Experiencing Organizations - Tapa dura

`The success of the book, according to the authors, on whether the readers will find the material interesting, amusing, moving, alarming; "in short, whether it resonates with their own experiences and interests" (p. 188). On this count, it would be very odd if the book is not successful.... a stimulating and unpretentious additon to the literature on organizational behaviour' - Industrial Relations Journal

`Even though behavioural theories on organizations have been around for quite a while, live reality is different. Experiencing Organizations is a book that collects cases: cases narrated by newcomers to organizations and students on internships. They are, in the authors' words, "unusually frank expressions of real experience", and, I would add, very rewarding to read' - Organization Studies

`Some revealing insights into what really happens in organizations, seen through the eyes of new recruits' - Long Range Planning

`This book is a wonderful antidote to those dry and colorless tomes that pass as introductory texts of organizational behavior. Order it, read it, use it!' - Larry Hirschhorn, Center for Applied Research, Philadelphia

`Ingenious and original. Young people's vivid first-hand accounts of the daily dramas of business life, economically and intelligently balanced with sympathetic commentary, thought-provoking questions and scholarly reference' - Nigel Nicholson, London Business School

`The stories by students of observations and experiences from their first internships in organizations are rich and evocative. Coupled with cogent interpretations and thoughtful discussions by Fineman and Gabriel, Experiencing Organizations is a first-rate vehicle for teaching and learning about organizational life' - Peter Frost, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Told through the fresh, sharp eyes of new organizational recruits, these sometimes comic, often traumatic, but always vivid and revealing accounts of organizations have much to say to learners and old hands alike. Grouped in sections on `images', `winning and losing' and `survival and injuries', the narratives encompass a wide gamut of themes and issue. These include: power and politics in organizations; organizational cultures and change; gender and discrimination; appearances and realities; leaders and followers; and emotion, motivation and stress. The authors also focus on the coldly competitive features of businesses where processes such as restructuring, rationalization and downsizing are increasingly commonplace.

Throughout, commentaries by Stephen Fineman and Yiannis Gabriel highlight particular points of analysis and learning, while each chapter concludes with questions for discussion and a selected bibliography enabling further reading.