Organizational Reality: Reports from the Firing Line

Rating:
Summary: An Insider' s View
Review: I used the 1st edition of Organizational Reality in my Organizational Communications course at Purdue in the early 80' s. The latest edition was published in 1997. This book is a primer on organizational dynamics. It uses a theory into practice model by offering organizational theory and describing how they are put into practice in real organizations. This is done via anecdotes in the form of case studies, play excerpts, poems, and song lyrics from the mid 70' s to the mid 90' s. Unlike a typical textbook, which is heavy on theory, this book is heavy on anecdotes, which makes it more readable to a wider variety of readers than a typical text. As such, it is not a comprehensive text on the subject due to the lack of theoretical foundations. But it is a fine supplement to typical textbook and an fine stand alone text for undergraduate college students and high school seniors preparing to enter the work place or college class room. It gives both populations an insider' s view of the inner workings of organizations, revealing some unofficial rules of the game and "maps" to help outsiders get through the irrational, illogical maze of organizational structure, human and otherwise. After reading it as an undergrad and re-reading it as a professional I conclude it is a must-have for any educational institution that prides itself on preparing its students for the real world.

Rating:
Summary: An Insider' s View
Review: I used the 1st edition of Organizational Reality in my Organizational Communications course at Purdue in the early 80' s. The latest edition was published in 1997. This book is a primer on organizational dynamics. It uses a theory into practice model by offering organizational theory and describing how they are put into practice in real organizations. This is done via anecdotes in the form of case studies, play excerpts, poems, and song lyrics from the mid 70' s to the mid 90' s. Unlike a typical textbook, which is heavy on theory, this book is heavy on anecdotes, which makes it more readable to a wider variety of readers than a typical text. As such, it is not a comprehensive text on the subject due to the lack of theoretical foundations. But it is a fine supplement to typical textbook and an fine stand alone text for undergraduate college students and high school seniors preparing to enter the work place or college class room. It gives both populations an insider' s view of the inner workings of organizations, revealing some unofficial rules of the game and "maps" to help outsiders get through the irrational, illogical maze of organizational structure, human and otherwise. After reading it as an undergrad and re-reading it as a professional I conclude it is a must-have for any educational institution that prides itself on preparing its students for the real world.