Qualitative Studies of Organizations

The inaugural book in a new series sponsored by the Administrative Science Quarterly (ASQ) it is designed to focus and stimulate thinking on those areas of administrative science that have most profoundly shaped the development of organizational theory and behavior. In this volume, editor John Van Maanen selects and introduces the compendium of ASQ articles on qualitative research. Each article serves as an exemplar of well-written, substantively focused, and theoretically relevant qualitative research. As a group, the articles represent a broad range of research styles, methods, topics, and level of analysis. The studies are spread across four areas of research: organizational process, groups in organizations, organizational identity and change, and the societal and institutional environment. Organizations studied include factories, churches, universities, engineering groups, fisheries, voluntary organizations, basketball teams, pop music recording firms, and more. The authors of the works represent a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, including sociology, political science, communication, management studies, and history.