Table of Contents

Haridimos Tsoukas and Christian Knudsen: Introduction: The Need for Meta-theoretical Reflection in Organization Theory Part I: Organization Theory as Science 1: Lex Donaldson: Organizational Theory as a Positive Science 2: Mary Jo Hatch and Dvora Yanow: Organization Theory as an Interpretive Science 3: Hugh Willmott: Organization Theory as a Critical Science: Forms of analysis and 'new organizational' forms 4: Robert Chia: Organization Theory as a Postmodern Science Part II: The Construction of Organization Theory 5: William H. Starbuck: The Origins of Organization Theory 6: Yehouda Shenhav: The Historical and Epistemological Foundations of Organization Theory: Fusing sociological theory with engineering discourse 7: Silvia Gherardi: Feminist Theory and Organization Theory: A dialogue on new bases 8: Barbara Czarniawska: The Styles and the Stylists of Organization Theory 9: Christian Knudsen: Pluralism, Scientific Progress, and the Structure of Organization Theory Part III: Meta-theoretical Controversies in Organization Theory 10: Michael Reed: The Agency/Structure Dilemma in Organization Theory: Open doors and brick walls 11: Andreas Georg Scherer: Modes of Explanation in Organization Theory 12: William McKinley and Mark A. Mone: Micro and Macro Perspectives in Organization Theory: A tale of incommensurability 13: Richard Swedberg: Economic Versus Sociological Approaches to Organization Theory 14: Joanne Martin: Meta-theoretical Controversies in Studying Organizational Culture Part IV: Organization Theory as a Policy Science 15: Chris Argyris: Actionable Knowledge 16: Karl E. Weick: Theory and Practice in the Real World 17: Richard P. Nielsen: Organization Theory and Ethics: Varieties and dynamics of constrained optimization 18: Iain Mangham: Character and Virtue in an Era of Turbulent Capitalism Part V: The Future of Organization Theory 19: Gibson Burrell: The Future of Organization Theory: Prospects and limitations 20: Stewart Clegg: Managing Organization Futures in a Changing World of Power/Knowledge 21: Arie Y. Lewin: The Future of Organization Theory: Beyond the selection-adaptation debate 22: Marta B. Calas: At Home from Mars to Somalia: Recounting organization theory 23: Haridimos Tsoukas: New Times, Fresh Challenges: Reflections on the past and the future of organization theory

About the Author

Haridimos Tsoukas is the George D. Mavros Research Professor of Organization and Management at ALBA in Greece, and Professor of Organization Theory and Behaviour at the University of Strathclyde Graduate School of Business, UK. Previous positions held include Lecturer at Warwick Business School (1990-5), and Associate Professor at the University of Cyprus. Christian Knudsen is a Research Fellow at Copenhagen University and Arhus Business School, Associate Professor at Copenhagen Business School, Visiting Professor at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, and Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and Stanford University.

Reviews

...brings together an extraordinary and erudite range of conributions to which I expect to refer for many years to come. There is not a single chapter from which I did not learn something, and from many I learnt a great deal. Organization, Vol 12 (6) Imagine a restaraunt where all your favourite dishes are prepared, each by a master chef, and unknown delights also await your pleasure. You do not have to go anywhere to get to this restaraunt, it is right in your own kitchen. You can even take it to the office with you. Without too much exaggeration, this is the rough equivalent of what is offered to the student of organization theory in The Oxford Handbook of Organization Theory Management Learning The Oxford Handbook [of Organization Theory] can be returned to many times to reflect on assumptions held on what organizations are, on what good science is, and on who should be the end customer for ones scientific activities ... This is the big tent depiction of organizational studies as a civilized community building an increasingly relevant narrative on organizations pertinent to more and more people. It is hip. It is current. It is self-consciously aware of the forces that shape as it grows. Organization Studies