Organizational Diagnosis and Assessment: Bridging Theory and Practice [Paperback]

Michael I. Harrison (Author), Arie Shirom (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0803955111 | ISBN-13: 978-0803955110 | Publication Date: July 23, 1998 | Edition: 1

This book presents a distinctive approach to organizational consultation and planned change that reflects current research and theorizing about organizational change and effectiveness.

The authors draw on multiple analytical frameworks to produce empirically grounded models of sources of ineffectiveness and forces for change. The book offers workable solutions to critical problems and demonstrates ways to meet organizational challenges such as market downturns, technological change, and alliances with other organizations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book presents sharp-image diagnosis, a distinctive approach to consultation and planned changes that reflects current research in organizational change and effectiveness." 

(Business Horizons )

About the Author

Michael I. Harrison is an internationally known scholar of organizations and health systems. He is Senior Research Scientist at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in Rockville, Maryland. He holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Michigan. He has been a faculty member at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and Bar-Ilan University in Israel, a visiting professor at the School of Management at Boston College, and a visiting scholar at Brandeis University, Georgetown University, Harvard Business School, and the Nordic School of Public Health. He has worked as a consultant and conducted research in businesses, services, government organizations, worker-managed cooperatives, and voluntary groups. His publications include Organizational Diagnosis and Assessment: Bridging Theory and Practice (with A. Shirom; Sage, 1999) and Implementing Change in Health Systems: Market Reforms in the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands (Sage, 2004).

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; 1 edition (July 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803955111
• ISBN-13: 978-0803955110
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #971,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael I. Harrison, PhD, Senior Research Scientist at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, leads the Agency's Health System Design activities (http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/systemdesign.htm). He manages implementation projects and conducts research on organizational change, process redesign, and implementing health information technology. He holds a doctorate in Sociology from the University of Michigan. He has been a professor at SUNY-- Stony Brook, Bar Ilan University, Boston College, and Haifa University; and a visiting scholar at Brandeis University, Harvard Business School, and the Nordic School of Public Health. He has worked as a consultant and conducted research in healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, military, educational, and voluntary organizations. His publications include papers in leading social science, management, and health services journals.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good theory book, June 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Organizational Diagnosis and Assessment: Bridging Theory and Practice (Hardcover)

This is a good theory book although its' title is missleading. Do not expect it to be an organizational diagnosis tool book. It goes through a lot of theory and pardigms and uses case interesting case studies. It is usful if you want to learn the basic OB theories (such as open system model, diagnosis models). The book also gives quite a comprehensive review of most HR areas of interest. But Saying that it bridges the gap between theory and practice is a bit too much. I do not feel as if I can take this book tomorrow morning and implement it in my work. It has potential but again, this is not a tool book !

1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of time and money!, October 22, 2009

By 

Spring Y. Zheng "Spring" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Organizational Diagnosis and Assessment: Bridging Theory and Practice (Paperback)

We could not believe that our professor recommended this book. All my certificate course classmates commented it as terrible, or dry, or difficult. It's like a PhD-level dissertation with bad editing. It made our learning so frustrated and we kept complain. The professor appologized as she just got chance to review it after she got this course transferred from another professor otherwise she would not recommend it. So she agreed to reduce much reading of it and focus on just conclusion. Even that is not making any sense for our learning. It is an old book of over 10 years. Unfortunately I bought a used book as it's expensive so I could not return it for refund. I hope the author could rewrite another book to replace it if possible. I seldom write book review as I cherish my time much. But for this one I really have to say something and hope other readers will be luckier to find a new, easier and more helpful book with similar topics, for example, "Facilitating with Ease" as my classmate recommended.