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Understanding Organizational Culture
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Understanding Organizational Culture

Second Edition


November 2012 | 248 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
With his usual engaging and inimitable style, Mats Alvesson takes the reader on a riveting journey through the diverse ways in which culture itself can be understood and how these powerfully inform organizational life.' - Blake E. Ashforth, Arizona State University

'Understanding Organizational Culture comunicates complex ideas in a manner that will illuminate for those who are less familiar with the concepts discussed, as well as providing a depth and critique of interest to those familiar with the topics.' - Claire Valentin, The University of Edinburgh

 

Unlike prescriptive books about organizations, Understanding Organizational Culture challenges and provokes the reader to think critically. It provides an insight into organizational culture, aided by numerous empirical illustrations from ethnographic studies that develop and illustrate how cultural thinking can be used in managerial and non-managerial organizational theory and practice.

 

Mats Alvesson answers questions of definition, explores alternative perspectives and exands on substantive issues, before discussing key issues of research and developing his framework. Further more, the advances in the field of organizational culture are synthesized for the reader by drawing upon the range of relevant literature within organization studies.

 

Understanding Organizational Culture provides great breadth within a textbook approach - covering a wide spectrum of management and organization while at the same time developing a new theoretical approach to organizational culture. The new edition contains improved pedagogy and expanded coverage of topics such as identity and organizational change.

 

It is essential reading for students taking undergraduate and postgraduate modules in Organizational Behaviour and Organizational Theory on Management and Organization Studies programmes, including MBA.

 
The Concept of Organizational Culture
 
Organizational Culture as Metaphor and Metaphors for Culture
 
Organizational Culture and Identity
 
Organizational Culture and Performance
 
Organizational Culture, Strategy and Marketing
 
Organizational Culture and Leadership
 
Work and Multiple Levels of Culture
 
Ambiguity of Culture
 
Culture as Constraint: An Emancipatory Approach
 
Cultural Change
 
Conclusions

'Organizational culture remains absolutely central to any understanding of how organizations actually work. With his usual engaging and inimitable style, Mats Alvesson takes the reader on a riveting journey through the diverse ways in which culture itself can be understood and how these powerfully inform organizational life' -
Blake E. Ashforth
W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University


'Understanding Organizational Culture manages to communicate complex for those who are less familiar with the concepts discussed, as well as providing a depth and critique of interest to those already familiar with the topics. It is critical without being patronising, dismissive, or jargonistic, and acknowledges the challenges of practice' -
Claire Valentin
The University of Edinburgh, UK


Not adopted

Dr Krishna Venkitachalam
Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University
May 25, 2015

Our ERM course ended in 2014. However, I really liked this book and it is now one that I recommend for students interested in Organisational Culture on a Level 5 Undergraduate option "Social Psychology of Work" as it goes beyond what is in the typical OB chapters

Mr Neill Thompson
School of Psychology and Sport Science, Northumbria University
April 16, 2015

Understanding Organizational Culture is a useful book for student who will be looking to study organizations as part of their final year project, especially useful for studying the aspects of leadership and marketing.

Dr Natalia Yakovleva
Surrey Business school, Surrey University
March 17, 2015

Good standard text on this subject.

Dr Raymond Shaw
Business Dept, Cultural Experience Abroad - University of New Haven
February 23, 2015

All key aspects of culture covered giving clarity to our students

Mr MarK Harvey
Public Services, Weston College
September 24, 2014

I thought this book was a thoughtful and comprehensive review of the role and importance of culture in organisations. Unfortunately I am not sure how well it resonated with the needs of the students I currently teach. The issues around culture in public services are so current as a means of explaining adverse events. Sadly this book does not quite hit the mark for us at the moment.

Mr Ian McGonagle
Faculty of Social Science, Lincoln University
June 11, 2014

This book does not seem appropriate for this terms units but has been passed on to colleagues to use for the Level 7 Units and will be an extremely valuable resource

Mr Daniel Russell
Business Management, Organisational Learning Centre
March 18, 2014

Understanding organizational culture is a good introductory book for those who want understanding of basic concepts of organizational culture and its various applications in the business and management field. The book is well articulated in easy to understand style that include many real word examples.

Dr Tarig Eltayeb
College of Commerce, Dhofar University
February 14, 2014

A useful background reading material.

Dr John Opute
Management , London South Bank University
February 13, 2014

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter One


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Paperback
ISBN: 9780857025586
£51.00

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ISBN: 9780857025579
£161.00