Studying organizations is important for many reasons. "They are vital
mechanisms for pursuing collective goals in modern society" (Scott
p. 26). They are simulaneously the source of both the problems and solutions
to societies most serious problems.
Though some research was conducted in the early part of the 20th century,
the field of organizational research became a recognized endeavor in the
1950's following the translation of Max Weber's treatise on bureaucracy
and formal studies by people like Mayo, Simon, and March. Over time it has
grown and become more interdisciplinary, with many researchers and journals
devoted to the field.
Each discipline brings its own perspective and focus on organizational behavior.
For example, the following groups focus on different aspects of organizations
(Scott p. 13):
Political scientist -- power processes and decision making
Economist -- allocation of scare resources, efficiency, productivity
Sociologist -- status orderings, norms, behavior
Psychologist -- perception, cognition, motivation of participants
Organizational research occurs at various levels
of analysis (social psychological, structural, and ecological) and focuses
on various elements within organizations. Leavitt's
Diamond is a useful organizational model that describes organizations
as comprised of social structure,
technology, goals,
and participants. The organization
operates within it's environment
as is permeable to it.
Scott contrasts three different definitions of organizations -- rational,
natural, and open. The rational system
views organizations as highly formalized collectivities oriented to specific
goals. The natural system views
organizations as "collectivities seeking to survive". And the
open system views organizations
as "coalitions of interest groups highly influenced by their environments"
(Scott p. 26)