Institutions and Ideals: Philip Selznick's Legacy for Organizational Studies

by Matthew S. Kraatz (Editor)

Overview

Philip Selznick is a towering figure in the history of organizational studies. His direct contributions to organizational scholarship are relatively few in number and were mostly produced in the early years of his remarkable academic career. But, these early organizational writings, which include TVA and the Grass Roots (1949) and Leadership in Administration (1957), exerted a profound, multi-faceted, and enduring influence on a then-nascent field . They are also widely viewed as the "founding documents" of institutional theory. Each of the papers in this volume revisits Selznick's early work, rearticulates some part of his larger perspective, and says something about its originality and historical significance. They also bring Selznick's perspective to bear on more contemporary issues, apply it to new problems, and explain why it still "matters" in the here and now. Though Selznick's work is an important part of our shared past as organizational scholars, it's also highly relevant to our collective present and our possible future. Taken together, these chapters provide some indication of what that future could look like.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781784417260
Publisher:	Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Publication date:	03/30/2015
Series:	Research in the Sociology of Organizations , #44
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 1.42(d)

Table of Contents

List of Contributors vii

Advisory Board ix

Introduction Matthew S. Kraatz Ricardo Flores 1

On Sustaining Research Agendas: Their Moral and Scientific Basis Philip Selznick 9

Selznick's Hobbesian Idealism: Its Nature And Its Origins Martin Krygier 21

Leading Amidst Competing Technical and Institutional Demands: Revisiting Selznick's Conception of Leadership Marya L. Besharov Rakesh Khurana 53

Dynamic Conservatism: How Institutions Change To Remain The Same Chris Ansell Arjen Boin Moshe Farjoun 89

Missing In Action: The Further Contribution of Philip Selznick To Contemporary Institutional Theory C. R. (Bob) Hinings Royston Greenwood 121

Organizational Actors, Character, And Selznick's Theory Of Organizations Brayden G King 149

Philip Selznick And The Problems Of Organizational Integrity And Responsibility Jerry Goodstein 175

Why Institutions Matter: Stakeholder Attention To Organizational Ethics Commitments David Chandler 199

Social Heuristics: The Pragmatics of Convention In Decision-Making Thomas D. Beamish Nicole Woolsey Biggart 235

What's So Institutional About Leadership? Leadership Mechanisms Of Value Infusion Ryan Raffaelli Mary Ann Glynn 283

Perils Of Value Neutrality David Thacher 317

Reinfusing Values Matthew S. Kraatz Ricardo Flores 353