Management: A Sociological Introduction

The study of management has been increasing exponentially for at least the last twenty years but traditional introductions tend to be rooted in approaches that deny the significance of historical context and remain sceptical of the role of theory in developing the practices we recognize as management. Eschewing the "ten secrets to world domination" strategy favoured by so called "practical" management texts, and avoiding the "1000 important facts to memorize" (un)beloved of undergraduates, this book develops a view of management that is provocative and challenging while remaining accessible.

Adopting ideas from contemporary sociological theory, the text examines an array of management orthodoxies: from corporate culture to managing change, from language to leadership, from reengineering to reality, from feminism to fatalism and from upward appraisals to utopian management. Grint shows that in each area of substantive debate, many taken-for-granted approaches are in need of reconstruction.

Despite the critical approach taken to understanding management, this book is written as a lively introduction; it is not an esoteric nor a dry academic text but a book to whet the appetite of even the most hard-nosed manager and the most sceptical student of management.