Social Organizations: Interaction Inside, Outside and Between Organizations

By Goran Ahrne and Göran Ahrne

Combining the insights of organizational theory with the traditional concerns of social theory, G ran Ahrne makes an original and creative contribution to both fields by sketching his organizational theory of society. Using a broad definition of organizations--including not only business enterprises but also nation states, families, and volunteer associations--he shows that what goes on inside, outside, and between organizations is central to understanding social relations. Organizations provide people with resources and motives and they set the stage for human action. Although organizations do not themselves form societies or systems, society is shaped and changed by the interaction between them. Social Organizations illustrates the potential of Ahrne′s theory to illuminate current areas of sociological interest including agency and structure, and the processes of globalization. Drawing from such facets of organizational theory as contingency, institutional, ecological, and economic, the author demonstrates how a synthesis with social theory clarifies the nature and effects of organizational interactions. Accessible and thought-provoking, this book will be essential reading for all those interested in social theory, organizational theory, and the sociology of organizations. "Goran Ahrne has written a delightful book, building on the premise that human actions are transformed into social processes through organized interaction. From that simple statement, Ahrne weaves a compelling argument, challenging us to look at organizations again, as if we had never seen them before. I mean this literally--his first question brought me up short: ′Why do you go home?′ Why indeed? Ahrne′s book is filled with such startling questions, and his penetrating insights reminded me of a great deal of Erving Goffman′s work. He asks us to take nothing for granted and to question self-evident practices. Because Ahrne takes a very inclusive view of organizations, this book should appeal to nearly all the social science fields concerned with organized action, including public administration, organization studies, the sociology of the family, economic sociology, and social psychology." --Howard Aldrich, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803989210
• ISBN13: 9780803989214
• Release Date: August 1994
• Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

How is society really organized?

In 'Social Organizations...' Ahrne elaborates on the organizational theory of society first presented in 'Agency and Organizations. Towards an organizational theory of society'(1990, Sage). Starting with resource dependence and asset specificity, common concepts in organization theory and other disciplines, Ahrne argues successfully for a view of organizations as some of the main actors in society. He further manages to explain how it is both possible and fruitful to view both companies, interest organizations, nation states and families as organizations, without ending in a watered down definition lacking content or usage. When reading this book it becomes clear four years past since the release of 'Agency and Organization': Ahrnes ideas are better structured, definitions and arguments have been sharpened and he has found more examples to back up his ideas. The first book had the subtitle 'towards an organizational theory of society'. with this book, Ahrne has taken a hughe step in the right direction. And it is nice to see that the overall improvements in the structuiring of the ideas have not made the book any duller than its' precursor: Just like the last book, reading this one is great fun.