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The world is always in flux. Stability is only a product of the moment and needs to be actively accomplished. Recognising that Routine Dynamics research has been at the forefront of this movement to understand the balance between stability and change in organizations, this volume of Research in the Sociology of Organizations delves into the realm of organizational routines within a continuously evolving society. Elaborating on themes such as temporality, improvisation, process and multiplicity, power and political dynamics, and scale, the contributors provide a comprehensive exploration of routines in a world marked by constant change. The papers provide readers with a deep understanding of how routines adapt, evolve, and persist in the face of flux. Exploring the power of routines in navigating our increasingly complex world, this volume argues that routines are as much engines of change as they are of stability, and that organizations are in a position to benefit from both.

Our Elgar Concise Introductions are inspiring and considered. They explain the key principles in business and are expertly written by some of the world's leading scholars. The aims of the series are two-fold: to pinpoint essential concepts of business and management, and to offer insights that stimulate critical thinking.In this Concise Introduction, Michael Lounsbury and Joel Gehman set out an overview of organization theory that clarifies how to cultivate a robust scholarly identity in a field rich with diverse research traditions. Providing a summary of rationalist, pragmatic and co-constitutive theories, they highlight how scholars can meaningfully contribute to the academic conversation and maximize the practical relevance of their work.Key features:Provides a comparative analysis of different organization theoriesHelps scholars mindfully position themselves and their work within specific academic discussionsHighlights opportunities to bridge ontological differences by engaging in scholarly debates across theoretical categoriesThis Concise Introduction is a crucial reference point for organization scholars. It will also appeal to doctoral students and early-career scholars in management, strategy and entrepreneurship.

This book aims at exploring the reception of critical posthumanist conversations in the context of Management and Organization Studies. It constitutes an invitation to de-center the human subject and thus an invitation to the ongoing deconstruction of humanism. The project is not to deny humans but to position them in relation to other nonhumans, more-than-humans, the non-living world, and all the “missing masses” from organizational inquiry. What is under critique is humanism's anthropocentrism, essentialism, exceptionalism, and speciesism in the context of the Anthropocene and the contemporary crisis the world experiences. From climate change to the loss of sense at work, to the new geopolitical crisis, to the unknown effects of the diffusion of AI, all these powerful forces have implications for organizations and organizing. A re-imagination of concepts, theories, and methods is needed in organization studies to cope with the challenge of a more-than-human world.

Despite the increased push for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in recent years, such initiatives still remain a secondary part of many businesses'organisational focus. However, an effective EDI strategy has the potential to create tangible long-term benefits that go beyond social media solidarity and statistical appearances, enhancing employee productivity and satisfaction, improving organisational performance and fostering the dynamism needed to think critically and creatively in today's competitive global market. Highlighting concepts and practices across a variety of global contexts, Contemporary Approaches in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion features topics such as mindfulness, employee perceptions, Industry 4.0, bottom-up strategy, global entrepreneurship and flexible working. Rooted in strategic and technological perspectives, chapters share specific examples, proving how inclusive, digitally oriented discourses can be nurtured to create powerful change. Encouraging individuals to adapt and businesses to reshape their resources, capabilities and everyday practices, this book grounds the contemporary workplace in an EDI mindset that looks beyond temporary pressures and trends to a strong, inclusive future.

How does social control theory explain the relationships between business firms and organizations? This book aims to answer that question. Providing a comprehensive organizing framework of control (1st, 2nd, and 3rd party control), this book focuses on informal and formal applications of control mechanisms such as contracts, monitoring mechanisms, incentives, and punishments. In doing so, it reviews existing control/governance theories such as transaction cost analysis, agency theory, power/dependence theory, contract theory, incentives theory and others. Social control theory is introduced as a meta-theory of governance and control. The derivation of control, the outcomes of control and, particularly, when and how control might be successful are discussed in detail.The book hypothesizes that the control mode and mechanisms in use are a function of the cost of control to the controller based on its desire to manage the relationship and its outcomes, and the target of control's extent of agreement with the control processes in use. The various components of costs of control are identified and discussed. Drawing on interdisciplinary sources of information, it is a must-read for all who are interested in understanding the mechanisms of control and relationships underpinning business organizations.

With close attention to Wilfred Bion's influence on the literature about groups and organisations, this book explores how containment has been transposed from the clinical setting to enlighten the work being carried out by psychodynamic practitioners and researchers, especially within organisations.In the first part, contributors explore the origins of containment, comparing and contrasting it with similar concepts such as holding. A second part is devoted to addressing the implications of utilising psychoanalytic ideas beyond the couch and bringing them to the social field of groups and organisations. The early days of such ideas, as well as the wide range of methods applied, are also addressed in this section with the aim of giving the reader a more comprehensive base for the application of psychoanalytic knowledge. Finally, the third part provides a detailed view of the different applications of containment in consulting, leadership, therapeutic communities and group relations. Drawing on their own experiences, the authors highlight how psychoanalytic concepts impact their own practice, contributing to a collection that will prove essential for psychoanalysts, managers, policymakers, consultants and researchers in a wide range of professional and clinical settings.