Organisational Change: Sociological Perspectives / Edition 1

by David Collins

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415171557
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/30/1998
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

David Collins is Lecturer in Human Resource Management (HRM) in the School of Management at the University of East Anglia.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1 The nature of management and management research 2 Approaches to the study of change 3 Critical monographs and research studies 4 N-step guides for change 5 Socialized models of change? 6 Theories for the analysis of change 7 The diversity of theoretical frameworks 8 Radical and Marxist frames of reference 9 Paradigms of/for change 10 New paradigms for change? 11 Towards a conclusion

Editorial Reviews

'...this book is likely to be of interest to postgraduate students on MBAs or in organisational behaviour/sociology...well organised and well written.' Times Higher Education Supplement, 26/02/99

From the Publisher