Embedding Organizations: Societal analysis of actors, organizations and socio-economic context(4 Advances in Organization Studies)

The widely discussed ‘globalization’ of economic activities has given rise to a renewed interest in the relations between such tendencies, the nature and demarcation of societies, and the nature and strategies of various actors and organizations within and cross-cutting societies. One approach to capture and express these themes has been Societal Analysis, initially developed above all to confront the internationally comparative study of work, organization, education and training, industrial relations, business and industrial structures. After twenty-five years of practising and developing Societal Analysis, this book serves to systematize and redefine the approach, and to react to criticism and newly arising issues. It brings together proponents, sympathizers and critics of Societal Analysis. It enters new fields, and contributions are clustered around the enterprise, the economy, theoretical and methodological aspects, public policy and gender issues. The message stressed and demonstrated by the editors and various authors, is that the ‘societal space’ of social, economic political interdependencies is not being obliterated but complexified, and therefore a topical, useful and indeed necessary explanatory framework.

Table of Contents:
1. Preface; 2. 1. General introduction (by Maurice, Marc); 3. PART I. THEORY, METHODOLOGY AND EPISTEMOLOGY; 4. Introduction; 5. 2. The paradoxes of societal analysis. A review of the past and prospects for the future (by Maurice, Marc); 6. 3. The diabolical dialectics of societal effects (by Sorge, Arndt); 7. 4. Societal or systems effects? (by Friedberg, Erhard); 8. 5. Towards a relational approach to the study of variety in the situated creativity of economic actors (by Korsnes, Olav); 9. 6. The implications of 'societal analysis' for a programme of research (by Berthelot, Jean-Michel); 10. 7. Theoretical problems in international comparisons: Towards a reciprocal improvement of societal analysis and regulation theory by methodic structuralism (by Theret, Bruno); 11. 8. Positivist, hermeneutical and postmodern positions in the comparative management debate (by Noorderhaven, Niels G.); 12. PART II. THE ECONOMY; 13. Introduction; 14. 9. The contribution of societal analysis to the economic theory of the firm (by Sellier, Francois); 15. 10. Explaining changes in institutional frameworks: Societal patterns of business coordination (by Soskice, David); 16. PART III. THE ENTERPRISE; 17. Introduction; 18. 11. Understanding the globalization strategies of German and British multinational companies: Is a 'societal effects' approach still useful? (by Lane, Christel); 19. 12. The evolution of teamwork at Rover: Societal, sectoral and organizational explanations (by Mueller, Frank U.); 20. 13. The societal effects school and transnational transfer: The case of Japanese investment in Britain (by Smith, Chris); 21. 14. The transfer of business practices to Britain and France (by Lorenz, Edward); 22. 15. Society, organization and work in China (by Warner, Malcolm); 23. PART IV. GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC POLICY AND PUBLIC SERVICES; 24. Introduction; 25. 16. Deregulation and societal systems (by Almond, Philip); 26. 17. Do we compare societies when we compare national university systems? (by Musselin, Christine); 27. 18. Path dependencies of education systems and the division of labour within organizations: Formalizing the societal effects perspective (by Hage, Jerald); 28. 19. Reintroducing public action into societal enalysis (by Verdier, Eric); 29. PART V. GENDER, THE FAMILY AND WORK; 30. Introduction; 31. 20. Is it time to gender the societal effect? (by O'Reilly, Jacqueline); 32. 21. Societal analysis and social change in the family division of labour (by Barrere-Maurisson, Marie-Agnes); 33. 22. Male and female patterns of labour force participation: A comparison between France and Japan (by Nohara, Hiroatsu); 34. 23. Conclusions (by Maurice, Marc); 35. References; 36. Authors

Review :
[...] cet ouvrage offre des vues passionnantes sur les questions que pose la recherce contemporaine d'une synthèse entre les théories qui mettent en avant la continuité des structures et celles qui privilégent l'action.