ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how the new patterns may affect the way individuals think about and consequently behave in complex organizations. It describes the concept of administrative man and focuses on alternative theories of organization developed in the women's movement. In contrast to the dismal picture of administrative man drawn by the rational theory of organization, certain elements of the current women's movement are developing more hopeful alternatives. The chapter discusses the emerging organizational concerns of two types of feminist groups, women's rights feminists and radical feminists. Women's rights feminists, probably comprising a majority of women in the movement, are those seeking expansion of women's rights within the existing social structure. The key to the potential impact of feminist thinking on organizations of the future may finally come in the radical feminist rejection of the notion of superior domination and their adoption of the concept of the authority of personal experience.
