This text focuses on recent debates about the contribution which complex organizations have made to the transition from traditional to modern society, locating these debates in the historical context provided by recurring themes concerning the relationship between the individual and society. Building on this thematic and historical basis, the author moves on to examine contemporary theoretical schools of thought and the research programmes which they have initiated. He also looks at the issues which are currently driving the research agenda - such as technological change, organizational culture and the emergence of new forms of regulation and control - and assesses their longer-term significance for the future development of the field.