The Social Psychology of Organizing

by Karl E. Weick

Have you ever had trouble teaching the various topics of social psychology and fitting them together to form a coherent field? Dr. Stangor felt like he was presenting a laundry list of ideas, research studies, and phenomena, rather than an integrated set of principles and knowledge. He wondered how his students could be expected to remember and understand the many phenomena that social psychologists study? How could they tell what was most important? It was then that he realized a fresh approach to a Social Psychology textbook was needed to structure and integrate student learning; thus, Principles of Social Psychology was born.

Genres: Psychology, Business, Leadership, Sociology, Management, Nonfiction

294 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

American organizational theorist who introduced the concepts of "loose coupling", "mindfulness", and "sensemaking" into organizational studies. He is the Rensis Likert Distinguished University Professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding look at how organizations really work. Explains and supports the idea of "sensemaking," that we act first, and then form our ideas and opinions based on our actions, rather than vice versa. Describes organizing as an iterative, ongoing, messy process of trial and error. This was one of the first books I read in my Ph.D. program (Management), and led to a lifelong interest in how organizations and people really work, rather than in the theories and concepts of academics who seem all too often to avoid the messiness of reality.

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book will likely be dismissed given its age, the insights into how organizations operate are still quite valid. Middle managers who like to hang Successory products around the office and schedule team-building exercises will probably hate this, but the rank-and-file workers who have to put up with it will see a lot that makes sense. The better outcome would be for those at the top of the pyramid to read it and absorb some of the lessons.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important. Very thin book. I read an article by Weick on accounting as the historical science of business, and hunted out this.

[Raymond Schrijver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on organizing so far, although it's already published in 1969. "The activities of organizing are directed towards the establishment of a workable level of certainty".