Organizations act, but what determines how and when they will act? There
is precedent for believing that the organization is but an extension of
one or a few people, but this is a deceptively simplified approach and,
in reality, makes any generalization in organizational theory enormously
difficult. Modern-day organizations--manufacturing firms, hospitals,
schools, armies, community agencies--are extremely complex in nature,
and several strategies, employing a variety of disciplines, are needed
to gain a proper understanding of them.
Organizations in Action is a classic multidisciplinary study of the
behavior of complex organizations as entities. Previous books on the
subject focused on the behavior of people in organizational contexts,
but this volume considers individual behavior only to the extent that it
helps explain the nature of organizations. James D. Thompson offers
ninety-five distinct propositions about the behavior of organizations,
all relevant regardless of the culture in which they are found. Thompson
classifies organizations according to their technologies and
environments. That organizations must meet and handle uncertainty is
central to his thesis.
Organizations in Action is firmly grounded in concepts and theories in
the social and behavioral sciences. While it does not offer an actual
theory of administration, the book successfully extends the scientific
base upon which any emerging administrative theory must rest. This
classic work is of continuing value to organizational and management
specialists, behavioral scientists, sociologists, administrators, and
policymakers.
