Decoding organization : Bletchley Park, codebreaking and organization studies
Grey, Christopher, 1964-2012
Books
"How was Bletchley Park made as an organization? How was signals intelligence constructed as a field? What was Bletchley Park's culture and how was its work co-ordinated? Bletchley Park was not just the home of geniuses such as Alan Turing, it was also the workplace of thousands of other people, mostly women, and their organization was a key component in the cracking of Enigma. Challenging many popular perceptions, this book examines the hitherto unexamined complexities of how 10,000 people were brought together in complete secrecy during World War II to work on ciphers. Unlike most organizational studies, this book decodes, rather than encodes, the processes of organization and examines the structures, cultures and the work itself of Bletchley Park using archive and oral history sources. Organization theorists, intelligence historians and general readers alike will find in this book a challenge to their preconceptions of both Bletchley Park and organizational analysis" --"As its title implies, this book has two purposes. One is to explicate the 'decoding organization' at Bletchley Park, the place most famous for the breaking of Enigma ciphers in conditions of complete secrecy during the Second World War. The other is, in the process, to develop a certain approach to the analysis of organizations; a way of making sense of, or 'decoding', organization which points to a way of reviving organization studies as currently commonly conducted. In this sense it is a contribution to the social science of organizations and will primarily be of interest to academics working in that field. However, it should also have a value to those working in the area of intelligence studies and history, and an appeal to general readers with an interest in Bletchley Park " --
Main title:
Decoding organization : Bletchley Park, codebreaking and organization studies / Christopher Grey.
Author:
Imprint:
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Collation:
xviii, 322 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (p. 296-312) and index.
Contents:
Introduction : organization studies, history and Bletchley ParkPart I. Decoding structuresThe making of Bletchley ParkThe making of signals intelligence at Bletchley ParkPart II. Decoding culturesPillars of culture at Bletchley ParkSplinters of culture at Bletchley ParkPart III. Decoding workMaking Bletchley Park workUnderstanding Bletchley Park's workConclusion : reviving organization studiesAppendix A. Timeline, 1919-2011Appendix B. Table of intervieweesAppendix C. Brief profiles of key figuresAppendix D. Organization charts, 1940-46Glossary of terms.
ISBN:
9781107005457 (hbk)
Language:
English
Subject:
Great Britain. Government Communications Headquarters -- HistoryWorld War, 1939-1945 -- CryptographyWorld War, 1939-1945 -- Secret service -- Great BritainWorld War, 1939-1945 -- Electronic intelligence -- Great BritainIntelligence service -- Social aspects -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th centuryWorld War, 1939-1945 -- England -- Bletchley (Buckinghamshire)Corporate culture -- England -- Bletchley (Buckinghamshire) -- History -- 20th centuryOrganization -- Case studiesCorporate culture -- Case studiesBletchley (Buckinghamshire, England) -- History -- 20th century
BRN:
1992291
Electronic access:
| Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milton Keynes Central Library | Adult non-fiction | 940.5486 GRE | Available |