Organizations: Management Without Control provides a comprehensive understanding of the functions of formal organizations and the challenges they face. The most effective organizations provide members with opportunities to achieve their personal goals while pursuing the organization's objectives. Using a practical approach with minimal jargon, author Howard P. Greenwald covers the basic features of organizations such as roles, structure, reward systems, power and authority, and culture and introduces important theoretical perspectives related to these features.

Key Features

Emphasizes the theme of “management without control”: This volume differs from most standard texts by highlighting both the challenges and opportunities that result from the independence of the individuals in the organization's ranks.; Stresses the importance of individual motivation and self-fulfillment: Recognizing the individual's responsibility for their own success, the book helps readers evaluate clues to whether the organization to which they belong is an adequate opportunity.; Offers a critical perspective on current fads and management ideologies: Proposing no formulaic solutions, the book provides the perspectives required to understand each organization's uniqueness and to develop remedies to issues as they arise.; Makes theory accessible through numerous real-life examples: Chapters include examples from life in business organizations, government agencies, non-profits, clubs, friendship groups, and families.; Examines multinational corporations: Challenges involved in management on an international scale are explored as the book applies the principle of individual and group independence to global matters.; Underscores multidisciplinary interest in organizations: Content is drawn from sociology, social psychology, anthropology, and management science.

Intended Audience

This introductory textbook on formal organizations is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Organizational Behavior, Managing Complex Organizations, Sociology of Organizations, and Government/Non-profit Management in the departments of business, public administration, health administration, social work, sociology, and psychology.

Instructor's Resources

An Instructor's Resource CD is available upon request. This CD provides PowerPoint presentations, test questions, additional examples and cases, suggested exercises, and much more!

Organizations, Personal Interests, and Responsibility

Organizations, Personal Interests, and Responsibility
Organizations, personal interests, and responsibility

The preceding chapters mark a long journey from the private worlds of individuals to the regimented structures of modern bureaucracies. Chapter 14 focuses again on individuals.

Chapter 13 dealt with steps taken by organizations to enhance their capacity to achieve organizational objectives. Chapter 14 focuses on opportunities open to members for achieving personal objectives. The theme addressed throughout this book that organizations do not fully control their members is important here. The fact that individuals in perhaps all organizations enjoy some measure of freedom underscores the individual's responsibility for his or her own well-being and ethical conduct.

Ordinarily, people in organizations seek to maximize their personal benefit. Many try to maximize rewards such as income and position in ...

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