Appropriate for courses in Organizations in Sociology and Political Science departments and in Management and Administration programs. Also suitable as a secondary text in courses on Organizations and Public Policy or Public Administration. This clear, intellectually engaging introduction reviews the field of organization studiesits past, its present and its likely areas of significant future development. Specifically, it surveys the development of rational, natural and open systems theoriesfrom earlier to contemporary versionsand provides a framework to allow students to comprehend past and present theories and to understand current controversies. While attending to the contributions of other disciplines to the understanding of organizations, the approach taken is primarily sociological. The arguments are addressed not only to current and future managers, but to anyone who is obliged to live and work in a society dominated by organizations.