CHAPTER TWO
UNDERSTANDING THE STUDY OF ORGANIZATIONS
A Historical Review
Large, complex organizations and literature about them have existed for many centuries, but within the past two centuries in particular they have proliferated tremendously. Most of the large body of research and writing available today appeared fairly recently. This chapter reviews major developments in the research, theory, and thinking about organizations and management over the past century. Exhibit 2.1 provides a summary of the developments reviewed in this chapter.
Major Developments in Organization and Management Theory in the Twentieth Century
I. CLASSIC THEORIES
The classic theories implied a “one best way” to organize and a “closed-system” view of ...
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