Ethnography in Organizations

In this volume, Schwartzman evaluates the range of ethnographic research that has been conducted on organizations. She also examines such important topics as: the roles and methods utilized by organizational ethnographers; the problems and prospects for conducting fieldwork in organizations; and the role that everyday but often overlooked routines - like meetings and story telling - play in the production and reproduction of organizations, institutions and society.

Written in a clear, easy-to-follow style, Ethnography in Organizations evaluates the wide range of ethnographic research that has been--and continues to be--conducted in organizations. Beginning with the classic definition of bureaucracy and rational organization presented by Max Weber, author Helen B. Schwartzman analyzes three main paradigms--functional studies, structural analyses, and interpretive research. Using the Hawthorne Study as a starting point, this useful volume explores such topics as the roles and methods used by organizational ethnographers, the problems and prospects for conducting fieldwork in organizations, the "incorporation" of American life, and the role that everyday, but often overlooked, routines play in the production and reproduction of organizations, institutions, and society. Replete with vivid examples and illustrations taken from both public and private sector settings, Ethnography in Organizations is a must for anyone conducting research in an organizational setting.