The Oxford Handbook of Sociology, Social Theory, and Organization Studies ─ Contemporary Currents

Sociology and social theory has always been a major source of new perspectives for organization studies. Access to a series of authoritative accounts of theorists and research themes in sociology and social theory which have influenced developments in organization studies is essential for those wishing to deepen and extend their knowledge of the intersection of sociology and organization studies. This goal is achieved by drawing on a group of internationally renowned scholars committed in their own work to strengthening these links and asking them to provide critical accounts of particular theorists and research themes which have straddled this divide.

This volume aims to strengthen ties between organization studies and contemporary sociological work at a time when there are increasing institutional barriers to such cooperation, potentially generating a myopia that constricts new developments. Used in conjunction with its companion volume, The Oxford Handbook of Sociology and Organization Studies: Classical Foundations, the reader is provided with a comprehensive account of the productive and critical interaction between sociology and organization studies over many decades.

Highly international in scope, theorists and themes are drawn from both the USA and Europe in equal measure. Similarly the authors of the chapters are drawn from both sides of the Atlantic. The result is a series of chapters on individuals and key research themes and debates which will provide faculty and post graduate researchers with appreciative, authoritative and critical accounts that can be drawn on to design courses or provided guided reading to the field.

Paul S. Adler is Professor of Management and Organization at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, where he holds the Harold Quinton Chair in Business Policy. Prof. Adler received his doctorate in Economics and Management there while working as a Research Economist for the French government. He came to the USA in 1981, and before arriving at USC in 1991, he was affiliated with the Brookings Institution, Columbia University, the Harvard Business School, and Stanford's School of Engineering. At the Academy of Management, he has served as chair of the Technology and Innovation Management Division and of the Critical Management Studies Interest Group, as a representative-at-large on the Board of Governors, and he currently serves as the Academy's Vice-President and program chair.

Paul du Gay is Professor of Organization Studies in the Department of Organization (IOA) at Copenhagen Business School (CBS). His work is located in the sociology of organizational life and cultural studies. His publications include Consumption and Identity at Work, In Praise of Bureaucracy, and Organizing Identity. At CBS, he directs the Velux research programme, What Makes Organization?, and co-directs the Business in Society Public-Private Platform.

Glenn Morgan is Professor of International Management at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University. His research focuses on different forms of capitalism, the impact of globalization and neo-liberalism, and the changing nature of firms and organizations. From 2005-2008, he was Editor in Chief of the journal Organization: The Critical Journal of Theory, Organization and Society. Recent edited books include Capitalism and Capitalisms in the Twenty-First Century (OUP 2012; edited with R. Whitley) and The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Institutional Analysis (OUP 2010; edited with J.L. Campbell, C. Crouch, O.K. Pedersen and R. Whitley).

Professor Michael Reed is Emeritus Professor of Human Resource Management at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University.