Managing in Uncertainty

Complexity and the paradoxes of everyday organizational life

Business & Finance, Management & Leadership, Decision Making & Problem Solving, Management
Cover of the book Managing in Uncertainty by Chris Mowles, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Chris Mowles ISBN: 9781317550341
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: March 24, 2015
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Chris Mowles
ISBN: 9781317550341
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: March 24, 2015
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

The reality of everyday organizational life is that it is filled with uncertainty, contradictions and paradoxes. Yet leaders and managers are expected to act as though they can predict the future and bring about the impossible: that they can transform themselves and their colleagues, design different cultures, choose the values for their organization, be innovative, control conflict and have inspiring visions. Whilst managers will have had lots of experiences of being in charge, they probably realise that they are not always in control.

So how might we frame a much more realistic account of what’s possible for managers to achieve?

Many managers are implicitly aware of their messy reality, but they rarely spend much time reflecting on what it is that they are actually doing. Drawing on insights from the complexity sciences, process sociology and pragmatic philosophy, Chris Mowles engages directly with some principal contradictions of organizational life concerning innovation, culture change, conflict and leadership. Mowles argues that if managers proceed from the expectation that organizational life as inherently uncertain, and interactions between people are complex and often paradoxical, they start noticing different things and create possibilities for acting in different ways.

Managing in Uncertainty will be of interest to practitioners, advanced students and researchers looking at management and organizational studies from a critical perspective.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The reality of everyday organizational life is that it is filled with uncertainty, contradictions and paradoxes. Yet leaders and managers are expected to act as though they can predict the future and bring about the impossible: that they can transform themselves and their colleagues, design different cultures, choose the values for their organization, be innovative, control conflict and have inspiring visions. Whilst managers will have had lots of experiences of being in charge, they probably realise that they are not always in control.

So how might we frame a much more realistic account of what’s possible for managers to achieve?

Many managers are implicitly aware of their messy reality, but they rarely spend much time reflecting on what it is that they are actually doing. Drawing on insights from the complexity sciences, process sociology and pragmatic philosophy, Chris Mowles engages directly with some principal contradictions of organizational life concerning innovation, culture change, conflict and leadership. Mowles argues that if managers proceed from the expectation that organizational life as inherently uncertain, and interactions between people are complex and often paradoxical, they start noticing different things and create possibilities for acting in different ways.

Managing in Uncertainty will be of interest to practitioners, advanced students and researchers looking at management and organizational studies from a critical perspective.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book The Sustainable Business Workbook by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book Aid from International NGOs by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book The Integral Intake by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book Private Prisons and Public Accountability by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book Education and Employment in the European Union by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book A History of the Brain by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book Case Studies and Projects in Communication by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book Cultures of Voting in Pre-modern Europe by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book Spatial Planning and Climate Change by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book Japan and China in the World Political Economy by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book Adrian Willaert and the Theory of Interval Affect by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book Visual Form Detection in Three-dimensional Space by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book Ageing and Place by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book Transcultural Encounters between Germany and India by Chris Mowles
Cover of the book Three Versions of Judas by Chris Mowles
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy