Rethinking Organisational Behaviour: Post-Structuralist

Description:
Rethinking Organisational Behaviour engages in an original and thought-provoking approach to the subject. It situates organisational behaviour within recent theoretical developments whose sources such as semiotics or poststructuralism often lie outside the traditional disciplines of organisational behaviour. In clear and accessible language, the authors provide critical analysis of important elements in understanding organisational behaviour rarely addressed in detail in more conventional textbooks, including knowledge and power, rationality, ideology and self, boundary, efficiency and decision-making.

Table of Contents:
Detailed Contents Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Introduction Why study organisational behaviour? How is Rethinking Organisational Behaviour different? Organisational Behaviour versus organisational behaviour Rigour versus clarity Rethinking Organisational Behaviour ... The Structure ofRethinking Organisational Behaviour The Second edition Chapter 2 Semiotics The science of symbols Characteristics of symbols Links between signifier and signified Meaning and ambiguity The functions of symbols Textuality Limitations of interpretations Intersubjectivity Existing applications in organisational behaviour Further potential Organisational behaviour and semiotics Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (semiotics) Case study: No smoke without fire? Bibliography Chapter 3 Structure Physical structure Abstract structure The ontology of structure Realist approaches to structure Description versus prescription in realist approaches to structure Poststructuralism and structure Existing applications in organisational behaviour Further potential Organisational behaviour and structure Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (structure) Case study: Structuring: thinking about structure Bibliography Chapter 4 Knowledge Knowledge as a problem Paradigms Diachronic paradigm models Synchronic paradigm models Knowledge and the public channel Discourses of knowledge Regimes and truth Knowledge and rhetoric Existing applications in organisational behaviour Further potential Organisational behaviour and knowledge Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (knowledge) Case study: Expert knowledge Bibliography Chapter 5 Power The power of ownership Power versus authority Governance Disciplinary power at work Power and knowledge Power and truth Existing applications in organisational behaviour Further potential Organisational behaviour and power Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (power) Case study: The power of prayers? Bibliography Chapter 6 Rationality Being rational Objective versus subjective rationality The discourse of organisational behaviour and the concept of objective rationality Rationality and legitimacy Legitimacy, organisations and society Existing applications in organisational behaviour Further potential Organisational behaviour and rationality Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (rationality) Case study: Structuring: The state of the union Bibliography Chapter 7 Ideology The problem' with ideology Ideology versus reality The functions of ideology Ideology ... Knowledge, discourse and ideology The ideology of management Organisation as ideology Ideology and organisational ethics Existing applications in organisational behaviour Further potential Organisational behaviour and ideology Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (ideology) Case study: By the sweat of one's brow Bibliography Chapter 8 Self The meaning of life? The meaning of work? The meaning of organisation of work? Towards an understanding of the self Desire and motivation Employment of the self Existing applications in organisational behaviour Further potential Organisational behaviour and self Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (self) Case study: Nobody's perfect!? Bibliography Chapter 9 Boundary Boundary as limit Boundary and systems Boundary ... Boundary and model-building Boundary and problem-solving Existing applications in organisational behaviour Further potential Organisational behaviour and boundary Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (boundary) Case study: How to find a model employee? Bibliography Chapter 10 Efficiency The meaning of efficiency Measuring efficiency What's wrong with efficiency? Efficiency Existing applications in organisational behaviour Further potential Organisational behaviour and efficiency Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (efficiency) Case study: Health and efficiency Bibliography Chapter 11 Decision making Decision making as a rational, objective function Decision making as the semiotics of self Decision making, risk, morality Decision making and praxis Existing applications in organisational behaviour Further potential Organisational behaviour and decision making Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (decision making) Case study: Dismal prospects Bibliography Chapter 12 Conclusion The plots so far, in 333 words Why organisational behaviour matters Well, where do we go from here? The rhizome: a root metaphor? Postmodernism In the end Afterword Bibliography Glossary Appendix 1 History and Ideas Appendix 2 Continuous case study: a tale from the village pump Appendix 3 Extended case studies WaReady RatGames Appendix 4 The art of the case study References Index

Author Biography:
Norman Jackson and Pippa Carter are leading figures in the field of organisational behaviour and are Visiting Fellows at the University of Leicester School of Management.