Philip Selznick (1919) is professor emeritus of law and society at the
University of California, Berkeley. A noted author in
organizational theory,
law and society and
public administration, Selznick's work has been groundbreaking in several fields in such books as
The Moral Commonwealth,
TVA and the Grass Roots, and
Leadership in Administration.
Selznick received his PhD in 1947 from Columbia University where he was a student of Robert K. Merton.
Major Contributions
Selznick was a major proponent of the neo-classical organizational theory movement starting in the 1930's . One of his most influential papers entitled, "Foundations of the Theory of Organization" (1948) outlayed his major contributions to organization theory.
Individuals as Independent Agents
In simplified form, Selznick postulated that individuals within organizations can hold dichotomous goal-sets, which makes it difficult for organizations and employees to have the same implicit, rational objectives (as theorized in classical organization movement which was a pre-cursor of Selznick's work).
Cooptation Theory
Selznick's principle of cooptation is an important precursor to the later developments of organizational ecology and contingency theory .
Sociology of law
Selznick has been a major contributor to the sociology of law, developing his ideas on legal institutions and their problems and possibilities of responsiveness to their constituencies, from his earlier work on the sociology of formal organisations.
References
Other sources
- Roger Cotterrell and Philip Selznick, 'Selznick Interviewed: Philip Selznick in Conversation with Roger Cotterrell' (2004) 31 Journal of Law and Society 291-317.
