Changing Organizations

"We are in the midst of rapid change in how firms organize themselves and their work. There are numerous popular accounts of this evolution but few theoretically grounded and research based assessments. Into this gap steps David Knoke. Changing Organizations is an invaluable resource for all concerned with organizational restructuring and will be an essential reference and starting point for scholars and practitioners who want a serious account of what has occurred and what is likely to happen next." Peter Osterman Massachusetts Institute of Technology "In this book, Changing Organizations, David Knoke shows how a social network approach can unify topics as diverse as corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, national innovation systems, workplace struggles, and corporate informed explanation of why corporations have become so powerful in American society. For graduate students in organization studies courses and MBAs, the book's many extended case examples will provide a valuable context for classroom discussions. The book is packed with informative figures and charts, as well as a helpful appendix on network analysis, and thus will prove valuable as a reference book, as well." Howard E. Aldrich University of North Carolina In Changing Organizations David Knoke examines the formation of intra- and inter-organizational networks and their impact on the fates of employees, companies, and communities. He explores how the network perspective-when used in conjunction with ecology, insitutionalism, power and resource dependence, transaction cost economics, organizational learning, and evolutionary theories-contributes to a more comprehensive explanation of organizational transformations. Written in an accessible narrative style for advanced undergraduate students in sociology, public policy, and business management courses, it draws heavily from contemporary cases to illustrate key concepts. Knoke also offers readers a careful exposition of basic structural and network concepts and principles. This text is well suited for courses in sociology of organizations, business organizations/management, and public policy/administration.

David Knoke

Preface -- Generating Change -- Theorizing About Organizations -- Resizing and Reshaping -- Making Connections -- Changing the Employment Contract -- Investing in Social Capital -- Governing the Corporation -- Struggling in the Workplace -- Influencing Public Policies -- Learning to Evolve -- Appendix: Basic Network Concepts