Symbolic Management

The theory of symbolic management suggests that there is a pervasive separation between appearances and reality in organizational behaviour and strategic management.

This book develops symbolic management into a major theoretical perspective on governance to provide a compelling alternative to agency theory.

1 Introduction to the Symbolic Management Perspective; Section I: The Major Forms of Symbolic Management; 2 Symbolic Management of Policy and Structure; 3 Symbolic Management of Process; 4 Symbolic Management Beyond the Firm Level; Section II: The Social and Psychological Determinants of Symbolic Management; 5 The Multi-stage Social Influence Process in CEO-Board Relationships; 6 Social Network Ties and Symbolic Management; 7 Social Influence Processes In Leader-Stakeholder Relations; 8 Group-level Social and Psychological Processes that Support Symbolic Management; 9 The Social Psychological Dynamics of Symbolic Management; 10 Conclusions, Future Research Directions, and Policy Implications