"Imaginization is typical of Gareth Morgan's work--stimulating, thought-provoking, original, and well-written." --Anne Golden, President, United Way of Greater Toronto "The book is exciting. It opens up ways of developing both organization and management. It inspires ideas of excellence and achievement and gives hope for this age. You can probably open this book anywhere and find something of value." --BUSINESS AGE "Morgan has written an amazing book on imaginative ways of organizing and managing organizations. . . . a book about a new management theory that can self-organize, evolve, twist, turn, and perhaps change at the speed of light. The work provides a way of helping managers understand and develop their creative potential. It offers a means of finding innovative solutions to difficult problems. Anyone interested in modern-day organizations and personal empowerment should read this book....Belongs on the bookshelf of every manager seeking creative ways to transform one's organization and oneself." --JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIANSHIP "The stories provide powerful examples of how the use of metaphors can help people in an organization understand their complex feelings and how discussion of the concepts contained in metaphors can help develop a shared sense of vision for the future. . . . Imaginization is definitely worth reading. The author strikes a responsive cord in calling for new organizational approaches to deal with a dynamic future, and he establishes credibility through numerous examples that document the use of his consulting techniques. . . . One might argue that the book lacks structure and focus. This is true if one is committed to the traditional, hierarchical way of presenting ideas. Visionaries are freed from such constraints as they allow their creativity to flow--and Gareth Morgan is indeed a visionary." --SRA JOURNAL "Imaginization is filled with thought-provoking metaphors (e.g., holograms for organizational design, termites for strategic planning, spider plants for flexibility and decentralization), primitive, but compelling illustrations and stimulating case studies--many of which are products of Morgan's action-learning research on imaginization. This highly readable book rests on a solid underpinning of scholarly research, creative introspection, and originality. This is anything but pop-biz, but it sure could fool you at first glance." --STERN'S HR MANAGEMENT REVIEW "A valuable, interesting, and practical addition to the book collection. . . .If you are looking for an amusing and lighthearted trip through Morgan's Metaphoric Management Manual then this is certainly worth a look. Moreover, and I think this is the real value of Morgan's book, he doesn't advocate a simple prescriptive solution to complex organizational problems--other than to plead for the use of more imagination on the part of those involved. To this message I can only add 'hear hear!" --WORK, EMPLOYMENT, AND SOCIETY "Will be particularly appreciated by those who learn by, and take heart from, worked examples. . . . All the chapter titles are highly evocative and a quick scan of the excellently abstracted contents pages will help you decide whether to invest the time or not. . . . In the sense that it offers managers a 'show-how guide' to becoming their own theorist, Imaginization is potentially radical and empowering. What it emphasizes consistently is the fact that we all have theories about the situations we face, and that it is those same inner constructs which can provide the seeds of creative transformation. . . . Following his examples could go a long way to convincing managers that the answers they seek lie within their own hearts rather than outside them in the head of some 'expert.' It also provides a useful model of truly facilitative expert behaviour both in providing generic metaphors and models to help simplify and focus complex situations and in creating a supportive environment in which powerful inner wisdom can be evoked, shared, and creatively synthesized." --MANAGEMENT LEARNING "The chapters in this book are themselves imaginative, with varied presentations and opportunities for reader participation; most demonstrate imaginization in action via case studies drawn from Morgan's experience as a consultant and leader of management workshops. Sacha Warunkiw's clever drawings, sprinkled liberally throughout the text, support the importance of metaphor in Imaginization." --JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIONSHIP "As always, Gareth Morgan manages to put into words wonderful pictures and a good way of making concrete things that aren't always easy to see. I have always enjoyed his writing. Provides a guideline for making the theoretical practical" --Mary Giles, Department of Education, Manitobe Telephone System "Imaginization shows that management is as much art form as science, providing many useful ways to tap the most important resource for competitiveness: brainpower." --Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Professor, Harvard Business School, author of The Change Masters "Gareth Morgan's Imaginization is exciting stuff. It opens up new worlds for the development of organization and management. . . . This is of far-reaching importance, developing the path-breaking implications of his Images of Organization." --Eric Trist, Professor Emeritus, late of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania "Just one of the insights offered in this book could change the way you think about organization and management--forever! Imaginization provides a powerful and enjoyable way of making the new management a reality." --Linda Grant, Professional Development Executive, Toronto "Imaginization is playful and gently subversive. It takes the full use of metaphors for organizational analysis to its most practical level. It is a useful resource for instructors as well as organization participants." --Peter Frost, University of British Columbia "Another landmark book by Gareth Morgan! If a practitioner were going to buy only one book this year, this has to be it." --John Burdett, Vice President, Management Development, Lawson Mardon Group "If your company or your group has yet to achieve its highest levels of performance, read this book! Gareth Morgan brings out the images of achievement, excellence, and hope for this age." --Ron Carter, Director, Resource Development Services, Merck Human Health Division, Merck and Co., Inc. Gareth Morgan brings out the images of achievement, excellence, and hope the leaders for this age may have kept hidden because the 'culture' of their company doesn't seem to value this aspect of their skills. Morgan's insight leads to specific suggestions and actions which enable you to act on your vision. His plea is that imagination, which should be the engine of competitiveness and a constant component of our work, should not end during childhood. If your company is still a bureaucracy or you believe your group has yet to achieve its highest levels of performance, read this book! Most importantly, if you want to make the pressures and rewards of work more fun for those who work.

The authors argue in this book that social theory can usefully be conceived in terms of four broad paradigms, based upon different sets of meta-theoretical assumptions with regard to the nature of social science and the nature of society. The four paradigms - Functionalist, Interpretive, Radical Humanist and Radical Structuralist - derive from quite distinct intellectual traditions, and present four mutually exclusive views of the social work. Each stands in its own right, and generates its own distinctive approach to the analysis of social life. The authors provide extensive reviews of the four paradigms, tracing the evolution and inter-relationships between the various sociological schools of thought within each. They then proceed to relate theories of organisation to this wider background. This book covers a great range of intellectual territory. It makes a number of important contributions to our understanding of sociology and organisational analysis, and will prove an invaluable guide to theorists, researchers and students in a variety of social science disciplines. It stands as a discourse in social theory, drawing upon the general area of organisation studies - industrial sociology, organisation theory, organisational psychology, and industrial relations - as a means of illustrating more general sociological themes. In addition to reviewing and evaluating existing work, it provides a framework for appraising future developments in the area of organisational analysis, and suggests the form which some of these developments are likely to take.

"What a "kick" I get out of teaching from Images of Organizations. What a head-snapping view of organizations it offers to my MBA students, as well as to the odd client/executive who is disposed to creep out of the practicality of business-as-usual and take in a vibrant thrilling view of organizations." - Ariane David, Ph.D., Senior Advisor/President, The Veritas Group Since its first publication over twenty years ago, Images of Organization has become a classic in the canon of management literature. The book is based on a very simple premise-that all theories of organization and management are based on implicit images or metaphors that stretch our imagination in a way that can create powerful insights, but at the risk of distortion. Gareth Morgan provides a rich and comprehensive resource for exploring the complexity of modern organizations internationally, translating leading-edge theory into leading-edge practice. This new Updated Edition preserves Morgan's renowned creative images and metaphors while refreshing the references and tables. The addition of a preface situates this classic theory in today's business environment while the instructor's resources (now available on CD) aid classroom teaching. Please contact SAGE customer service to order your copy. Images of Organization challenges and reshapes how we think about organization and management in the most fundamental way. The new Updated Edition makes this monumental work available to a new generation of students and business leaders worldwide.

The purchase and consumption of wine, whether in hospitality environments or domestic settings, has huge anthropological significance underpinned by a discourse of wine appreciation. It can be seen as a multi-sensory and symbolically status-rich activity framed by historical, social, cultural and ethical discourses. This innovative book offers a critical study of wine from social and cultural perspectives. The field of wine studies spans the spectrum of cultural and technical issues concerning the place of wine in society from viticulture, vinification, labelling, regulation, marketing, purchasing, storage and its final consumption. It combines social history and contemporary questions including the notion of terroir, the nature of protected wine designations, the pricing of wine and the different motivations for buying and consuming wine. It considers wine as a beverage, as an aesthetic exercise and as a marker of status, as well as health implications and legal controls. The title offers a timely contribution into the significance of wine and the role of knowledge, both of which have conceptual and managerial implications in terms of marketing, promotion, consumption and distribution. By offering a holistic and innovative understanding of wine and its consumption, it is a must-read for students and scholars in the fields of wine and social science.

The purchase and consumption of wine, whether in hospitality environments or domestic settings, has huge anthropological significance underpinned by a discourse of wine appreciation. It can be seen as a multi-sensory and symbolically status-rich activity framed by historical, social, cultural and ethical discourses. This innovative book offers a critical study of wine from social and cultural perspectives. The field of wine studies spans the spectrum of cultural and technical issues concerning the place of wine in society from viticulture, vinification, labelling, regulation, marketing, purchasing, storage and its final consumption. It combines social history and contemporary questions including the notion of terroir, the nature of protected wine designations, the pricing of wine and the different motivations for buying and consuming wine. It considers wine as a beverage, as an aesthetic exercise and as a marker of status, as well as health implications and legal controls. The title offers a timely contribution into the significance of wine and the role of knowledge, both of which have conceptual and managerial implications in terms of marketing, promotion, consumption and distribution. By offering a holistic and innovative understanding of wine and its consumption, it is a must-read for students and scholars in the fields of wine and social science.

"Imaginization is typical of Gareth Morgan's work--stimulating, thought-provoking, original, and well-written." --Anne Golden, President, United Way of Greater Toronto "The book is exciting. It opens up ways of developing both organization and management. It inspires ideas of excellence and achievement and gives hope for this age. You can probably open this book anywhere and find something of value." --Business Age "Morgan has written an amazing book on imaginative ways of organizing and managing organizations. . . . a book about a new management theory that can self-organize, evolve, twist, turn, and perhaps change at the speed of light. The work provides a way of helping managers understand and develop their creative potential. It offers a means of finding innovative solutions to difficult problems. Anyone interested in modern-day organizations and personal empowerment should read this book....Belongs on the bookshelf of every manager seeking creative ways to transform one's organization and oneself." --Journal of Academic Librarianship "The stories provide powerful examples of how the use of metaphors can help people in an organization understand their complex feelings and how discussion of the concepts contained in metaphors can help develop a shared sense of vision for the future. . . . Imaginization is definitely worth reading. The author strikes a responsive cord in calling for new organizational approaches to deal with a dynamic future, and he establishes credibility through numerous examples that document the use of his consulting techniques. . . . One might argue that the book lacks structure and focus. This is true if one is committed to the traditional, hierarchical way of presenting ideas. Visionaries are freed from such constraints as they allow their creativity to flow--and Gareth Morgan is indeed a visionary." --SRA Journal "Imaginization is filled with thought-provoking metaphors (e.g., holograms for organizational design, termites for strategic planning, spider plants for flexibility and decentralization), primitive, but compelling illustrations and stimulating case studies--many of which are products of Morgan's action-learning research on imaginization. This highly readable book rests on a solid underpinning of scholarly research, creative introspection, and originality. This is anything but pop-biz, but it sure could fool you at first glance." --Stern's HR Management Review "What makes Morgan's book a valuable and important piece of writing is that he gives a clear theoretical framework for his views, his techniques, and his rationales for analysis of business problems, and that as a writer in this field Morgan is exceptional. . . . His writings [have] a lyrical quality and unforced enthusiasm, which make him a pleasure to read. "Morgan's prime gift, demonstrated in this book, is to dump 90 percent of the philosophical complexities that are circulating in the important theoretical writings on organization. The remaining 10 percent he uses with effectiveness and a lightness of touch to enrich and underpin his examples and illustrations. . . . . Morgan's passion is that of a highly able, articulate, and enthusiastic optimist empowered by a flexible, inquisitive mind." --Organization "A valuable, interesting, and practical addition to the book collection. . . .If you are looking for an amusing and lighthearted trip through Morgan's Metaphoric Management Manual then this is certainly worth a look. Moreover, and I think this is the real value of Morgan's book, he doesn't advocate a simple prescriptive solution to complex organizational problems--other than to plead for the use of more imagination on the part of those involved. To this message I can only add 'hear hear!'" --Work, Employment, and Society "Will be particularly appreciated by those who learn by, and take heart from, worked examples. . . . All the chapter titles are highly evocative and a quick scan of the excellently abstracted contents pages will help you decide whether to invest the time or not. . . . In the sense that it offers managers a 'show-how guide' to becoming their own theorist, Imaginization is potentially radical and empowering. What it emphasizes consistently is the fact that we all have theories about the situations we face, and that it is those same inner constructs which can provide the seeds of creative transformation. . . . Following his examples could go a long way to convincing managers that the answers they seek lie within their own hearts rather than outside them in the head of some 'expert.' It also provides a useful model of truly facilitative expert behaviour both in providing generic metaphors and models to help simplify and focus complex situations and in creating a supportive environment in which powerful inner wisdom can be evoked, shared, and creatively synthesized." --Management Learning "The chapters in this book are themselves imaginative, with varied presentations and opportunities for reader participation; most demonstrate imaginization in action via case studies drawn from Morgan's experience as a consultant and leader of management workshops. Sacha Warunkiw's clever drawings, sprinkled liberally throughout the text, support the importance of metaphor in Imaginization." --Journal of Academic Librarianship "As always, Gareth Morgan manages to put into words wonderful pictures and a good way of making concrete things that aren't always easy to see. I have always enjoyed his writing. Provides a guideline for making the theoretical practical" --Mary Giles, Department of Education, Manitobe Telephone System "Imaginization shows that management is as much art form as science, providing many useful ways to tap the most important resource for competitiveness: brainpower." --Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Professor, Harvard Business School, author of The Change Masters "Gareth Morgan's Imaginization is exciting stuff. It opens up new worlds for the development of organization and management. . . . This is of far-reaching importance, developing the path-breaking implications of his Images of Organization." --Eric Trist, Professor Emeritus, late of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania "Just one of the insights offered in this book could change the way you think about organization and management--forever! Imaginization provides a powerful and enjoyable way of making the new management a reality." --Linda Grant, Professional Development Executive, Toronto "Imaginization is playful and gently subversive. It takes the full use of metaphors for organizational analysis to its most practical level. It is a useful resource for instructors as well as organization participants." --Peter Frost, University of British Columbia "Another landmark book by Gareth Morgan! If a practitioner were going to buy only one book this year, this has to be it." --John Burdett, Vice President, Management Development, Lawson Mardon Group ABRIDGED QUOTE USED ON OBC. "If your company or your group has yet to achieve its highest levels of performance, read this book! Gareth Morgan brings out the images of achievement, excellence, and hope for this age." --Ron Carter, Director, Resource Development Services, Merck Human Health Division, Merck and Co., Inc. "Gareth Morgan brings out the images of achievement, excellence, and hope the leaders for this age may have kept hidden because the 'culture' of their company doesn't seem to value this aspect of their skills. Morgan's insight leads to specific suggestions and actions which enable you to act on your vision. His plea is that imagination, which should be the engine of competitiveness and a constant component of our work, should not end during childhood. If your company is still a bureaucracy or you believe your group has yet to achieve its highest levels of performance, read this book! Most importantly, if you want to make the pressures and rewards of work more fun for those who work

Gareth Morgan believes that examining organizations and management should be interesting, creative, practical, challenging, and directly relevant to the needs of all students of organization and management. In an ingenious and utterly delightful selection of organizational "stories," Morgan presents unique insights drawn from actual corporate (as well as nonprofit, public, and institutional) experience. These carefully chosen examples illustrate both organizational success and failures . . . because we can learn from both! These "stories" offer the depth and breadth of perspective we have come to expect from Morgan?s insightful and often witty framework of organizational analysis. And, they are interwoven with excerpts from many of the "classics" in organizational literature. His aptly named "Mindstretchers" entices the reader to expand his or her personal repertoire of approaches to the understanding of and solutions to organizational problems and challenges.

For instructors in the field of organizational studies who wish to have a broad and creative resource for their courses, this book is a resource you will use and reuse for many years to come.

Followed by cases and exercises--again drawn from both private and public sectors--that challenge us to view organizations in new and different ways, Creative Organization Theory will undoubtedly prove to be a truly "mindstretching" book! This exciting and enjoyable volume is one you?ll turn to frequently.

"An inspiration for the creative tutor . . . . and an excellent fund of knowledge and information for the teacher in the disciplines of business, management, and organizational theory. The book contains mindstretching and broadening ways of enhancing the thinking processes of anyone engaged in the study of organizations--a subject which otherwise provokes much yawning and other signs of boredom. The author provides much-needed refreshment and is revolutionary in his approach."

--Simulation/Games for Learning

"A rich complement to primary management texts, especially Morgan?s provocative Images of Organization. Although the book?s focus is private sector, the perspectives of organization are universal and translation to the public sector is smooth. Creative Organization Theory particularly is imaginative in challenging students to abandon set ways of thinking using a rich mix of ''mind stretching'' exercises, diverse articles, and stimulating cases."

--Robert Mier, University of Illinois, Chicago

"This resourcebook contains ideas, stories, cases, exercises, and pieces of information that will help the reader gain a broadbased understanding of the nature and function of modern organizations . . . . Very useful for teaching, as well as being a good read for those with a particular interest in this important subject."

--Long Range Planning

Beyond Method provides one of the best reviews of social science research currently available. Morgan has forged his way of thinking about social research into a powerful tool that will interest social scientists in a variety of disciplines. The 21 chapters on methodology give valuable insights into the assumptions and mindsets that shape different kinds of research practice and provide excellent starting points for anyone wishing to understand or engage in the research practices that give form to social science today. Morgan's overview chapters cut to the heart of fundamental issues in the philosophy of social science. His evocative and highly readable style of presentation brings the dilemmas of doing social science research to life. He reveals the socially constructed nature of scientific "truth", and shows how we can begin to cope with the dilemmas that arise. The book has established itself as an essential reference for the social scientist's bookshelf, and will provide essential reading for years to come. "A compact catalog of the many ways in which organizations can be studied or conceptualized. . . . Glimpses into the minds of such prominent organizational thinkers as Donald Schon ("Organizational Learning"), Norman Denzin ("Interpretive Interactionism"), Wolf Heydebrand ("Organization and Praxis"), and J. Kenneth Benson ("A Dialectical Method") are especially rewarding." --Administrative Science Quarterly "This interesting collection of essays should be of value to both graduate students beginning their research careers and practicing sociologists interested in the metatheoretical foundation of what they do." --Contemporary Sociology "The most comprehensive collection to date of major methodological alternatives presented within a relativist framework. It highlights the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches without judging any particular approaches as universally better than others. The range of methods and ideas presented in this volume is an indictment of the narrowness of most current evaluation research practice and an invitation, indeed to challenge, to open our minds and enlarge our repertoire of evaluation approaches." --Michael Quinn Patton, University of Minnesota