Administrative Behavior

Name: Administrative Behavior
ISBN: 9787111746911

赫伯特A.西蒙China Machine Press2024

4.3

Word count: 250K words
Chapters: 21
Series: Administrative Behavior
ISBN: 9787111746911

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Summary

Administrative Behavior is the most important work of Herbert A. Simon, a leading figure of the decision theory school. It was first published in 1947, and the Chinese edition is translated from the fourth edition of the original. The book centers on "the decision-making process in organizations," shifting the core of management research from abstract principles to how actual people make choices. Simon proposes two far-reaching concepts. The first is "bounded rationality": real people are limited by information, time, computational capacity, and cognitive structure, and cannot exhaust all alternatives and their consequences, so they can only judge under incomplete information. The second is "satisficing": since the optimum cannot be pursued, decision makers often set an acceptable standard and stop searching once they find the first option that meets it. These two concepts later became important starting points for behavioral economics and organization theory. In the theory of the decision process, Simon divides activities within an organization into recurrent (programmed) decisions and nonrecurrent (nonprogrammed) decisions, noting that the former can be handled by rules, conventions, and routines, while the latter require judgment, exploration, and innovation. Around this framework, the book also discusses the distinction between factual and value elements, the role of authority, communication, the criterion of efficiency, loyalty and organizational identification, and centralization versus decentralization, with each chapter followed by "Comments and Extensions" responding to scholarly criticism and tracing the intellectual lineage. The book has eleven chapters, plus an appendix, "What Is Management Science?" For management scholars, it is the foundational work that advanced management from experiential maxims to scientific analysis; for today's readers, its value lies in providing a basic language for understanding "why people decide as they do and how organizations shape decisions."

Editor's review

管理学著作浩如烟海，但真正改写了研究范式的并不多，《管理行为》是其中最具代表性的一本。西蒙用“有限理性”与“满意解”两个概念，撼动了以“经济人”完全理性为假设的传统管理图景：管理者面对的不是可以精算到底的世界，而是信息残缺、时间紧张、认知有限的世界。正因如此，管理的重心才从“如何找到最优方案”转为“如何设计让普通人也能做出可靠决策的组织”。这本书的难得之处，在于它既抽象又具体。抽象处，它讨论事实与价值、手段与目的、权威与认同；具体处，它分析预算、沟通渠道、组织忠诚、集权与分权这些每天都会遇到的难题。每一章后附的“评论与延伸”尤为可贵，西蒙亲自回应批评、标明思想来源，读者可以借此看到一个理论如何被讨论、被修正、被接受。本版由詹正茂翻译，据原书第4版译出，收录总序、推荐序与第4版导言，是通行的中文全译本。它不提供速成技巧，但能提供一副看组织与决策的眼镜——戴上之后，很多“管理常识”会显出新的问题。

Who it's for

A good fit for

管理学、公共管理、经济学专业的学生与研究者
需要做组织层面决策的中高层管理者
对行为经济学与决策心理感兴趣的读者
希望补读管理学原典的从业者与读书会成员

Not a good fit for

期待即用型管理工具和话术模板的读者
只想读轻松案例故事、不愿接触概念的初读者
偏好严格数学模型推导的读者（本书以概念分析为主）

Reading tips

先读第4版导言与第1章，抓住“决策即管理”的总纲，再进入分章论证。
每章末尾的“评论与延伸”不要跳过，它交代了批评与回应，是理解理论边界的关键。
读到“有限理性”“满意解”时，可对照自己近期的一次真实决策，检验理论的解释力。
与《组织》（西蒙与马奇合著）或行为经济学著作对读，可看清这一思想脉络的延伸。

About the publisher

China Machine Press China · Founded in 1950

In addition to science and technology and professional publishing, the books in our catalog from China Machine Press also reflect a sustained focus on psychology, computing, management, finance and economics, and social sciences. In psychology, the catalog includes works by C. G. Jung and introductions to analytical psychology, as well as applied topics such as stress and health, and addiction and healing. In computing, it features Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (JavaScript Edition). Management and finance titles include Administrative Behavior (4th Edition), The Price of Inequality (Collector's Edition), and This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly (Commemorative Edition). In the philosophy and history of science, there is The Worldview: The Third Edition. Relevant authors include C. G. Jung, William McGuire, Sonu Shamdasani, and Gabor Maté. Public information is limited; the above summarizes the publisher's profile based solely on the books in our catalog.

Series Praise
Publication Note
General Preface (Xi Youmin)
Recommended Preface (Chen Jiagui)
Introduction to the Fourth Edition
Preface to the First Edition
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 Decision-Making and Administrative Organization
Chapter 2 Some Problems of Management Theory
Chapter 3 The Factual and Valuational Elements of Decisions
Chapter 4 Rationality in Administrative Behavior
Chapter 5 The Psychology of Management Decisions
Chapter 6 The Equilibrium of the Organization
Chapter 7 The Role of Authority
Chapter 8 Communication
Chapter 9 The Criterion of Efficiency
Chapter 10 Loyalty and Organizational Identification
Chapter 11 The Anatomy of Organization
Appendix What Is Management Science?
Translator's Afterword
About the Author

FAQ

《管理行为》与《管理行为（原书第4版）》是同一本书吗？

是同一本书。中文版均据西蒙原著第4版译出，詹正茂翻译，机械工业出版社出版，不同年份的版本在丛书归属、装帧和定价上有所差异，正文主体内容一致。

没有管理学基础能读懂这本书吗？

可以读，但需要耐心。书中概念密集、论证偏学术，建议先了解管理学基本框架，并优先读第1章和第5章；读不懂的段落可先跳过，回头再看往往更顺。

“有限理性”和“满意解”是什么意思？

有限理性指人的信息、时间和计算能力有限，无法穷尽所有方案与后果；满意解指决策者设定一个可接受标准，找到达标方案即停止搜索，而不追求理论上的最优解。

这本书为什么被认为重要？

它把决策过程置于管理研究的中心，并因此成为西蒙1978年获诺贝尔经济学奖的重要学术基础；其思想深刻影响了组织理论、公共管理与后来的行为经济学。

书中的例子过时了吗？

书中案例多取自20世纪中期的企业与行政组织，具体情境确有年代感，但其分析框架关注的是决策结构、权威与沟通等长期问题，并未因时间而失效。

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About the author

赫伯特A.西蒙 Author

Herbert A. Simon is an important scholar in the field of management studies, and two of his representative works, Administrative Behavior (4th Edition) and Organizations (Collector's Edition), are included in our collection. Because public information is limited, his biographical details are not elaborated here; the introduction focuses instead on his works. Both books fall within the subject area of management and discuss organizational operation, decision-making processes, and management practice, reflecting a writing style that combines theoretical construction with empirical analysis. Administrative Behavior has gone through multiple revised editions, which indicates that its content has continued to attract attention in both academic and practical circles; Organizations has been circulated in a collector's edition, suggesting that the book has lasting reference value. Overall, Simon's writings are characterized by clear concepts and rigorous argumentation, providing a systematic analytical framework for understanding management activities and exerting a relatively enduring influence on management research and teaching.