Managing Organizational Ecologies

The term Facilities Management has become global but fraught with confusion as to what the term signifies. For some, notably in the USA, Facilities Management remains a discipline of human ecology. Elsewhere the term has become conflated with an alternative meaning: providing or outsourcing the provision of various services essential to the operation of particular buildings. This volume redresses that imbalance to remind Facilities Management of its roots, presenting evidence of Facilities Management success stories that engage the wider objectives of the organizations they serve, and engaging students, scholars and critical practitioners of general management with an appreciation of the power and influence of physical space and its place in the theory and practice of organizations. This book includes management perspectives from outside the field to ensure that the issues raised are seen in an organizational and management context, informing debate within the Facilities Management fraternity. It draws on human ecology and the perspective of the firm as, itself, an intra-organizational ecology of social constructs. The ecology of a firm is not restricted to the firm’s boundaries. It extends to wider relationships between the firm and its stakeholders including, in an age of outsourced building services, the Facilities Management supply chain. This volume offers arguments and evidence that managing such constructs is a key role for Facilities Management and an important participant in the provision of truly usable spaces.

Hannan and Freeman examine the ecology of organizations by exploring the competition for resources and by trying to account for rates of entry and exit and for the diversity of organizational forms. They show that the destinies of organizations are determined more by impersonal forces than by the intervention of individuals.

David Hurst has a unique knowledge of organizationsÑtheir function and their failureÑboth in theory and in practice. He has spent twenty-five years as an operating manager, often in crises and turnaround conditions, and is also a widely experienced consultant, teacher, and writer on business. This book is his innovative integration of management practice and theory, using a systems perspective and analogies drawn from nature to illustrate groundbreaking ideas and their practical application. It is designed for readers unfamiliar with sophisticated management concepts and for active practitioners seeking to advance their management and leadership skills. HurstÕs objective is to help readers make meaning from their own management experience and education, and to encourage improvement in their practical judgment and wisdom. His approach takes an expansive view of organizations, connecting their development to humankindÕs evolutionary heritage and cultural history. It locates the origins of organizations in communities of trust and follows their development and maturation. He also crucially tracks the decline of organizations as they age and shows how their strengths become weaknesses in changing circumstances. HurstÕs core argument is that the human mind is rational in an ecological, rather than a logical, sense. In other words, it has evolved to extract cues to action from the specific situations in which it finds itself. Therefore contexts matter, and Hurst shows how passion, reason, and power can be used to change and sustain organizations for good and ill. The result is an inspirational synthesis of management theory and practice that will resonate with every readerÕs experience.

Building theories of organizations is challenging: theories are partial and "folk" categories are fuzzy. The commonly used tools--first-order logic and its foundational set theory--are ill-suited for handling these complications. Here, three leading authorities rethink organization theory. Logics of Organization Theory sets forth and applies a new language for theory building based on a nonmonotonic logic and fuzzy set theory. In doing so, not only does it mark a major advance in organizational theory, but it also draws lessons for theory building elsewhere in the social sciences. Organizational research typically analyzes organizations in categories such as "bank," "hospital," or "university." These categories have been treated as crisp analytical constructs designed by researchers. But sociologists increasingly view categories as constructed by audiences. This book builds on cognitive psychology and anthropology to develop an audience-based theory of organizational categories. It applies this framework and the new language of theory building to organizational ecology. It reconstructs and integrates four central theory fragments, and in so doing reveals unexpected connections and new insights.

Provides ideas on how intellectual capital through emerging technologies can support business performance. Covers topics such as competitive strategy, human resource management, and organizational learning.

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION THEORY Management and Organization Theory offers a summary and analysis of the 40 most popular, researched, and applied management and organization theories. This important resource includes key instruments used to measure variables in each theory and examines pertinent questions about the theory: strengths and weaknesses, practical applications, and the seminal articles published on each theory. "This is a remarkable book. Jeffrey Miles clearly explains and synthesizes 40 major theories of management and organization in an easily accessible and engaging style. Well researched, comprehensive in its coverage, thorough, balanced, and fair in its analyses of theories, the book is destined to be a major authoritative reference in the field. It is one of the most readable, informative, and useful books I have read. I strongly recommend it." Shaker A. Zahra, department chair, Robert E. Buuck Chair, and professor, Strategic Management and Organizations Department, University of Minnesota "This book provides a terrific advantage to any student or manager seeking to grasp the fundamental concepts that explain organizations and the behavior of people within them." Richard L. Daft, author, The Executive and the Elephant: A Leader's Guide to Building Inner Excellence; and the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management, Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University "An easy-to-read summary of some of the most critical theories in the field of management theories that have implications not just for scholars, but for practicing managers as well." Jay Barney, professor of management and human resources, and Chase Chair for Excellence in Corporate Strategy, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University

Many managers and consultants have academic backgrounds in business administration and are trained in contemporary management methods that focus on decision making and economic efficiency. The question is: Are these academic methods the best to further the development of society as well as organizations?

In Managing Organizations Stewart Clegg, Cynthia Hardy and Walter Nord explore the major issues and debates in management and organization. The textbook addresses key topics such as leadership, decision-making and innovation in organizations alongside such themes as diversity, globalization and ecology. Students and teachers of management will find this a comprehensive and wide-ranging resource on the core issues for contemporary managers and organizations.