Organisational Misbehaviour

Misbehaviour at work has traditionally focused on work limitation, pilferage, absenteeism and sabotage. These remain important, but the organisational landscape is changing. From new forms of satirical humour and use of social media, workplace bullying and sexual misconduct, to managerial misbehaviour and its consequences, the second edition of Organisational Misbehaviour explores the latest forms of organisational subversion and offers fresh insights into the underlying dynamics of management and organisational processes. Drawing from contemporary research, this authoritative text is suitable for anyone interested in the study of management, work and organisations. Stephen Ackroyd is Emeritus Professor at the Management School of Lancaster University, UK. Paul Thompson is Emeritus Professor of Employment Studies at the University of Stirling, UK.

Table of Contents:
PART I: THE DISCIPLINARY FOUNDATIONS OF MISBEHAVIOUR Chapter 1 The Recalcitrant Worker: Historical Roots and Contemporary Developments Chapter 2 Assessing Approaches to Organisational Misbehaviour PART II: THE RELATIONAL APPROACH TO ORGANISATIONAL MISBEHAVIOUR Chapter 3 Irresponsible Autonomy: The Infrastructure of Misbehaviour Chapter 4 Manageability and Managerial Regimes: Confronting and Containing Misbehaviour Chapter 5 Strategic Organisational Change: Corporate Management Misbehaviour PART III: DEVELOPMENTS IN WORKER MISBEHAVIOUR Chapter 6 Only Joking: from Sub-Culture to Counter-Culture in Organisational Relations Chapter 7 Social Media: A New Contested Terrain Chapter 8 Ruling Passions: Sexual Misbehaviour at Work Chapter 9 Bully for You: Coercion and its Consequences in the Contemporary Workplace Chapter 10 Resistance: Debates, Departures and New Directions

About the Author :
STEPHEN ACKROYD is Professor of Organizational Analysis in Lancaster UniversityManagement School where he is Head of the Department of Organization, Work and Technology. He has conducted various research projects in the NHS over the last twenty years (both alone and with doctoral students). Most of this research in the NHS has shared a focus on the organisation of professional groups within hospitals. This is only one of his research interests, however, and his recent books include: Organizational Misbehaviour (with P. Thompson), Realist Perspectives on Management and Organizations (edited with Steve Fleetwood), The Organization of Business and New Managerialism and Public Service Professions (edited with Ian Kirkpatrick and Richard Walker).

Review :
The first edition of this classic book put misbehaviour on the academic map. This second edition lives up to its predecessor: but rather than a simple update it extends the argument to important new areas such as managerial, corporate and professional misbehaviour. It does so in insightful, engaging and provocative ways. It is essential reading for anyone with an interest in this important field. This meticulously researched and updated book is more than the very welcome second edition of a pathbreaking contribution. This book delivers gold standard analysis and insights to the challenges and dynamics of the contemporary workplace. It is sure to become a classic for those seeking to understand workers; their work lives and change-seeking activities. When Organisational Misbehaviour first appeared, it had an enormous impact on working life research.  The authors have done much more than just update the analysis. With new theoretical insights and empirical fields opened up for analysis (now including such areas as management misbehaviour and bullying at work), this edition promises to have the same effect. The new edition of Organisational Misbehaviour is most welcome. This book has informed many investigations over the last two decades and I am sure it will do the same in the years to come. The authors succeed in grasping both the variety of these informal behaviours, their commonalities and raison d′être, which is a challenging exercise that has been accomplished to great effect. Over the past 23 years, the first edition of Organisational Misbehaviour has become a classic in the sociology of work. In updating their arguments to reflect cutting-edge academic developments and empirical debates, and by making significant new conceptual arguments, this second edition ensures that Organisational Misbehaviour will remain essential reading for the next 23 years. I like this book a lot. It is well written, well produced and has some new vibrant material within its pages...I recommend that readers of this journal read this book in its second iteration. Overall, the book is very good and has been worth the wait… (it) will remain extremely attractive for students, academics and organisation practitioners. The first edition of this book, published in 1999, received a wide welcome, including in this journal [Organisation Studies], and it has since then established an important position in the field, illustrated by, as the authors point out, over 1400 citations. [...] The new (and much expanded, with around 100 more pages of text) edition retains these strengths and builds on them [...] The book is, in short, a comprehensive and convincing account that offers the basis for further development.