Reason's neglect : rationality and organizing / Barbara Townley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Townley, Barbara, 1954-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Industrial management.

Organization.

Corporate culture.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (303 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Reason, and the need to Be Rational, are essential dimensions of society and the organizations we live and work in. Yet the 'rationalization' of working processes, or the 'rationality' studied in social sciences, is all too often, used, understood, and interpreted in an extremely narrow sense. This book sets out to rectify this neglect. - ;Reason, and the need to Be Rational, are essential dimensions of society and the organizations we live and work in. Yet the 'rationalization' of working and administrative processes, or the 'rationality' studied in social sciences, is all too often, used, un

Contents:

CONTENTS; FIGURE; LIST OF BOXES; 1 Foucault and rationality; Why rationality?; Whose reason?; Why Foucault?; Foucault . . . how?; The importance of analysing practice; The argument: A pictorial representation; PART I: DISEMBEDDED RATIONALITY; Introduction; 2 Economic rationality; Purposeful individuals; The anthropomorphization of organizations; Bounded rationality; Decision-making; The new rationality; Conclusions; 3 Bureaucratic rationality; Bureaucracy; Bureaucracy and rationality; The response to uncertainty: Domination through knowledge; Conclusions; 4 Technocratic rationality

Technology and organizationTechnology as technique; Management as science; Technocratic administration?; Which science?; Management as practice; Conclusions; PART II: EMBEDDED RATIONALITY; Introduction; 5 Institutional rationality; The rationalization of value spheres; The institution of reason; Institutional theory and rationalized myths; Institutional logics; Rationality institutionalized?; Institutional 'rationality'?; Conclusions; 6 Contextual rationality; Hidden from reason: A Romantic legacy; Rationality versus community; Culture as competence: Rendering rational

Rationality as thick description? A narrative rationalityConclusion: Rational communities?; 7 Situational rationality; A presumption of logic; The rationality of situated action; Situated knowledge; Situated studies; Conclusions; PART III: THE 'OTHER' OF REASON; Introduction; 8 Embodied rationality; The body; Embodied thinking and knowledge; The emotions; Emotions in organizations; Rational emotions?; The 'irrational' unconscious; Conclusions; PART IV: CONCLUSIONS; 9 Collective rationality; Collective action; Collective action and the 'collective good'; Collective reasoning

Collective reasoning and the 'collective good'The collective within organization studies; Collective reasoning and practice; Conclusions; 10 Practical reason; Practical concerns; Practical rationalities; Practical reason; Conclusion; APPENDIX; NOTES; REFERENCES; GLOSSARY; A; B; C; D; H; I; L; M; N; O; P; Q; S; T; Z; INDEX; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; Y; Z

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [222]-273) and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-19-929836-X

9786611825645

0-19-155942-3

1-281-82564-6

OCLC:

476244298