The Blackwell Companion to Organizations

Drawing on the research of more than 50 influential international scholars, this extensive interdisciplinary survey consolidates and evaluates what is known and not known about organizations, and critically examines how we learn about and study them. The contributions are grouped under ten headings, representing the most important contemporary perspectives on organizations, including networks, ecology and technology, each of which is covered at three levels of organization: intraorganizational, organizational, and interorganizational. For ease of use, each chapter is structured around five common elements: review and evaluation of the literature on that topic; contemporary issues and debates; central questions that remain unanswered; new and emerging directions for research; and connections across levels of organizations. For newcomers to organization studies, this up-to-date resource provides a foundation for navigating the field and an overview of its complexities. For more experienced students and scholars, it offers a rich source of inspiration and ideas, and clear guidance for designing and carrying out exemplary research.

Joel A. C. Baum is Canadian National Chair in Strategy and Organization at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. His research has been published in a wide range of prestigious management and social science journals. He is a member of the editorial boards of Administrative Science Quarterly and Academy of Management Journal, Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Strategic Management, and founding co-editor of Strategic Organization – SO!.