The View from Above: What Managers Do
127
9 Motivation 145
10 Power, Control, and Resistance 163
11 Culture 179
12 Teams and Teamworking 205
13 Organizational Learning 223
14 Leadership 237
15 Health, Well-Being, and Stress 253
16 Being Unemployed, Being a Volunteer, and Being 'on the Fiddle'
265
17 All Change? 277
18 Alternative Organizations 297
Index 309
Paperback