Book details

Book description

The first comprehensive guide to anthropological studies of complex organizations

• Offers the first comprehensive reference to the anthropological study of complex organizations
• Details how organizational theory and research in business has adopted anthropology's key concept of culture, inspiring new insights into organizational dynamics and development
• Highlights pioneering theoretical perspectives ranging from symbolic and semiotic approaches to neuroscientific frameworks for studying contemporary organizations
• Addresses the comparative and cross-cultural dimensions of multinational corporations and of non-governmental organizations working in the globalizing economy
• Topics covered include organizational dynamics, entrepreneurship, innovation, social networks, cognitive models and team building, organizational dysfunctions, global networked organizations, NGOs, unions, virtual communities, corporate culture and social responsibility
• Presents a body of work that reflects the breadth and depth of the field of organizational anthropology and makes the case for the importance of the field in the anthropology of the twenty-first century

D. Douglas Caulkins is emeritus professor of anthropology at Grinnell College and emeritus director of the Donald L. Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership. His research encompasses voluntary organizations and social capital in Norway, entrepreneurship and regional development in the UK (Wales, Scotland, Northeast England), heritage sites and national identity in the UK and US, and anthropological contributions to management theory. He has published in various journals and books and currently is engaged in social entrepreneurship and organizational development projects.

Ann T. Jordan is professor of anthropology at University of North Texas. She is an applied anthropologist specializing in business anthropology, globalization and transnational organizations, Saudi Arabia, and North American Indian studies, and is the author of the books Business Anthropology and The Making of a Modern Kingdom: Globalization and Change in Saudi Arabia.