| Unit name | Fundamentals of Organisation Theory |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ECON22651 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Gaya |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Economics, Finance and Management |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit aims to prepare students to engage critically with theories and issues related to ‘organisations’ and ‘organising’. It aims specifically to develop students’ abilities to explore the ways in which various forms of organisation theory both underpin and challenge common sense ways of viewing and managing organisations. The unit starts by addressing two important questions: What is organisation theory and why does it matter? The topics covered through the unit chronicle the development of organisation theory over time, from its early origins through to contemporary debates. Thus, we begin with modernist organisation theory, and subsequently explore neo-modernist, post-modernist, reflective, and reflexive organisation theories. We end by mapping the evolution of management onto the evolution of organisation theory, and by developing a critique of managerialism as a key component of organisation theory and practice. In all of this, our focus is on understanding how the different perspectives build on and/or depart from one another.
Throughout the unit, three key themes are emphasised. The first is the mutually constitutive relationship between management, organisations, and society. Thus, the aim is for students to understand that each organisation theory emerges from particular socio-historical contexts, generally in response to key social, economic, and political issues of the times. The second is that each organisation theory makes particular assumptions about such issues as society, human nature, the division of labour, the role of management, etc., and therefore provides a particular but necessarily limited lens on how social human endeavours ought to be organised. Thus a further aim is for students to understand that each theoretical lens is simultaneously a way of seeing and also a way of not seeing. The third theme is that of power and control: we see that one of the key threads common across all organisation theories involve questions of power and control. Thus a final aim is to track the ways in which power and control are variously mobilised, enacted, and resisted across a range of organisation theory perspectives.
McAuley, J., Duberley, J., and Johnson, P. (2007) Organization Theory: Challenges and Perspectives. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Selected readings from journals including:
