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Article: Organizational, institutional, and societal evolution: medieval craft guilds and the genesis of formal organizations.
- Article from:
- Administrative Science Quarterly
- Article date:
- December 1, 1989
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1989 Cornell University, Johnson Graduate School. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Organizational, Institutional, and Societal Evolution: Medieval Craft Guilds and the Genesis of Formal Organizations
A theoretical frame is developed that links the genesis of formal organizations to societal evolution. This theoretical frame lends itself to an analysis of the peculiarities of the craft guilds and the developments that caused their decline and replacement by formal organizations. Medieval guilds were not yet formal organizations but formed important predecessor institutions in the evolutionary process that led to the emergence of organizations.
INTRODUCTION Introductions to textbooks on organization theory usually inform us that modern ...