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The way we work is changing. New information and communication technologies (ICTs) have enabled new forms of work organization—necessitating new ways to communicate, coordinate, and collaborate on work. So, increasingly, we find ourselves working in temporary, loosely organized, specialist-heavy, project-oriented teams—all-edge adhocracies. And these adhocracies work very differently from bureaucratic hierarchies, which organized us throughout the 20th century. They have different strengths, weaknesses, and possibilities. This book examines different aspects of all-edge adhocracies: why they are needed, how they emerged, how they are structured, how they develop, how they interact with other kinds of work organization, and what they need to thrive. Throughout, the book grounds its discussion in case studies of all-edge adhocracies at work, helping readers to understand and apply the principles to their own organizations.

A biological understanding of social behavior is now part of modern science. We know that previously assumed social or cultural causes of behavior have their origins, at least in part, in human biology. Similarly, we now know that social circumstances (such as stressful working conditions) can have profound effects on our biological functioning. The purpose of this book is to introduce scholars to biological and evolutionary perspectives on organizational behavior (OB). Its specific goals are to: (1) start a dialogue between OB and biology, (2) encourage research on biological and OB linkages, (3) provide an initial framework for biological bases of organizational behavior, and (4) stimulate discussions about potential applications. Conceptually, the chapters on this volume reflect an “extended phenotype” view of human behavior in organizations—examining the interplay and inter-relations among genotypes, phenotypes, and symbolic and tangible human creations. The volume contains 12 chapters, which are organized into five sections: introduction; genetics; individual differences and work behavior; physiology and organizational behavior; evolution and organization; and challenges ahead. The chapters contain enough background to orient readers who may have little knowledge of biology, yet they also provide substantive contributions to advancing understanding of specific areas of biology and human behavior in organizations. They are both synthetic and forward looking.

The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) of 1933 is generally viewed as a monolithic negative supply shock that evenly affected firms across the industrial economy during the Great Depression. Under the NIRA more than 500 industry-specific codes of fair competition were implemented. These codes legally bound firms to follow strict wage and hours regulations. In addition, industry codes generally contained a plethora of cartel-oriented trade practice rules that constrained firms’ production and pricing behavior. However, the NIRA industry codes were like snowflakes in that no two were alike. Some industries’ codes were over 50 pages long and dramatically restricted economic behavior in ways consistent with a profit-maximizing cartel. Other industries had 3 or 4 page codes that did very little to constrain firm behavior. There was also wide heterogeneity with respect to when industry codes were passed. Some industries were covered by their code as early as July 1933 while many other industries’ codes were not in place until mid-1934 or early 1935. This book challenges the view of the NIRA as a monolithic, one-size-fits-all shackle. By employing industry-level panel data it better captures the vastly heterogeneous effects of the NIRA than do macroeconomic-oriented studies which generally employ more aggregated data. Viewing the NIRA through a microeconomic lens, this book provides a better understanding of how the program affected the behavior and well-being of workers and firms during the twenty-three and a half months that it existed. In fact, the NIRA’s effects varied dramatically by industry and by time period.

This book charts the history of private insurance in the United States during the second half of the twentieth century. Focusing on the marketing, investing, and underwriting activities of select segments of the industry, it argues that private insurers played a central, but often overlooked, role in shaping American economic and social life.

This book examines the institutional and cultural underpinnings of a financial puzzle: given that the overwhelming majority of retail traders lose money in financial transactions, why do we see ordinary people continuing to engage in trading? This phenomenon is analyzed by means of an ethnographic investigation of how electronic financial markets work. The book takes the perspective of the relationships among retail traders, institutional traders, and brokers. “Noise” investigates the social institutions that recruit ordinary people and support their participation into financial trading. Contrary to widespread assumptions, the book shows that professional and retail traders are not two completely separated categories. It analyzes how transitions are made between them, as intrinsic to reproducing the financial workforce. Based on direct observations and interviews with traders and brokers in the US and the UK, the book takes a close up look at the practical actions of trading, and at how these relate to the brokers’ actions. Using extensive interviews with traders, “Noise” sheds light on the rationales for taking up trading and continuing with it even if little or no gains are made. It shows how traders make sense of their financial actions and decisions in relationship to their social lives, challenging a utilitarian view about profit as the ultimate motive in trading.