When Organization Fails explores the pathology of authority, when it fails, using two case studies. It offers a theoretical foundation that illuminates the topic of authority, positioning it in communication theory. This book will be accessible to scholars and graduate students in organizational communication and management worldwide.

James R. Taylor is an Emeritus Professor of Communication at the Université de Montréal, and is the founder of the Communication program there. Author of some 100 published papers, he has also authored or coauthored eight books. The Emergent Organization (Routledge), coauthored with Elizabeth J. van Every, received the 2013 ICA Fellows Book Award.

Elizabeth J. van Every, a sociologist by training, has coauthored five books, including The Situated Organization (Routledge). She is also an active member of the research group Language, Organization, and Governance at the Université de Montréal.

Part 1: Organizational Adaptation to a Changing Social and Technological Environment: The Hazard of Dissonant Practitioner and Managerial Responses Chapter 1. Thirdness as the Basis of Authority Chapter 2. Entanglements of Authority Chapter 3. "Paper Wraps Stones" (Network Management Kills Its Most Popular TV Program) Chapter 4. "Scissors Cut Paper" (The Producers Shred Management's Position) Chapter 5. "Stones Break Scissors" (The President Has the Last Word) Part 2: One Horse, Many Drivers: The Complexity of Inter-Organizational Collaboration. Chapter 6. Integrated National Crime Information System (INCIS) Chapter 7. Writing the "Law" (The Contract: Multiple Agendas) Chapter 8. Position versus Practice: Contests of Authority Chapter 9. The Project: A Different Kind of Authoring Chapter 10. Why Authority Matters