http://www.sociologypress.com/books/interest/organizational_careers.htm

Although sociologists have written extensively on the broad subject of occupational careers, generally they have referred only incidentally to organizational careers within work organizations. In this pioneering sourcebook, now considered a classic, Glaser gathered from the literature of occupational sociology those studies that bear most directly on organizational careers. His objective was to provide the first survey of the substantial body of data on the subject and to place this data in a framework that illustrates its significance for the development of theory. In an extensive introduction, the editor explains the several purposes of the book and describes in detail the process of comparative analysis through which sociological theory on organizational careers can be generated. Organized around general themes such as recruitment, motivation, commitment, mobility, and succession, the writings of prominent sociologists - including Riesman, Caplow, Hughes, Becker, and Wilensky - form the content of the book and systematically cover every important facet of organizational careers. The editor's introductions to each section of the book alert the reader to the general phenomena - such as processes, conditions, categories, hypotheses, and properties - that crosscut and are generally relevant to all organizational careers and are, therefore, the raw material of theory. These introductions also suggest questions and problems for further analysis and research. This book as a whole stands as a demonstration of the contributors' method of how the sociologist, working from the data of research, can generate grounded, formal theory on this or any social phenomenon. This book also presents a vital body of data on organizational careers and a guide to further research that will be of great use both to occupational sociologists and to all those involved in the study of organizations.

Organizations obtain work from people by offering them some kind of career within their structures. The operation of organizations, therefore, depends on people assuming a career orientation toward them. To generate this orientation, organizations distribute rewards, working conditions, benefits and prestige to their members according to career level. Thus, these benefits are properties of the organizational career. This book is a formal theory of organizational careers generated from 63 research articles on aspects of careers.

CONTENT

Part I

Toward a theory of organizational careers

Part II

Recruitment to organizational careers

Part III

Career motivations within the organization

Part IV

Loyalty and commitment to the organizational career

Part V

Sources and strategies of promotion

Part VI

Managing demotion

Part VII

Organizational succession

Part VIII

Moving between organizations

Part IX

Executive and worker career patterns

Barney G. Glaser is the founder of the Grounded Theory Institute in Mill Valley, California, and has also been a research sociologist at the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including The Grounded Theory Perspective II, Experts versus Laymen, Time for Dying, and The Discovery of Grounded Theory.