ABSTRACT
Organizations are social units deliberately constructed to seek specific goals. Organizations constitute the fabric that connects the person and the society and have, to a significant degree, replaced communities and families as mediating institutions in society. This chapter presents five major theories of organizations: the classical model, decision theory, human relations theory, conflict theory, and the systems model. Organizations are collectives whose participants are pursuing multiple interests, both disparate and common, but recognize the value of perpetuating the organization as an important resource. For significant organizational change to occur there must be modification in both internal and external aspects, especially goals. An organization rewards the kind of personality that puts the organization's goals above its own. Many theorists and organizational specialists have studied the phenomenon of burnout among members of organizations. In order to focus people's attention on specific goals and activities, organizations must monitor and set parameters for communications.
