Reframing Organizational Culture

Book Overview

Once again setting the standard for the field, the editors of Organizational Culture (Sage, 1985) have reassembled to create a new exploration in Reframing Organizational Culture. In this engaging volume, the contributors continue the ongoing process of discovery and invention, the interaction between investigator and the subject of inquiry. The editors have included a variety of frames as tools that allow readers to examine any empirical piece on organizational culture on its own merits--as good research--while at the same time, permit viewing it from other perspectives as well. How is organizational culture studied? To further understanding of what goes into studying organizational culture, an early, well-known exemplar of cultural research by William Foote Whyte is presented, along with commentaries by four currently active researchers plus a final rebuttal by Whyte. Enlightening and stimulating, the exploration of epistemology, rather than specific methods in Reframing Organizational Culture, allows for discovery and further research into organizational culture. Combined with a unique emphasis on process, this volume also includes reflections from the editors, pointing out their values, biases, beliefs, perceptions, and experiences in research, and lending a human dimension to the research process. This creative synthesis is essential reading for academics, researchers, and professionals in the areas of organization studies and management. "The editors of Reframing Organizational Culture skillfully concocted a spicy and satisfying entr e that goes beyond their first effort (Organizational Culture, Sage, 1985) to evaluate their topic and its contributions, to date and potentially. . . . The examples are generally colorful and well displayed, ranging from Barley′s look at funeral homes (′Semiotics and The Study of Occupational and Organizational Culture′) to Van Maanen′s reflections on The Magic Kingdom (′The Smile Factory: Work at Disneyworld′). . . . Part One . . . presents a thorough bibliography. . . . Trice′s ′Comments and Discussion′ provides balance and argues for quantification as a means of ′keeping the flame alive.′ . . . Part Three, ′An Epilogue And a Closing.′ is reflective and inspirational. . . . Reframing Organizational Culture left me nourished, stimulated, and encouraged. The book′s numerous components flow smoothly and logically, aided by strong transitions and integrative passages. Given the editors′ objective to ′reframe′ rather than ′revisit′ organizational culture, I contend they succeeded. The content and extensive bibliography render it an excellent supplement for the academic audience: For those already in the field, the book provides a thorough update and challenge to the cutting edge; for those new to the field, the book offers a balanced and encouraging overview without intimidation. . . . The merits of Reframing Organizational Culture to the practitioner audience stem from the concise writing and vivid examples, particularly in Part One and most of Part Two." --Journal of Management

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803936516
• ISBN13: 9780803936515
• Release Date: August 1991
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Great Anthology of Organizational Culture Research!

This is a good book for grad students & researchers studying organizational sociology or organizational behavior, because despite the org culture boom of the last twenty years, it's hard to find a good collection of representative articles with solid academic standards. Cheese-whiz "culture management" books are a dime a dozen, but for the good stuff you have to really dig. Anyway, this book is really solid--with articles by many of the big names in the field (Schein, Martin, etc) and solid articles by many others. This book adopts Meyerson & Martin's now classic typology: Integration, Differentiation, Fragmentation, to classify the studies. It's a very helpful framework to use--particularly in a field so divided. My only negative comment on this book, and the reason I give it four stars instead of five is it doesn't have an index. Good grief! Who makes an academic research book without an index? That is really a downer when you're trying to read across articles on a specific term such as "cultural artifacts." Complaints aside, I've found the book to be a great resource while working on my thesis research. Frost also has a 1985 book, Organizational Culture. It's another anthology, but focused on theories of org culture. It's good too, but this one is better. Incidentally, I also highly recommend Joanne Martin's book, Organizational Culture: Mapping the Terrain. I really admire this book. More than anyone else I've been reading in this field, Martin really seems to have her finger on the pulse of the most imaginative aspects of organizational culture.