Organizational theory | EPFL Graph Search

Organizational theory refers to a series of interrelated concepts that involve the sociological study of the structures and operations of formal social organizations. Organizational theory also seeks to explain how interrelated units of organization either connect or do not connect with each other. Organizational theory also concerns understanding how groups of individuals behave, which may differ from the behavior of an individual. The behavior organizational theory often focuses on is goal-directed. Organizational theory covers both intra-organizational and inter-organizational fields of study. In the early 20th century, theories of organizations initially took a rational perspective but have since become more diverse. In a rational organization system, there are two significant parts: Specificity of Goals and Formalization. The division of labor is the specialization of individual labor roles, associated with increasing output and trade. Modernization theorist Frank Dobbin wrote that "modern institutions are transparently purposive and that we are in the midst of an extraordinary progression towards more efficiency." Max Weber's conception of bureaucracy is characterized by the presence of impersonal positions that are earned and not inherited, rule-governed decision-making, professionalism, chain of command, defined responsibility, and bounded authority. Contingency theory holds that an organization must try to maximize performance by minimizing the effects of various environmental and internal constraints, and that the ability to navigate this requisite variety may depend upon the development of a range of response mechanisms. Dwight Waldo in 1978 wrote that "[o]rganization theory is characterized by vogues, heterogeneity, claims and counterclaims." Organization theory cannot be described as an orderly progression of ideas or a unified body of knowledge in which each development builds carefully on and extends the one before it.

Nothing New Under the Sun: Novelty Constructs and Measures in Social Studies

Davide Bavato

The concept of novelty is central to questions of creativity, innovation, and discovery. Despite the prominence in scientific inquiry and everyday discourse, there is a chronic ambiguity over its meaning and a surprising variety of empirical measures, whic ...

Emerald Publishing Limited2022

The process of Lewy body formation, rather than simply α-synuclein fibrillization, is one of the major drivers of neurodegeneration

Hilal Lashuel, Graham Knott, Marion Leleu, Fabien Kuttler, Anne-Laure Mahul Mellier, Johannes Burtscher, Niran Maharjan, Laura Emmeline H Weerens

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by the accumulation of misfolded and aggregated α-synuclein (α-syn) into intraneuronal inclusions named Lewy bodies (LBs). Although it is widely believed that α-syn plays a central role in the pathogenesis of PD, t ...

2020

Gamifying knowledge sharing in humanitarian organisations: a design science journey

Denis Gillet, Isabelle Barbara Marie-Hélène Cardia, Samuel Bendahan, Adrian Christian Holzer

Humanitarian organisations provide invaluable work to improve the lives of individuals impacted by natural and anthropogenic hazards. While humanitarian organisations are highly knowledge intensive, they often fail to manage knowledge effectively. Providin ...

2020