Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This timely book focuses on organizational culture. Writing in the European tradition of critical theory and deconstructionism, Mumby aims to expose, conceptually, that culture is neither a broad consensus on adaptation to environmental forces, nor a "best" solution to organizational survival. Rather, culture imposes those solutions that reinforce the interests of organizational actors who are positioned to disseminate their ideology. As Mumby views it, culture is typically deformed--its symbols and meanings reflect the interests of power holders. Mumby favors cultural formation, which consensually aggregates a plurality of interests. One might suspect that at least some firms that ably compete in today's markets have avoided excessive cultural deformation. Though Mumby's message is important and clearly written, the discussion of the conceptual underpinnings, notably Jurgen Habermas and Anthony Giddens, may discourage some readers. Teachers of organizational behavior and their graduate students will find this a stimulating book. -C. Tausky, University of Massachusetts at Amherst