Sociological Paradigms and Organisational Analysis: Elements of the Sociology of Corporate Life

Description

Originally published in 1979. A classic in its field, Sociological Paradigms and Organisational Analysis argues that social theory can usefully be conceived in terms of four broad paradigms, based upon different sets of meta-theoretical assumptions with regard to the nature of social science and the nature of society. The four paradigms - Functionalist, Interpretive, Radical Humanist and Radical Structuralist - derive from quite distinct intellectual traditions, and present four mutually exclusive views, which stand in their own right, and generate their own distinctive approach to the analysis of social life. In this revised edition, Burrell and Morgan provide extensive reviews of the four paradigms, tracing the evolution and inter-relationships between the various sociological schools of thought within each. They then proceed to relate theories of organisation to this wider background. This book covers a great range of intellectual territory and makes a number of important contributions to our understanding of sociology and organisational analysis. Since publication it has been an invaluable guide to theorists, researchers and students in a variety of social science disciplines. It stands as a discourse in social theory, drawing upon the general area of organisation studies as a means of illustrating more general sociological themes and provides a framework for appraising future developments in the area of organisational analysis. Sociological Paradigms and Organisational Analysis Contents List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgements Introduction PART I: IN SEARCH OF A FRAMEWORK 1. Assumptions about the Nature of Social Science 2. A ssum ptions about the Nature of Society 3. Two Dimensions: Four Paradigms Part II The Paradigms Explored 4. Functionalist Sociology 5. Functionalist Organisation Theory 6. Interpretive Sociology 7. The Interpretive Paradigm and the Study of Organisations 8. Radical Hum anism 9. Anti-Organisation Theory 10. Radical Structuralism 11. Radical Organisation Theory Part III Conclusions 12. Future Directions: Theory and Research Subject Index Name Index