Organization outside Organizations
The Abundance of Partial Organization in Social Life

Describes the organizational aspects of contemporary society, explaining how organization occurs not only inside formal organizations, but also outside and among them.

Göran Ahrne (Edited by), Nils Brunsson (Edited by)

9781108474986, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 July 2019

454 pages
23.4 x 15.6 x 2.5 cm, 0.85 kg

'In markets, social movements, and everyday social life, we are increasingly confronted with forms of organized action that do not look like formal organization, from open source software to organized crime to Anonymous. Ahrne and Brunsson offer the concept of 'partial organization' to help make sense of these forms, and Organization Outside Organizations collects a sweeping set of contributions to this new and exciting literature.' Jerry Davis, Associate Dean for Business and Impact, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

The book explores how various social settings are partially organized even when they do not form part of a formal organization. It also shows how even formal organizations may be only partially organized. Professors Göran Ahrne and Nils Brunsson first established the concept of partial organization in 2011 and in doing so opened up a ground-breaking new field of organizational analysis. An academic community has since developed around the concept, and Ahrne and Brunsson have edited this collection to reflect the current state of inquiry in this burgeoning subject and to set an agenda for future research. Its chapters explain how organization is a salient feature in many social settings, including markets, interfirm networks, social movements, criminal gangs, internet communication and family life. Organization theory is much more relevant for the understanding of social processes than previously assumed. This book provides a new understanding of many social phenomena and opens up new fields for organizational analysis.

Introduction
1. Organization unbound Göran Ahrne and Nils Brunsson
Part I. Rules, Sanctions, Membership: 2. Standards between partial and complete organization Andreas Rasche and David Seidl
3. Prizes and the organization of status Peter Edlund, Josef Pallas and Linda Wedlin
4. Membership or contributorship? Managing the inclusion of individuals into organizations Michael Grothe-Hammer
Part II. Organization in and Around Markets: 5. The partial organization of markets Nils Brunsson
6. The organization of digital marketplaces: unmasking the role of internet platforms in the sharing economy Stefan Kirchner and Elke Schüßler
7. Organizing for independence Ingrid Gustafsson and Kristina Tamm Hallström
8. Queues: tensions between institution and organization Göran Ahrne, Daniel Castillo and Lambros Roumbanis
Part III. Networks and Other Social Relationships: 9. The inter-firm network as partial organization? Jörg Sydow
10. An organized network: world economic forum and the partial organizing of global agendas Christina Garsten and Adrienne Sörbom
11. Organizing intimacy Göran Ahrne
12. How is 'organized crime' organized? Göran Ahrne and Amir Rostami
13. Brotherhood as an organized social relationship Mikaela Sundberg
Part IV. Social Movements and Collective Action: 14. The dilemma of organization in social movement initiatives Mikko Laamanen, Sanne Bor and Frank den Hond
15. Alternating between partial and complete organization: the case of anonymous Dennis Schoeneborn and Leonhard Dobusch
16. Collective action through social media: possibilities and challenges of partial organizing Noomi Weinryb, Cecilia Gullberg and Jaako Turunen
Part V. The Partial Organization of Formal Organizations: 17. Partial de-organizing for innovation and strategic renewal? A study of an industrial innovation programme Frank den Hond, Kati Järvi and Liisa Välikangas
18. The partial organization of international relations: international organizations as meta-organizations Göran Ahrne, Nils Brunsson and Dieter Kerwer
Conclusion
19. More or less organization? Göran Ahrne and Nils Brunsson.

Subject Areas: Sociology [JHB], Sociology & anthropology [JH]