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78 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is scientific management? What assumptions does it make about workers?
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Scientific management is Taylors idea of management that is focused on efficiencty and a hierarchial system. It assumes people have a fundamental skill set. That people are born as workers or born as managers.
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What is the metaphor of the organization under classical theory?
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A machine. Each person is a part that can be replaced by anyone else.
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What historical events sparked managers’ interest in classical theory?
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The move in the 1800's from small business to big corporations and factories, made the workers unimportant as individuals and made them simply pieces in the machine that could be easily replaced.
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What is organizational structure? (Classical theory)
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Hierarchy.
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Which organizational elements were classical theorists most concerned with? Why?
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Planning, organizing, commanding (goal setting), Coordinating, controlling (evaluating). These are all things that have to do with thinking vs. doing. If you plan it organize it coordinate it and control it then it will be accomplished.
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Describe key elements of bureaucracy.
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Weber is the theorist. Equality, general rules regarding performance, separation of work and personal, employment as a career, it's an organizations job to train it's workers.
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What are the benefits and problems with bureaucracy?
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Benefits: equality, loyalty, accountability. Problems: Doesn't deal well with non-routine tasks, people have different levels of rationality,
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What are time and motion studies? Why did Taylor use these to standardize work processes?
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Time motion studies are studies used to find the optimal way to do different jobs. Taylor used this idea to time the shortest most efficient way to do tasks that will maximize worker use and time.
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What are the communication implications of classical organizational theory?
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Classical theory understands communication as a transfer process. If I tell you something, you understand it. No interpretation needed.
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What are the main assumptions of human-centered organizational theories?
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The HC approach focuses on the human need to be connected to something bigger than itself. The idea that interpersonal and social needs are important.
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What is the metaphor of the organization? (Human Centered Approach).
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The metaphor is the organization as a family.
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How do Human Relations and Human Resources differ?
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Human Resources encompasses everything that human relations does but also is concerned with the overall organizational climate and encouraging employees participation and dialogue.
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What is the Hawthorne effect and why is it significant?
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The hawthorne effect (Elton Mayo) is the finding that increased attention raises productivity.
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What are the criticisms of the Human Relations approach?
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That recognition replaces wage increases. Abuse of trust and/or honesty. Equation of employee happiness with efficiency or productivity.
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What are the needs in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? How do they relate to human-centered theories?
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Physiological. Safety. Affiliation. Esteem. Self Actualization. These relate to human-centered theories because it seems humans as individuals and connects them to the organization which is a key concept in human centered theories.
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Describe Theory X and Theory Y and the assumptions each makes about human nature. What kinds of management practices do each result in?
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McGregor
Theory X- Classical Theory: Control/bureacratic style of management. Assumes that employees hate work and will avoid responsibility without external control. Management must be controlling of workers to keep them on track. Theory Y- More human-centered approach. Assumes that employees possess a high capacity for autonomy, responsibility and innovation. More participative managing style. |
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What are the key concepts of organizations as systems?
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Interdependence and Equifinality
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What is the metaphor for the organization? (systems theory)
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An organism... interdependence.
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What are systems theory components? Be able to describe them.
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Environment and Open Systems: The idea that your organization is not the only one, it's important to pay attention to joint ventures as well as the overall health of your industry.
Interdependence: every member of an organization does an important job, without which the system could not run, a marriage is an example. Goals: having specific goals is important so workers can gear themselves in a certain direction; note: goals are different at different levels of an organization. Processes and Feedback:The information, both positive and negative, that an organization receives about their product and how it's given to those who are in charge. Openness, Order and Contingency:The idea that there is not only one best way to organize a business and all ways of organizing are not equally effective. |
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What does it mean to talk about a systems approach as assuming holism, homeostasis, and equifinality?
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holism:????
Homeostasis:constantly changing and adapting. Equifinality: more than one way to reach the same result. |
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What does Weick’s theory of ‘loose coupling’ refer to?
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Loosely coupled systems are systems that have sub systems that are only "loosely" connected. Like the different departments within a large university. By being a loosely coupled system, they're able to adapt to a changing environment much more effectively than a tightly coupled system.
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What does it mean to talk about the “tragedy of the commons” and how does this relate to organizational communication?
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An over-emphasis on the personal needs and a failure to consider the needs of the whole. This relates to organizational communication because if all members of an organization care more about themselves than the overall success of the company, the company will not do well and everyone will lose.
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What are some problems with systems theories?
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It's almost impossible to study systems and attribute the right processes to the right things. Because of the difficulty to definitively study it, it's now considered an abstract set of concepts with little applicability to actual theory or research.
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What is culture? (definitions vary, but you should have a defensible definition or explanation)
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Meaningful orders of people and things, thus we learn about a culture not only by what it's members say, but also what they do on a regular basis.
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How can a communication scholar come to understand an organizations culture? What might she/he study?
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To study an organizations culture they should study the organizations metaphors, rituals, stories, artifacts, heroes, performances and values.
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What is the metaphor for the organization? (Cultural Theory)
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Organization as a culture??
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How is communication conceived of from the culture perspective?
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Communication is conceived of as central to the culture of the organization, from the stories to the metaphors, almost everything about culture is shaped by the way language and communication are used to create the reality of the organization.
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What are different perspectives on organizational culture? Be able to compare and contrast these.
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Practical: Communication strategies used to build strong cultures.
Interpretive: Culture is socially constructed through communication. Critical/Postmodern: Cultures are composed of power relationships; meanings are multiple and changing. |
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Describe Schein’s model of culture. What are the three levels? What is the relationship between the three levels? Be able to identify examples of each level.
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1st Level: Observable and tangible cultural manifestations. (Company Slogan).
2nd Level: Shared and understood but tacitly rather than explicitly (everyone works late on wednesdays, but it's not company policy). 3rd Level: Unconciously held, but the core of the culture. (monkey on the ladder). |
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What are the general assumptions of the cultural approach?
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Culture is a product of it's environment and the people in it. It's shaped and changed by the different parts of the organization.
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How do the three stages of socialization work?
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Vocational Type of Anticipatory Socialization: The training you receive as a child when you are learning as you grow up what is acceptable to think and do as a member of your family, school, etc.
Organizational type of Anticipatory Socialization: The things people learn about a job before they enter the organization. Organizational Assimilation: As new employees expectations are violated, they attempt to make sense of their job and the organization. |
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What is critical organizational theory?
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A theory that questions the the assumed superiority of market capitalism and it's organizational structures norms and practices.
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What is the metaphor for the organization? (Critical Theory)
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A battle
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What are the key assumptions of the critical approach?
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It challenges popular theories, there are imbalances of power, communication as constitutive.
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What is the main goal of the critical theorist?
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To make things fair for everyone, not just the elites.
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What kinds of questions might a critical theorist ask?
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Why do the men have all the power? Why are minorities paid less than the other workers?
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What is ideology and how does it operate in organizations?
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The system of ideas that serves as the basis of a political or economic theory. In organizations, it operates as support for the organizational elites.
1. It represents sectional interests as universal. 2. It denies system contradictions 3. Naturalizes the present through the rectification "of course" 4. Functions as a form of control known as hegemony. |
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How do the four faces of power differ from one another?
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1. Coersion
2. Manipulation 3. Domination- individuals feel powerless. 4. Subjectification- voluntarily crafting yourself |
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What is hegemony?
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Also known as ideological control, it's the idea that the elites in power gain more power when subordinate groups adopt and perpetuate the ideals of the ruling elite.
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What are the four types of control and what can they tell us about the structure of an organization?
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1. Simple Control: one person in charge.
2. Bureaucratic control: rules. 3. Technical Control: machine line 4. Concertive control: motivation by peers |
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How is control enacted communicatively?
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Control in enacted communicatively through myths, stories and metaphors.
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How has the concept of identity changed over time?
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People used to be identified by their social groups, and now people are becoming much more individualistic and the concept of identity has become much more central to the way that we see ourselves and has become much more important to us.
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What is organizational identification?
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How individuals identify with the organization.
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How is organizational identification different from organizational identity?
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Organizational identity is simply how the organization sees itself, and organizational identification is how the individuals see themselves within the organization.
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How is organizational identification different from commitment?
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Commitment to an organization simply means that you do you job and what is required. Identification with an organization implies that an individual has a high identification level with being a part of the organization.
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What are some methods organizations use to construct or encourage identification in employees?
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1. Defining a person directly.
2. Defining a person by defining others. 3. Providing a specific vocabulary of motives. 4. Explicating morals and values. 5. Knowledge and skills. 6. Group categorization and affiliation. 7. Hierarchial location. 8. Establishing and clarifying a distinct set of rules of the game. 9. Defining the context. |
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What are some examples of organizational efforts to encourage employee identification?
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A successful teacher isn't one who makes the most money, but rather, one who is in it for the kids. Having a specific skill set allows members to identify in a certain way. There is a reason there are "senior managers" versus "midlevel managers".
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What are some consequences of identification?
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Some consequences of identification are the exclusion of women from the public sphere and the exclusion of men from the private sphere. There is also a work-life conflict which is the struggle to balance both work and home life.
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Do you think identification can be engineered or designed?
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I don't think that it can be engineered or designed but it can be encouraged in a certain direction.
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What does it mean to say that gender is socially constructed?
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It means that we as a culture and society have laid out what it means to be a "woman" and if people don't act out those roles, they're considered deviant.
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Why do many feminist scholars play close attention to organizations and organizational communication?
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Feminist scholars study the impact organizational communication has on these social constructions of men in workplace and women in domestic realm to see how to change that. Look to explain women’s marginal position and to develop alternative organizational structures, policies, and identities that enable women to participate more fully in organizations.
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What are Ashcraft’s 4 frames for understanding organizational communication and gender?
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1. Differences are innate based on biology.
2. Gender identity as organizational performance. 3. Organizations are gendered structures. 4. Gendered narratives in popular culture. |
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What are some communication practices that reinforce gender, class, or race stereotypes?
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Women are less likely to ask for raises. If african-american employees don't use american standard english they are thought of as less. We call working outside of the home a "real job" thus devaluing the work done in the home.
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How do certain organizational structures continue to marginalize women?
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Ideology of white supremacy: institutionalized though often unintentional belief in white superiority
Marginality: feeling like your identity is not like those in the “center” or dominant group |
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How do certain organizational structures marginalize women?
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Because the shift of women in the public sphere has led to the backlash in contemporary organizational life.
-The exclusion and control of women in the public sphere. -The denial of women's domestic work as legitimate and valued labor. -The devaluation of feminized labor in the public sphere. -The reduction of men's participation in domestic work and family life. -The construction of work-family conflicts as a private problem rather than a public or social issue. |
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How do you think organizational participants can/should attend to gender and difference?
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-The exclusion and control of women in the public sphere.
-The denial of women's domestic work as legitimate and valued labor. -The devaluation of feminized labor in the public sphere. -The reduction of men's participation in domestic work and family life. -The construction of work-family conflicts as a private problem rather than public or social issues. |
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What does the article by Useem bring to light about work/life balance?
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The article brings to light the amount of time that people are spending at work because of the benefits provided in the workplace. This can potentially have a negative impact on workers family lives.
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Why might organizational communication scholars with different theoretical perspectives feel or think differently about work/life balance?
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I think taylor would like the idea of what is happening because it is the most efficient and productive. Also Human Centered scholars would think this is a good thing, because the employees are taken care of and it's a good working environment.
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What are some examples of work/life balance issues or questions? Based on whose perspective(s)?
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There is becoming a greater request for more time put into work. The effect of this is the home life suffering. This is based on the perspective of the average workers. For those in charge this is a good thing because it creates a push for everyone to work harder to compete.
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How do global changes impact work/life balance?
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With increased technology: cell phones, email, pagers: means you're always on call, so even home time is no longer home time.
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How have social contracts (expected relationships) between employers and workers changed over time?
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Social contracts have changed drastically. Where they used to be long-term loyal relationships from both employers and workers, now most people change jobs every two years.
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What are some common ways of distinguishing between “management” and “leadership”? What distinctions do you view as most relevant or important and why?
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A leader works for change, has a long-term vision for the company, obtains power from charisma, leaders take risks, leaders build on passion.
A manager works for stability, has a short term vision for the company, has power from formal authority, minimizes risk and builds on control. |
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How have approaches to leadership changed over time? (e.g., describe and compare and contrast each of these approaches)
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1. Trait leadership- leadership positions were held by people who had specific traits, tall-white-blonde-males.
2. Leadership style- focused on power and authority. There are 3 distinct ways that you can approach leadership. 1) autocratic. 2) democratic. 3) laissez-faire. 3. Situational Leadership-a leader will emerge from behavior that is responsive to certain situations. A groups "maturity" will determine success. 4. Transformational leadership- says that the change and transformation of an org is the essential task of a leader. It's their job to adapt to the changing world and communicate that to everyone who is involved. 5. Discursive leadership-stresses the ability to shape and change an organization from strictly changing talk and interactions between people (little d- looks at turn-taking interrupting etc. Big D- looks at how things like 'customer service' are defined. |
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What does it mean to be a transformational leader?
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Being a transformational leader means having a vision and being able to actively communicate that with everyone involved in an organization.
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What employee motivation theories might help leaders improve organizational communication?
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1. Goal setting Theory
2. Expectancy Theory 3. Equity Theory 4. Compliance-Gaining Theory |
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How might leaders and scholars who take different organizational approaches (e.g. classical management versus critical theory) think about leadership differently?
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Classical management would see leaders as the decision makers. Critical theory would examine how leaders get their power and in alot of cases "leaders" would have simple or concertive control. Human-centered approaches would see leadership is important to check in and take care of employees.
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What does it meant to suggest that the United States is a structural democracy, but not a participatory democracy?
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Technically we are not a participatory democracy because we do not have the time built into the structures of the US to participate. We are too busy worrying about ourselves to attend town meetings and form civilian committees. Additionally, the other aspects of our lives are not democratic when it comes to school and the health care system etc, there are socialized structures in place.
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What are the differences between a unitary and adversarial (or conflict-based) approach to democracy? How does this relate to organizational communication?
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A unitary approach to democracy assumes that a great deal of consensus is possible, even involving two or more differing groups. In contrast, an adversarial model assumes that the best democratic results can only come from active opposition, open debate, and a clash of interest. This distinction between the two models of democracy, one groupned in oppositional voice, the other presuming unified concerns—becomes very important when we talk about attempts at creating ‘alternative’ organizations that are more democratic and egalitarian, with truly flat and participative structures
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According to Deetz’s keynote address, what are some of the problems with current approaches to addressing complex social, environmental, and economic problems?
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-Current systems are not working.
-Need more participation at all levels of organizations. -Employees should feel like "owners" |
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What are some suggestions that Deetz has for improving organizational collaboration and problem-solving?
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-Deetz focuses on a person-centered and consensus oriented models of communication he calls a “politically attentive, relational constructionism” approach or the PARC model.
-The PARC model gives stakeholders decision making power, rather than just having a “say”. -Focusing on outcomes and interests is of greater value than focusing on problems and wants. |
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What does ‘communication as constitutive’ mean? How is this different from viewing communication as ‘information transfer’?
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Communication as a constitutive focuses on how an individual communicates as the determining factor of the way the message will be interpreted. Information transfer sees communication as a simple sender-receiver process.
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What do the textbook authors mean when they talk about a “balance between creativity and constraint”?
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Individuals are molded, controlled, ordered, and shaped by society ad social institutions, individuals also create society and social institutions.
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Why are organizational communication strategies particularly important in today’s world?
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Because the world is becoming smaller and smaller with the onset of globalization, and to be successful one must be able to navigate through these organizations effectively.
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What are the central differences between the five major perspectives of organizational communication?
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Classical theory= efficiency
Human centered=employee input and atmosphere Systems theory= interdependence of al parts Cultural theory=artifacts and rituals Critical theory=who has the power |
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How do organizational communication practices relate to ethical decision-making?
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These organizational communication practices lay out the different ways to interact with employees. By communicating and making everyone aware, people are more likely to make ethical decisions?
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What can organizational communication scholars learn from the Enron scandal?
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That you can't allow someone to have all the control. And also you can't blindly follow a leader simply because they are the leader.
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How is globalization impacting organizational communication?
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With the world getting smaller, there are more and more businesses in the market. Without being able to communicate across organizations, the world as a system would not function.
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