Table Of ContentNorman Jackson and Pippa Carter Second
Norman Jackson and Pippa Carter
Edition
Rethinking Organisational
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Behaviour e Rethinking Organisational
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A Poststructuralist Framework
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n Behaviour
Second Edition
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Rethinking Organisational Behaviour engages in an original and thought-provoking g
approach to the subject. It situates organisational behaviour within recent theoretical A Poststructuralist Framework
developments whose sources - such as semiotics or poststructuralism - often lie O
outside the traditional disciplines of organisational behaviour.
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In clear and accessible language, the authors provide critical analysis of important a
elements in understanding organisational behaviour rarely addressed in detail in more n
conventional textbooks, including knowledge and power, rationality, ideology i
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and self, boundary, effi ciency and decision-making.
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The second edition of this successful and well-respected textbook is ideal for i
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students on intermediate or advanced organisational behaviour courses either at
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undergraduate or postgraduate level.
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Key features: Norman Jackson and Pippa Carter e
are leading fi gures in the fi eld of h
• Adopts a poststructuralist approach and organisational behaviour and are a
introduces a key body of contemporary Visiting Fellows at the University v
theory. of Leicester School of Management. i
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• Conceives of organisation as a process,
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rather than an object, which enables wider
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issues to be addressed.
• Presents the understanding of organisational
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behaviour as the behaviour of people, rather
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than of employees. c
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• Gives a wide range of case studies and
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examples of issues that face managers o
and students, with questions for n
debate and discussion. a
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• An expanded glossary, bibliographies d
and references.
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ISBN 0-273-68359-4 © G r
9 780273 683599 etty Images | Fumio KCover photograph
an imprint of www.pearson-books.com urosaki Second Edition
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REOB_A01.QXD 6/11/06 10:11 Page i
Rethinking Organisational
Behaviour
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Rethinking Organisational
Behaviour
A Poststructuralist Framework
Second Edition
Norman Jackson and Pippa Carter
REOB_A01.QXD 6/11/06 10:11 Page iv
Pearson Education Limited
Edinburgh Gate
Harlow
Essex CM20 2JE
England
and Associated Companies throughout the world
Visit us on the World Wide Web at:
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First published 2000
Second edition 2007
© Norman Jackson and Pippa Carter 2000, 2007
The rights of Norman Jackson and Pippa Carter to be identified as authors of this work have been
asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
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ISBN-13: 978-0-273-68359-9
ISBN-10: 0-273-68359-4
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
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REOB_A01.QXD 6/11/06 10:11 Page v
Brief contents
Acknowledgements xiii
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Chapter 2 Semiotics 15
Chapter 3 Structure 41
Chapter 4 Knowledge 66
Chapter 5 Power 93
Chapter 6 Rationality 119
Chapter 7 Ideology 147
Chapter 8 Self 175
Chapter 9 Boundary 205
Chapter 10 Efficiency 237
Chapter 11 Decision-making 267
Chapter 12 Conclusions 299
Glossary 321
Appendix 1 History and ideas 331
Appendix 2 Continuous case study: A tale from the village pump 340
Appendix 3 Extended case studies: 344
RatGames 345
WaReady 349
Appendix 4 The art of the case study 355
References 358
Index 379
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Contents
Acknowledgements xiii
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Why study organisational behaviour? 2
How is Rethinking Organisational Behaviour different? 3
Organisational Behaviour versus organisational behaviour 5
Rigour versus clarity 8
Rethinking Organisational Behaviour . . . 9
The structure of Rethinking Organisational Behaviour 10
The second edition 13
Chapter 2 Semiotics 15
The science of symbols 15
Characteristics of symbols 16
Links between signifier and signified 19
Meaning and ambiguity 20
The functions of symbols 24
Textuality 28
Limitations of interpretation 30
Intersubjectivity 31
Existing applications in Organisational Behaviour 32
Further potential 33
Organisational behaviour and semiotics 35
Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (semiotics) 35
Case: No smoke without fire? 36
Bibliography 38
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viii Contents
Chapter 3 Structure 41
Physical structure 41
Abstract structure 43
The ontology of structure 44
Realist approaches to structure 45
Description versus prescription in realist approaches to structure 46
Poststructuralism and structure 48
Existing applications in Organisational Behaviour 56
Further potential 58
Organisational behaviour and structure 58
Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (structure) 59
Case: Structuring thinking about structure 60
Bibliography 63
Chapter 4 Knowledge 66
Knowledge as a problem 67
Paradigms 71
Diachronic paradigm models 71
Synchronic paradigm models 73
Knowledge and the public channel 78
Discourses of knowledge 81
Regimes of truth 84
Knowledge and rhetoric 84
Existing applications in Organisational Behaviour 86
Further potential 87
Organisational behaviour and knowledge 88
Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (knowledge) 89
Case: Expert knowledge 89
Bibliography 91
Chapter 5 Power 93
The power of ownership 94
Power versus authority 96
Governance 102
Disciplinary power at work 104
Power and knowledge 107
Power and truth 108
Existing applications in Organisational Behaviour 110
Further potential 110
Organisational behaviour and power 111
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Contents ix
Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (power) 112
Case: The power of prayers? 113
Bibliography 115
Chapter 6 Rationality 119
Being rational 120
Objective versus subjective rationality 123
The discourse of Organisational Behaviour and the concept of
objective rationality 127
Rationality and legitimacy 131
Legitimacy, organisations and society 132
Existing applications in Organisational Behaviour 137
Further potential 138
Organisational behaviour and rationality 140
Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (rationality) 141
Case: The state of the union 142
Bibliography 144
Chapter 7 Ideology 147
The ‘problem’ with ideology 148
Ideology versus reality 150
The functions of ideology 151
Ideology . . . 157
Knowledge, discourse and ideology 157
The ideology of management 158
Organisation as ideology 162
Ideology and organisational ethics 164
Existing applications in Organisational Behaviour 165
Further potential 166
Organisational behaviour and ideology 167
Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (ideology) 169
Case: By the sweat of one’s brow? 170
Bibliography 172
Chapter 8 Self 175
The meaning of life? 176
The meaning of work? 178
The meaning of the organisation of work? 180
Towards an understanding of the self 181
