organization theory and paradise lost

Teppo

If you want an excellent introduction to organization theory – I recommend Pfeffer’s New Directions in Organization Theory: Problems and Prospects.  The book nicely covers key micro-issues, which many org theory books don’t do, and more generally the book is an excellent lay-of-the-land introduction (for a different angle on the matter – see Peter Abell’s excellent Organisation Theory: An Interdisciplinary Approach).

While looking for some un-related material – I ran into this:

At the March 1999 annual meeting of the Western Academy of Management, Philip Selznick was the featured speaker. After a brilliant presentation on institutional theory and the nature of scholarship, there was a brief question and answer period. One of the first questions asked of Selznick was, “What do you think of the paradigm wars?” Because the person who asked the question was soft spoken, and because there was noise outside the room, Selznick had trouble hearing the question. Seeking clarification, he said, “Are you asking me what do I think of ‘Paradise Lost’?” To mishear “paradigm wars” as “paradise lost” is to connect the agony of a field with the agony of man’s fall while searching for godlike knowledge, depicted in John Milton’s (1667) epic poem, “Paradise Lost.” The juxtaposition is brilliant. And jarring.

That’s from Karl Weick’s ASQ review of the above Pfeffer book.