Sociology of Organizations Around the Globe. Similarities and Differences Between American, British, French, German and Dutch Brands

Abstract

Sociological thought on organizations exhibits considerable similarity with respect to modes of analysis: most studies of organizations represent either the model of a socio-cultural system, or a conglomerate of interest groups, or a mixture of the two. Furthermore, certain basic types such as the traditional organization, the 'classic' and the 'flexible bureaucracy' recur in one form or another in various typologies, theories or treatises. These and other types reflect three ubiquitous dimensions (traditional/modern, hierarchical/democratic, mechanical/organic) of sociological thinking on organizational forms and processes.The sociology of organizations consists of a hard core to which national varieties add their own local products. The sociology of organizations as developed in the U.S., the U.K., France, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Netherlands is characterized with reference to the model(s) and types emphasized in these countries. Furthermore, the degree of 'Americanization' (cosmopolitanism?) and of 'ethnocentrism' (localism) of organizational sociology in these five countries is illustrated by data on the references occurring in textbooks in use in the nations in question. It is concluded that the more the sociological approach to organization becomes popular as a point of view, the less viable it is in the form of a specific, well organized sociological sub-discipline.