Emerging during the late nineteenth century in the diverse scholarship of US commentators such as Charles Sanders Peirce, William James and John Dewey, American pragmatism shaped many intellectual currents within a range of disciplines including politics, education, administrative science and religion. However, American pragmatism struggled to maintain its influence and suffered a hiatus until it experienced a renaissance within scholarly circles during the 1970s. While renewed scholarly interest in American pragmatism continues to grow, it is only relatively recently that organization studies scholars have drawn upon American pragmatist philosophies for shedding new light on aspects of contemporary organizational life. American Pragmatism and Organization is a ground-breaking collection which draws together an international body of research focused on the interconnections and interplay between American pragmatism and organizational phenomena, explores the theoretical possibilities afforded by pragmatist thinking for understanding organization, and illuminates the practical advantages of doing so.

Part 1 Theory and Context; Chapter 1 American Pragmatism and Organization Studies: Concepts, Themes and Possibilities, Nick Rumens, Mihaela Kelemen; Chapter 2 Neo-Pragmatism and Phenomenology: A Proposal, Patrick Baert; Chapter 3 The Economic Crisis and the Crisis in Economics: Pragmatism and the Ontological Turn, Peter M. Jackson; Chapter 4 Pragmatism, Organizations and Getting to Grips with Reality, Tony J. Watson; Chapter 5 Eric Voegelin's Reading of William James: Towards an Understanding of Leading within the Tensions of a Pluralistic Universe, Nathan Harter; Chapter 6 Pragmatism, Social Reconstruction, and Organizational Theory, David C. Jacobs; Chapter 7 American Pragmatism and Critical Management Studies, Ian Evans; Part 2 American Pragmatism Applied; Chapter 8 Pragmatism and Public Administration: Looking Back, Looking Forward, Patricia M. Shields, Travis A. Whetsell, Emily Kay Hanks; Chapter 9 Understanding Organizational Creativity: Insights from Pragmatism, Diane-Laure ArjaliÈs, Philippe Lorino, Barbara Simpson; Chapter 10 Organizational Learning: Knowing in Organizing, Ulrik Brandi, Bente Elkjaer; Chapter 11 Believing in a Pragmatist Business Ethic, Scott Taylor, Emma Bell; Chapter 12 The Practice of Government Finance, John R. Bartle, Patricia M. Shields; Chapter 13 A Pragmatist Approach to Emotional Intelligence and Managerial Regret, Rosa Slegers; Chapter 14 Developing Collaborative Power in Working Life: Linking American Pragmatism and Action Research, Tore Hafting, Erik Lindhult;