Stanford's Organization Theory Renaissance, 1970-2000, Volume 28 (Research in the Sociology of Organizations)

Between 1970 and 2000, Stanford University enabled and supported a vigorous interdisciplinary community of organizations training, research, and theory building. Important breakthroughs occurred in theory development, and a couple of generations of doctoral and post-doctoral students received enhanced training and an extraordinary opportunity to build collegial networks. The model spread to other universities and work done at that time and place continues to exercise influence up to the present time. This volume both summarizes the contributions of the main paradigms that emerged at Stanford in those three decades, and describes the sociological conditions under which this remarkable, generative, environment came about. A series of chapters by some of the key contributors to these paradigms, who studied at Stanford between 1970 and 2000, are followed by brief comments on the conditions that fostered the development of these different paradigms, and on the development of the paradigms themselves. An Organizational Sociology Of Stanford's Organization Theory Renaissance / Frank Dobbin And Claudia Bird Schoonhoven -- Organizational Institutionalism At Stanford: Reflections On The Founding Of A 30-year Theoretical Research Program / Brian Rowan -- Resource Dependence Theory: Past And Future / Gerald F. Davis And J. Adam Cobb -- Population Ecology / Terry L. Amburgey -- Organizational Learning / Lee Sproull -- Culture Standford's Way / Mary Jo Hatch -- Organizations And Labor Markets / Alison Davis-blake -- The History Of Corporate Networks: Expanding Intellectual Diversity And The Role Of Stanford Affiliations / Christine M. Beckman -- Healthcare Organizations And The Stanform School Of Organizational Sociology / Mary L. Fennell And Ann Barry Flood -- Administration In Necessary- But Research Rules / W. Richard Scott -- Silicon Valley, Theories Of Organization, And The Stanford Legacy / Kathleen M. Eisenhardt --^ When Theory Met Practice: Cooperation At Stanford / Roderick M. Kramer -- Nimh-scor: A Pioneering Center At Stanford / Raymond E. Levitt -- A Fellow From Kansas / James G. March -- A Cultural View Of The Organizational Community At Stanford University / Joanne Martin -- Explaining The Impact Of The Stanford Organization Studies Community / Donald Palmer -- Speaking With One Voice: A Stanford School Approach To Organizational Hierarchy / Ezra W. Zuckerman -- How I Spent The Summer Of 1973: It Was Not A Vacation / Howard E. Aldrich -- The Contributions Of Organizational Theory To Health Care / Joan R. Bloom -- The Devil's Workshop / Jacques Delacroix -- Legacies From Growing Up On The Farm / P. Devereaux Jennings -- Situated Learning And Brokerage As Keys To Successful Knowledge Production: An Experiential Review / Stephen Mezias And Theresa Lant -- A Relational Approach To Organizational Learning / Martha S. Feldman --^ The Stanford Organizational Studies Community: Reflections Of A Tempered Radical / Debra E. Meyerson -- Unpacking The Stanford Case: An Elementary Analysis / Mark. C. Suckman -- Let A Hundred Flowers Blossom: The Cross-fertilization Of Organizational Studies At Stanford / Martin Ruef -- Chance Encounters, Ecologies Of Ideas, And Career Paths: A Personal Narrative Of My Stanford Years / Jitendra V. Singh -- Sense-making In Organizational Research / Sim B. Sitkin -- School And Super-school / David Strang -- Reflections On The Stanford Organizations Experience / Amy S. Wharton -- Touchstones: The Stanford School Of Organization Theories, 1970-2000 / Patricia H. Thorton -- Collegial Capital: The Organizations Research Community At Stanford, 1970-2000 / W. Richard Scott -- Appendixes -- A. Stanford Faculty In Organizations -- B. Stanford Graduate Students In Organizations -- C. Stanford Post-docs In Organizations -- D. Affiliated Centers For Organization Research. Edited By Claudia Bird Schoonhoven, Frank Dobbin. Includes Bibliographical References. An organizational sociology of Standford's organization theory renaissance / Frank Dobbin, Claudia Bird Schoonhoven -- ch. 1. Organizational institutionalism at Stanford : reflections on the founding of a 30-year theoretical research program / Brian Rowan -- ch. 2. Resource dependence theory : past and future / Gerald F. Davis, J. Adam Cobb -- ch. 3. Population ecology / Terry L. Amburgey -- ch. 4. Organizational learning / Lee Sproull -- ch. 5. Culture Stanford's way / Mary Jo Hatch -- ch. 6. Organizations and labor markets / Alison Davis-Blake -- ch. 7. The history of corporate networks : expanding intellectual diversity and the role of Stanford affiliations / Christine M. Beckman -- ch. 8. Healthcare organizations and the Stanford School of Organizational Sociology / Mary L. Fennell, Ann Barry Flood -- ch. 9. Administration is necessary but research rules / W. Richard Scott -- ch. 10. Silicon valley, theories of organization, and the Stanford legacy / Kathleen M. Eisenhardt -- .ch. 11. When theory met practice : cooperation at Stanford / Roderick M. Kramer -- ch. 12. NIHM-SCOR : a pioneering center at Stanford / Raymond E. Levitt -- ch. 13. A fellow from Kansas / James G. March -- ch. 14. A cultural view of the organizational community at Stanford University / Joanne Martin -- ch. 15. Explaining the impact of the Stanford organization studies community / Donald Palmer -- ch. 16. Speaking with one voice : a 'Stanford school' approach to organizational hierarchy / Ezra W. Zuckerman -- ch. 17. How I spent the summer of 1973 : it was not a vacation / Howard E. Aldrich -- ch. 18. The contributions of organizational theory to health care / Joan R. Bloom -- ch. 19. The devil's workshop / Jacques Delacroix -- ch. 20. Legacies from growing up on the farm / P. Devereaux Jennings -- ch. 21. Situated learning and brokerage as keys to successful knowledge production : an experiential review / Steve Mezias, Theresa Lant -- .ch. 22. A relational approach to organizational learning / Martha S. Feldman -- ch. 23. The Stanford organizational studies community : reflections of a tempered radical / Debra E. Meyerson -- ch. 24. Unpacking the Stanford case : an elementary analysis / Mark C. Suchman -- ch. 25. 'Let a hundred flowers blossom' : the cross-fertilization of organization studies at Stanford / Martin Ruef -- ch. 26. Chance encounters, ecologies of ideas, and career paths : a personal narrative of my Stanford years / Jitendra V. Singh -- ch. 27. Sense-making in organizational research / Sim B Sitkin -- ch. 28. School and super-school / David Strang -- ch. 29. Reflections on the Stanford organizations experience / Amy S. Wharton -- ch. 30. Touchstones : the Stanford school of organization theories, 1970-2000 / Patricia H. Thornton -- ch. 31. Collegial capital : the organizations research community at Stanford, 1970-2000 / W. Richard Scott Stanford University hosted a renaissance in organizational theory in the years between 1970 and 2000, when four of today's five leading macro organizational paradigms were being fleshed out there û institutional theory, population ecology, organizational culture theory, and resource dependence. Important breakthroughs occurred in theory development, and several generations of doctoral and post-doctoral students received enhanced training and an extraordinary opportunity to build collegial networks. Students of organizations have long asked, What was it about that place and era that spawned this proliferation of new ideas? Eight contributions from Stanford faculty, ranging from James March to Ezra Zuckerman, outline their sociologically informed understandings of Stanford's contribution. Fourteen contributions from former Stanford doctoral students and post-docs outline an array of theories of Stanford's success, many of them drawing from insights offered by the organizational theories that were being developed at Stanford. Former faculty and students alike turn their sociological insights on the Stanford renaissance, playing the role of ethnographer and participant observer to try to understand the phenomenon This volume contains contributions from over thirty scholars who taught and trained at Stanford in the period. The goal is, first, to sketch some of the key contributions to theory that emerged from Stanford during those years and, second, to explore why this remarkable renaissance in organizational theory emerged then and there. After an introductory chapter by Dobbin and Schoonhoven setting the stage, eight chapters by some of the key contributors to these paradigms, who studied at Stanford between 1970 and 2000, chart the key contributions that emerged These contributions show the breadth of thinking that was going on, and offer a wide range of analyses of what causes intellectual dynamism to develop in interdisciplinary communities. A conclusion by leading organizational scholar, and the centerpiece of Stanford's organizational community, Dick Scott, draws together the insights from the various chapters. --Book Jacket