The theme of this paper is the functionalist sociology in terms of its influence on the organizational studies. First, it focuses on the works of Durkheim. Then, it focuses on the supremacy of the functionalist approaches in the field of organizational studies. The paper is made up of four parts. The first analyzes the emergency of the social sciences in such a way as to trace back the evolution of the field to the works of Durkheim. The second, based on the works of Burrel and Morgan (1979), examines the funcionalist paradigm in terms of its origins and expoents. In this section, special emphasis is given to the works of Comte and Spencer as a means to the understanding of Durkheim's thought and sociology. The third part summarizes the life and works of Durkheim. The last part analyzes the status quo of the organizational studies in terms of their epistemological and ontological assumptions as a way to point out the supremacy of the positivistfuncionalist approaches in the field.
Funcionalist Sociology; Organizational Studies; Durkhein