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Library | Material Type | Item Barcode | Shelf Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Pamukkale Central Library | Book | 0023463 | JF1351.D38 1996 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
This new work offers a substantive political theory approach to organizational theory. It differs significantly from most organizational perspectives in that it applies political theory to four prevalent organizational models found in administration today. Most such models fall within the province of government or corporate management and fail to deal with the democratic and public dimensions of organization. In this study, Davis examines various organizational theories' prospects to generate authentic public organization. He also suggests alternative considerations by which to facilitate more genuine public organization. An important contribution to the literature in organizational theory and public administration, this work will be of interest to scholars and students in these and related fields.
Author Notes
CHARLES R. DAVIS is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern Mississippi. He holds the B.A. degree from the University of Louisville and the M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky.
Reviews (1)
Choice Review
Davis challenges conventional wisdom regarding the meaning of "public" organizations, and the purpose of an organization worthy of the "public" label. He argues that a truly public organization will have an internally democratic dynamic of shared power and a participatory role for individuals in determining organizational outcomes; in a broader sense, it will contribute to the building of citizenship and common community. Using critical theory, he examines the work of four organizational theorists--Gulick, Simon, Ostrom, and Argyris--to probe the relationship between individuals and the organization, and the potential for democratic, social, and psychopolitical development. All four are found wanting since they emphasize efficiency, rationality, and individualism, and the supremacy of management (authority) over individual employees. The book is challenging and thought-provoking but is lacking in a few respects. Relegated to an appendix is the most coherent and useful display of the argument, which could have been a very useful introduction; empirical examples of public organizations would be tremendously useful; and a great deal of difficult information is condensed into approximately 100 pages of often repetitive and choppy writing. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. A. M. Khademian; University of Wisconsin-Madison
Table of Contents
| Preface |
| Introduction |
| Gulick's Administrative Organization |
| Simon's Rational Model of Organization Ostrom's Paradigm of Democratic Administration |
| Self-Development in Chris Argyris's Writings Criteria |
| Considerations for Public Organization |
| Appendix |
| Notes |
| Index |