Robert B. Lawson

Organizations matter. Most people spend a third to a half of their lives working in organizations. Given the high rates of unemployment people also spend more time looking for work. In addition, globalization and technological innovation continues to profoundly shape organizational culture, leadership, demography, and structure. For these and many other reasons, it is important for individuals to understand the nature of contemporary organizations. "Psychology and Systems at Work" provides know-how for retaining commitment to collective goals while taping the knowledge of a diverse workforce for riding the waves of change, utilizing mistakes to perfect systems, and insuring quality production. 21st Century theory, empirical findings, systemic intervention processes, and tool sets are thoroughly treated.

Organizational life goes through times of relative harmony disrupted by periods of stress and uncertainty. However, in our own many decades of experience, we’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well people face challenges, defy the odds, and triumph. Success is the result of many factors—including good luck. But we have noticed, as Louis Pasteur observed long ago, that chance favors the prepared mind and resilient work habits.

Learning Goals

Upon completing this book, readers should be able to:

• Design systems that are flexible in a fast-changing environment
• Understand the basic foundations that shape organizational behavior
• Apply material they learn to real-life scenarios