Understanding theories of organizations are frameworks for the study of management. Each theory of organizations is based on somewhat different assumptions about human beings and the organizations for which they work. Since the formal study of management began late in the 19th century, the study of management has progressed through several stages as scholars and practitioners working in different eras focused on what they believed to be important aspects of good management practice. Over time, management thinkers have sought ways to organize and classify the voluminous information about management that has been collected and disseminated. These attempts at classification have resulted in the identification of management schools. This book focuses on the different theories of organization. It provides an overview of major schools or perspectives of organizational theories. The focus is upon the disciplinary foundations as the impact of historical context upon the development of organizational theories.