Most Influential Books of 21st Centuary

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- RICHARD M CYERT AND JAMES G MARCH, A BEHAVIORAL THEORY OF THE FIRM (1963)

"A Behavioral Theory of the Firm" is a classic work in organizational theory, and is one of the most significant contributions to theory intended to improve the operation of the modern corporation. The authors use experiments and empirical observations to build their model of decision making. The ideas put forward have influenced students of organizations throughout the social sciences, capture the fundamentals of organizational decision making, offering important perspectives not only on economic organizations but also on governmental agencies and educational institutions.

- MAX WEBER THE THEORY OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION (1922)

This book is an introduction to Max Weber’s ambitious comparative study of the sociological and institutional foundations of the modern economic and social order. Weber discusses the analytical methods of sociology and, at the same time, presents a devastating critique of prevailing sociological theory and of its Universalist, determinist underpinnings.

- DANIEL KATZ AND ROBERT L KAHN,THE SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF ORGANIZATIONS (1966)

This book analyzes the essential problems of human organizations––the motivation to work, the resolution of conflict, the exercise of leadership, and the creation of organizational change. It also examines the relations between organizations and their environments, the effect of organizational demands and opportunities on individual health, and the experimental development of organizational alternatives to conventional bureaucratic structure. Applies even theoretical principles to concrete organizational problems, illustrating with research findings.

- CHRIS ARGYRIS, PERSONALITY AND ORGANIZATION (1957)

"Personality & Organization" provides the reader with exceptional insight as to how individuals respond to specific organizational characteristics. Argyris is next to Richard Beckhard, Edgar Schein and Warren Bennis known as co-founder of organization development, and known for seminal work of learning organizations.

- HENRI FAYOL, GENERAL AND INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT (1916)

In this book, Fayol theorized about all of the elements necessary to organize and manage a major corporation. Fayol's work was one of the first comprehensive statements of a general theory of management. He proposed that there were Six primary functions of management and 14 principles of management

- RENSIS LIKERT, NEW PATTERNS OF MANAGEMENT(1961)

Likert presents a thorough reivew of the research done at that time and also clearly presents and explains his notion of "the development of a better system of managing the human resources of an organization". His research methods, his findings, and his notions of effective management have held up over time and are clearly visable in the work being done today in the field.

- JOAN WOODWARD, INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATION THEORY AND PRACTICE(1965)

This book has rightly been described as a "classic" in the history of organizational theory. First published in 1965 it was then compared in significance to the Hawthorne studies; it was a major contribution to the devlopment of contingency theory and our understanding of the relationship between technology and organizations. The book stood in marked contrast to the traditions of scientific management. Combining detailed empirical research and a pioneering analytical framework it suggested that technology and production systems played acrucial role in shaping effective organizational structures. In doing so Woodward offered lasting insights into issues of levels of hierarchy and spans of management control - issues that today might be discussed in terms of "delayering" and "process re-engineering". Joan Woodward's ideas remain one of the cornerstones of our knowledge of our organizations."

- ELTON MAYO, THE HUMAN PROBLEMS OF AN INDUSTRIAL CIVILIZATION(1933)

In this book Mayo discusses the Hawthorne experiments, relating the findings about human relations within the Hawthorne plant to the social environment in the surrounding Chicago area. Based on his personal observation of production line workers and his experience conducting the famous "Hawthorne Experiments" (the "moon landing" of the human relations field), Mayo essentially lays the foundation for those who come after him with regards to understanding human motivation, and his thoughts and conclusions have stood the test of time.

- TOM BURNS AND GEORGE STALKER, MANAGEMENT OF INNOVATION(1961)

The Management of Innovation is one of the most influential books on organization theory and industrial sociology ever written. The main question it addresses - the relationship between an organization and its market and the technological environment - continues to preoccupy researchers and managers as innovation has even greater impact on organizational structures and competitiveness. This book is also a penetrating study of social systems within organizations and of organizational dynamics, covering such issues as organizational politics, the role of the chief executive and the relationship between technical staff and general managers.

- W. EDWARDS DEMING, QUALITY PRODUCTIVITY AND COMPETITIVE POSITION(1982)

Deming proposes good principles to drive good corporate citizenship and ethics in all facets of operations. This book is about preserving American competitive productivity and marketplace advantage in this global economy. Deming is years ahead of his time. His predictions are being proven everyday as U.S. manufacturing is being outsourced more and more every day.

- JAMES D THOMPSON, ORGANIZATIONS IN ACTION(1967)

Organizations in Action is a classic multidisciplinary study of the behavior of complex organizations as entities. Thompson's book aims at providing what he calls a "conceptual inventory": a framework for tying together a multitude of concepts by various authors. Thompson's approach is based on two fundamental ideas: 1) The nature of uncertainty in the environment is a determining factor of organizational structure. 2) Simple models cannot work for complex organizations, but for their respective components. James D. Thompson offers ninety-five distinct