Abstract:

Organization theories (OTs) are loosely connected around organizational phenomena. Due to lack of welldefined research objects， mainstream research methods， and powerful but parsimonious assumptions， OTs frequently experience internal tension and even disintegration. Consequently， a historical review of the development of OTs functions as a pragmatic substitute of normative theorization in defining the boundary and contents of this field. In this paper I review the literature of OTs by focusing on the interactive relationships between three branches in the development of OTs： organizational practice， entry of multiple disciplines， and the evolution of paradigms. My research demonstrates that the richness of organizational practice， the easiness of the penetration of multiple disciplines， and the lack of paradigm consensus characterize the research field of OTs.

Key words: organization theory, practice, paradigm