Constructing Organizational Life

Thomas B. Lawrence is Professor of Strategy at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Previously he was the Van Dusen Professor in the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. His research focuses on the dynamics of agency, power, and institutions in organizations and organizational fields, and has appeared widely in academic and practitioner journals.Nelson Phillips is Vice Chair for Academic Affairs, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor, and Distinguished Professor, Technology Management in the College of Engineering at the University of California Santa Barbara. Prior to joining UCSB, he was Professor of Innovation and Strategy at Imperial College Business School in London, UK, and the Beckwith Professor of Management Studies at Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. His research interests cut across organization theory, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and he has published widely for both academics and practitioners. He is the Past Chair of the OMT Division of the Academy of Management and is the Co-Editor of Innovation: Management and Organization.

• Part I 1: Introduction to Constructing Organizational Life 2: The Social-Symbolic Work Perspective Part II 3: Self Work 4: Self Work in Management and Organizational Research 5: Organization Work 6: Organization Work in Management and Organizational Research 7: Institutional Work 8: Institutional Work in Management and Organizational Research Part III 9: Theoretical Opportunities in the Study of Social-Symbolic Work 10: Methodological Challenges and Choices in the Study of Social-Symbolic Work 11: Conclusion: Understanding the Implications of a Social-Symbolic Work Perspective for Scholars, Change-Makers, and Citizens

Overall, this is a hugely impressive scholarly contribution. The authors cover all the bases: they build up their theory by proposing a clear integrative model, they elaborate and contextualize it in a fine-grained way through extensive reference to the literature and multiple examples. Finally, they enrich it theoretically, provide methodological tools for empirical research and offer practical applications. They do all this in a very accessible writing style, with multiple guideposts at the beginning and ends of chapters, and useful inserts and exhibits that summarize various aspects of the argument as they go along. Make sure your doctoral students read this, and recommend it to your colleagues!