Organisational Change: Sociological Perspectives

by Collins; David

• ISBN13: 9780415171557
• ISBN10: 0415171555
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-08-17
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

In recent years, there has been an explosion of books on the nature of organisational change and the management skills needed to effectively carry it out. Many are written by change gurus and management consultants offering quick fixes and metaphor laden business toolkits, however, much of their advice is banal and under-theorized. This book redresses this balance by providing an original analysis of change management in organizations in the light of wider sociological perspectives. It critically examines the, often implicit, theoretical frameworks underpinning many contemporary accounts of organizational change, and covers subjects including:* the importance of explicit analysis of theory and context* a critique of populist management gurus and quick-fix 'how-to' solutions* 'under-socialized' models of change which emphasise structure over human action* trenchant analysis of 'soft' HRM solutions* the management of culture.Radical and innovative, this book, the first to adopt a sociological approach, is a much-needed challenge to the orthodoxies of change management.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	viii	(1)
Preface	ix	(3)
Acknowledgements	xii
Introduction	1	(8)
1 The nature of management and management research	9	(25)
2 Approaches to the study of change	34	(32)
3 Critical monographs and research studies	66	(16)
4 N-step guides for change	82	(18)
5 Socialized models of change?	100	(28)
6 Theories for the analysis of change	128	(9)
7 The diversity of theoretical frameworks	137	(18)
8 Radical and Marxist frames of reference	155	(14)
9 Paradigms of/for change	169	(11)
10 New paradigms for change?	180	(13)
11 Towards a conclusion	193	(6)
References	199	(8)
Index	207