AN ANALYSIS OF HERBERT SIMON'S CONTRIBUTION FOR THE ORGANIZATIONAL THEORIES

Abstract

The Herbert A. Simon's studies in the field of the organizational theory had as major motivation the concern with the real behavior of the human being along with the organizations. Among his main theses, the one which made him widely recognized was the theory of the limited rationality. Because of the relevance of Simon's works, the objective of the present work is to map out the main contributions of this author within the organizational studies. To reach the proposed objective, an analysis was performed to assess his publications, which published approximately 845 original works (among articles and books), in the period of 1937 to February 2001. Besides the study and reflection of the main publications, it was conducted an analysis of the content of the titles of all his publications in an attempt to the trajectory of Simon's themes of interest. The results found indicated that, although he presented a multidisciplinary character, Simon's research were oriented with a specific base: search for a better comprehension of the real behavior of the human being in the decision-taking and resolution of problems within the organizations.