Advanced Organization Theory Inquiry

1. Advanced Organization Theory & Inquiry ELAD 8043

2. The Development ofOrganization Theory Historical Milestones & Conceptual Background

3. Conceptual Perspectives Theory provides causal explanation about phenomena that are perplexing or enigmatic to the human observer; i.e., a cognitive problem, a practical problem In the natural world, theory sheds causative light on physical occurrences or natural states that require new or greater understanding In human affairs, a theory sheds light on psychological and behavioral events that require new or greater understanding

4. Theory offers a perspective or set of lenses through which to view a problem or phenomenon under consideration. It orders perception and organizes cognition As in the taxonomy of life forms in biology to organize genre and species As in Maslow�s hierarchy of need as a framework for viewing motivation

5. Theory, then, is a framework for seeing Every person approaches the world of experience from their own unique set of frameworks or paradigms Theory simultaneously enlightens and obscures our vision is dominated by our own frameworks, which makes comprehension of alternative frameworks difficult

6. The truism -- �your stand on an issue depends on where you sit� -- is true Did Clarence Thomas sexually harass Anita Hill? Was O.J. Simpson really guilty? 60% of females thought Thomas was guilty but 60% of males disagreed. He�s on the Supreme Court, she�s not. Why? 80% of whites thought Simpson was guilty but 80% of black Americans thought otherwise

7. Personal theories are values-based derivatives of personal experience and acculturation. As such, they... engender commitment to themselves guide thought and action obscure from view alternative perspectives determine personal receptivity to new ideas provide the fodder for conflict or collaboration are fundamental to change and innovation

8. Utility of Theory Theories are handy tools for .... organizing and developing new conceptions retrospective examination of old perspectives combining old and new conceptions to build new theoretical frameworks for understanding

9. In the study of leadership and organizations there are multiple frameworks (theories) for viewing the SAME phenomena; e.g. Decision Making Motivation Communication Power & Authority Group Processes Structuring the workplace and on, and on, ad nauseam

10. In the area of decision making alone, we have (to name a few) the logic of rational processes contingency theory path-goal theory bounded rationality successive limited comparisons (or successive approximations) mixed scanning garbage cans models of organizational choice

11. Applications Sense making in the workplace understanding why things happen the way they do increasing the chances of predicting what might happen in the future Guiding your thinking about alternative courses of action Conceptualizing and carrying out formal inquiry -- such a doctoral dissertation research

12. Chronological Milestones People and Events In the Evolution of Organization Studies

13. Organization studies can be divided into three broad categories Orthodox Organizational Thought or Organizational Classicism Neo-Orthodox Organizational Thought or Neo-Classicism Non Orthodox Thought

14. Newtonian Mechanics 1642-1727 Established that nature is governed by laws, that there is order to the universe and all natural phenomenon (in the physical world) conform to those laws. Natural motion is conceived in the image of a rational machine. Science becomes identified with such concepts as linear causality, determinism, reductionism, and rationality

15. Militarism & MechanizationFrederick the Great 1740-1786 Frederick the Great (an early efficiency expert) redirected the structures and processes of waging war and created the elements of the machine organization as applied to the military establishment elements included: Establishment of authority by a systematic hierarchy of ranks; identity by uniforms; standardization of regulations; task specialization; command language to reduce miscommunication and specialized training

16. Frederick revolutionized warfare and was successful because Troops feared authority, not the enemy Commanders had local autonomy of decision making under decentralized control Parts (people) are interchangeable, easily replaced

17. Emergence of the Scientific MethodCirca 1700 Science requests nature to manifest itself in terms of predictable forces; it sets up experiments for the sole purpose of asking whether and how nature follows the scheme (theory) conceived by science A priori propositions are tested and the answers recorded precisely, but the relevance of those answers is assessed in terms of the idealizations that guided the experiment in the first place The harmony of the world is mathematical and numbers are the key to understanding reality

18. Modern Social Science... Is dominated by the rational, linear-causal, logical-sequential approach to research evolving over time from the Newtonian model of discovering causality: This we call Logical Positivism Identify a problem to study Conceptualize it in terms of hypotheses that, if verified, might alleviate the problem Design an experiment Objectively collect objective data Analyze data Interpret the results objectively, of course

19. Scientific ManagementA.K.A., Taylorism Frederick Winslow Taylor (1910-1915) posited that greater industrial profitability results from increased productivity and simultaneous reduction of unit cost Productivity is increased and unit cost reduced by increasing worker task efficiency worker efficiency improves with the dispensation of rewards for volume and punishment for low productivity Taylor was an engineer and self-styled consultant

20. Principles ofScientific Management Eliminate the guesswork of rule-of-thumb management of job procedures; use scientific measurement to break down the job into sequential component job tasks Use scientific methods for selecting and training workers for specific jobs Establish a clear division of responsibility between management and workers. Management does the goal setting and supervising; workers execute the tasks Establish discipline to achieve worker cooperation