The Problem of Human Agency in Organizational Analysis

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Abstract
This paper explores the manner in which 'the problem of agency' has been reflected in the development of organizational analysis as a field of study and as an intellectual practice. The development of the latter is seen to be shaped by successive attempts to come to terms with the former in four interrelated aspects. First, as an intellectual leitmotif directing the trajectory of the historical development of organizational analysis. Second, as an analytical and methodological conundrum focussing theoretical and technical debate within the field. Third, as a moral preoccupation shaping a wider ethical debate over the implications of organized action for individual conduct. Fourth, as an ideological discourse within which conflicting views concerning the socio-political relevance of complex organizations can be expressed. The general implications of this exploration for the present condition and future development of organizational analysis are also considered.

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