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An American in Paris: The Influence of Nationality on Organization Theories

Institute for Research on Intercultural Cooperation (IRIC), Maastricht and Tilburg, The Netherlands

A report of a discussion in Paris between U.S. economist Williamson and French social scientists Favereau and Lazega is used as a demonstration of the influence of nationality on organization theories. This influence has played a role in the founding of the European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS) and of the journal Organization Studies. The General Hierarchy of Systems shows why a universal consensus about any theory of organization is basically impossible. People from different countries, including authors of theories, have different paradigms in mind as to 'in the beginning was', like the market in the U.S.A., and power in France. The paper pleads for giving more attention to the nationality of organization theories, and for lifting the existing taboo on discussing the role of nationality in our theorizing.

Key Words: Descriptors: organization theory • systems theory • cross-national differences • paradigms • U.S.A. • France

Organization Studies, Vol. 17, No. 3, 525-537 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/017084069601700308


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