Teaching Organization Theory from a Constitutional Perspective: A New Twist on an Old Flame

Over the past 30 years, organization theory has become an increasingly important component of public affairs education. Many of our graduate programs typically require, or at least highly encourage, students to enroll in courses relating to organization theory and organization behavior and change as one way of preparing them for the many complexities of public sector management. The purpose of this article is to highlight the practical relevance and intellectual significance of teaching organization theory from a constitutional perspective. This focus highlights the argument made by constitutional school scholars (Rosenbloom 2007) that all areas of public administration curriculum should be grounded in constitutional tradition.