Detailed Contents

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1        Introduction

                        Why study organisational behaviour?

                        How is Rethinking Organisational Behaviour different?

                        Organisational Behaviour versus organisational behaviour

                        Rigour versus clarity

                        Rethinking Organisational Behaviour .  .  .

                        The Structure ofRethinking Organisational Behaviour

                        The Second edition

Chapter 2        Semiotics

                        The science of symbols

                        Characteristics of symbols

                        Links between signifier and signified

                        Meaning and ambiguity

                        The functions of symbols

                        Textuality

                        Limitations of interpretations

                        Intersubjectivity

                        Existing applications in organisational behaviour

                        Further potential

                        Organisational behaviour and semiotics

                        Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (semiotics)

                        Case study: No smoke without fire?

                        Bibliography

Chapter 3        Structure

                        Physical structure

                        Abstract structure

                        The ontology of structure

                        Realist approaches to structure

                        Description versus prescription in realist approaches to structure

                        Poststructuralism and structure

                        Existing applications in organisational behaviour

                        Further potential

                        Organisational behaviour and structure

                        Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (structure)

                        Case study: Structuring: thinking about structure

                        Bibliography

Chapter 4        Knowledge

                        Knowledge as a problem

                        Paradigms

                        Diachronic paradigm models

                        Synchronic paradigm models

                        Knowledge and the public channel

                        Discourses of knowledge

                        Regimes and truth

                        Knowledge and rhetoric

                        Existing applications in organisational behaviour

                        Further potential

                        Organisational behaviour and knowledge

                        Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (knowledge)

                        Case study: Expert knowledge

                        Bibliography

Chapter 5        Power

                        The power of ownership

                        Power versus authority

                        Governance

                        Disciplinary power at work

                        Power and knowledge

                        Power and truth

                        Existing applications in organisational behaviour

                        Further potential

                        Organisational behaviour and power

                        Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (power)

                        Case study: The power of prayers?

                        Bibliography

Chapter 6        Rationality

                        Being rational

                        Objective versus subjective rationality

                        The discourse of organisational behaviour and the concept of objective rationality

                        Rationality and legitimacy

                        Legitimacy, organisations and society

                        Existing applications in organisational behaviour

                        Further potential

                        Organisational behaviour and rationality

                        Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (rationality)

                        Case study: Structuring: The state of the union

                        Bibliography

Chapter 7        Ideology

                        The ‘problem’ with ideology

                        Ideology versus reality

                        The functions of ideology

                        Ideology . . .

                        Knowledge, discourse and ideology

                        The ideology of management

                        Organisation as ideology

                        Ideology and organisational ethics

                        Existing applications in organisational behaviour

                        Further potential

                        Organisational behaviour and ideology

                        Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (ideology)

                        Case study: By the sweat of one’s brow

                        Bibliography

Chapter 8        Self

                        The meaning of life?

                        The meaning of work?

                        The meaning of organisation of work?

                        Towards an understanding of the self

                        Desire and motivation

                        Employment of the self

                        Existing applications in organisational behaviour

                        Further potential

                        Organisational behaviour and self

                        Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (self)

                        Case study: Nobody’s perfect!?

                        Bibliography

Chapter 9        Boundary

                        Boundary as limit

                        Boundary and systems

                        Boundary . . .

                        Boundary and model-building

                        Boundary and problem-solving

                        Existing applications in organisational behaviour

                        Further potential

                        Organisational behaviour and boundary

                        Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (boundary)

                        Case study: How to find a model employee?

                        Bibliography

Chapter 10      Efficiency

                        The meaning of efficiency

                        Measuring efficiency

                        What’s wrong with efficiency?

                        Efficiency

                        Existing applications in organisational behaviour

                        Further potential

                        Organisational behaviour and efficiency

                        Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (efficiency)

                        Case study: Health and efficiency

                        Bibliography

Chapter 11      Decision making

                        Decision making as a rational, objective function

                        Decision making as the semiotics of self

                        Decision making, risk, morality

                        Decision making and praxis

                        Existing applications in organisational behaviour

                        Further potential

                        Organisational behaviour and decision making

                        Continuous case: A tale from the village pump (decision making)

                        Case study: Dismal prospects

                        Bibliography

Chapter 12      Conclusion

                        The plots so far, in 333 words

                        Why organisational behaviour matters

                        Well, where do we go from here?

                        The rhizome: a root metaphor?

                        Postmodernism

                        In the end

                        Afterword

                        Bibliography

Glossary

Appendix 1      History and Ideas

Appendix 2      Continuous case study: a tale from the village pump

Appendix 3      Extended case studies

                        WaReady

                        RatGames

Appendix 4      The art of the case study

References

Index