Organisation and society

Contemporary challenges of economic change, technological development and organisational restructuring in both private and public sectors make understanding how organisations operate and relate to the complex and changing socio-economic conditions they face of vital importance. Critically understanding changing conditions within and around organisations and the effects these have upon organisation and management processes becomes an important antidote to simple generalisations about change and its likely effects on organisations. It also highlights the importance of recognizing that changes within organisations are inextricably bound up with the broader social, technical, economic and political contexts in which they operate.

The study of Organisation and Society has been a flagship of management research at Manchester for several decades with members of the Organisation and Society (O & S) group continuing to have a leading global influence on work and debates in this area. Both the International Labour Process and Critical Management Studies conference series were founded in Manchester, and the group is also closely connected with the ESRC Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change (CRESC), which is a major international centre for inter-disciplinary research.

Research centres involved in this research are include:

• Herbert Simon Institute
• Centre for Equality and Diversity at Work
• Centre for Infrastructure Development
• Centre for The Manchester International Marketing and Purchasing
• Centre for Operations and Supply Chain Management
• Centre for Research on Socio-cultural Change
• European Work and Employment Research Centre