在读一些早期的关于组织理论的文献回顾。发现一篇非常精彩的文章，条理清晰，精辟入里，准确详实，洞见洋溢。在当年此类文章还都很粗旷简约的时代，这位教授的呈现端的是学养深厚、浓度超强。全篇都是干货，没有废话。
教授的大名是William G Scott。Indiana大学的DBA，曾任职De Paul和University of Washington。出版多本专著，从介绍Chester Barnard到组织理论探究，再到纵论现代组织对美国的影响。
不要弄混了。还有一位组织理论和社会学大家也叫William Scott，那是终身任教斯坦佛的William Richard（Dick）Scott。曾在芝加哥大学跟随Peter Blau读博士。以制度学派理论名满天下的学术大家。
Dick自己有Wiki专属页面。显然是比WG Scott有名的多。但我还是要对WG刮目相看。这篇文章虽然发表于1961年，但对组织理论之精髓的洞悉与谙熟令人击节赞叹。我几乎是把全文抄录了一遍。在此分享给大家。
Scott, W. G., 1961. Organization theory: An overview and an appraisal.Academy of management journal, 4 (1), pp.7-26.
WG把组织理论分成三个时期：古典、新古典、现代。
现代部分主要是长篇大论地讲System Theory将如何影响组织理论。WG在1974年AMJ的另外一篇文章中反思系统论的时候，远没当初乐观。我记得直到1987年我的老师George Huber及其学生Donde Ashmos还在AMR讨论系统论对组织理论的影响。但现在回头看，系统论只是昙花一现。不知道如今人人言必称AI和LLM的风潮究竟会带来什么结果。
他所说的新古典阶段，其实就是人际关系学派的兴起。如果写OT学说史的话，我现在也没有想好如何处理这一时期的作品。因为这一时期的作品虽然有以组织作为分析单元的，但关注的主要都是个体行为和群组行为，从霍桑实验开始，直接属于OB的地盘。我大概不会用多少篇幅（甚至用任何篇幅）去旁及组织行为学，因为组织理论本身就难以完全呈现。
但我还是非常欣赏WG对于个体在组织中的表现（尤其是对非正式组织）的倚重与强调。而他对古典学派的总结可谓字字珠玑，清晰明了。我在上战略管理课时，讲到战略实施中的组织结构，用的是Dick Daft和Ricky Griffin等人总结的框架：Job Design，Departmentalization，Hierarchy，Span of Control，Coordination Mechanism，Line vs. Staff。WG早在1961就都说清楚了。
上笔记。拉提纲。
Classic Organization Theory: Formal Anatomy of Organization
1. Division of Labor
2. The Scalar and Functional Process
Scalar: Vertical chain of command
Delegation of authority and responsibility
Unity of command
Obligation to report
Functional: Horizontal activities and evolution
Division of the organization into specialized parts
Regrouping of the parts into compatible units
3. Structure
Logical relationships of functions in an organization
System and Pattern
Line vs Staff
Committees and Liaisons
4. Span of Control
Number of subordinates a manager can supervise
Complexity of human and functional interrelationships in an organization
Tall vs Flat
Neoclassical Theory of Organization
Neoclassical theory takes the postulates and pillars of the classic theory as givens and modify them by the fact that people acting independently or within the context of informal organization.
The systematic treatment of the informal organization shows its influence on the formal structure.
The formation and functioning of the informal groups:
1. Location: frequent face to face contact
2. Occupation: people performing similar jobs group together
3. Interests: Common Interests
4. Special Issues: Less permanent groups
Characteristics of informal groups:
1. Informal organization acts as agencies of social control.
Its standards may conflict with the rules of the formal organization
2. Sociometric analysis: analysis of human interrelationships in informal organization
3. Peculiar status and communication systems
4. Stable continuing relationship in informal organization resists change
5. The informal leader can help the achievement of formal organizational goals.
Modern Organization Theory
The organization is a system of mutually dependent variables.
The parts of the system and their interdependencies
Individuals
Formal organization
Informal organization
Roles and Status
Physical Setting
Linking activities of the human system of organized behavior:
Communication
Balance
Quasi-automatic
Innovative
New combinations of alternatives depend on
1. The possible range of output of the system, or the capacity of the system to supply information
2. The range of available information in the memory of the system
3. The operating rules (program) governing the analysis and flow of information within the system
4. The ability of the system to “forget” previously learned solutions to change problems.
前几天还在专门看Unlearning和Forgetting的文章。WG在1961年就想清楚了。而且，这段关于创新性平衡的话直接预示了现代组织理论文献中关于Organizational Improvisation的前提。Impressive!
Decision Making
Decisions to produce and decisions to participate in the system
The Goals of Organization
Growth
Stability
Interaction
System theory and modern organization theory both look at the organization as a whole and they both study:
1. The parts in aggregates, and the movement of the parts (individuals) in and out of the system
2. The interaction of individuals within the environment found in the system
3. The interactions among individuals in the system
4. General growth and stability problems of systems
