We are going to focus, in this chapter, on sociology, psychology,
anthropology (the behavioural sciences) and economics, as they will
provide the major theoretical foundations for other chapters in the
guide. They are by no means the only relevant perspectives. Politics is an
area that is particularly relevant to understanding power and control in organisations – this will come up in later chapters of this subject guide.
From the natural sciences, biology offers a view of the organisation as a
functioning system and the idea of ‘survival of the fittest’ where only the
healthiest businesses will survive in competitive environments. As you will
see in Chapter 4, mathematics in particular has offered models and aids for
decision making and for providing statistical information to managers. In
the earlier days of the subject, engineering had a major role to play. A good
example of this is the contribution that Frederick Taylor made through the
idea of scientific management. The sciences in general have contributed also
to the types of research and methodology used to study organisations.
You will see in your next reading (Mullins, pp.2–10) just how varied
understandings of organisations can be. For example, the use of different
imaginative metaphors for organisations shows just how many ways writers
have conceptualised organisations, for example a brain, a machine or a
psychic prison. The reading also discusses how, as individuals, we differ in
our view of the importance of organisational life at work versus our nonworking
life. To some people commitment to the organisation they work for
is central to their lives; to others it is being part of a group at work that is
important, and for others work and the organisations are merely a means
to an end.
As students and potential managers, you need to be able to recognise your
own current perspectives and to evaluate how the different perspectives
can broaden and deepen your understanding of the business organisation