Work, School, Play Exam 1

Front 1

Formal organizations

Back 1

group of individuals following explicit rules and defined roles in order to achieve specific goals

Front 2

Informal collectivities

Back 2

group of individuals come together for enjoyment with very little definition in structure, roles, or goals.

Front 3

Benefits of formal organizations

Back 3

efficient, reliable, make large-scale tasks possible

Front 4

Harms of formal organizations

Back 4

impersonal, dehumanizing, hierarchies are oppressive

Front 5

constraints

Back 5

internal and external - keep organizations from functioning at peak efficiency

Front 6

internal constraints

Back 6

-organizations are subject to the needs and values of members
-individual goals may undermine organization or conflict with organizational goals
-organizations suffer from irrational thinking

Front 7

external constraints

Back 7

-organizations are regulated by society (legal codes and cultural norms)
-organizations are influenced by clients/customers and competitors

Front 8

Three theoretical perspectives

Back 8

1. rational - formal structure lack of individual
2. natural - informal operations focus on individual
3. open - external influences and environmental pressures

Front 9

Focal points of Rational System

Back 9

Goal Specificity and Formal Structure
help achieve large goals "salvation of puny men" and necessary for the market

Front 10

Five functions of organizational goals

Back 10

1. provide criteria for decision making
2. provide criteria for evaluating members
3. provide a source of motivation.
4. provide an account of past actions.
5. provide legitimacy to organizations

Front 11

Functions of formal structure

Back 11

-formal roles produce stable expectations and make behavior more predictable.
-formal hierarchies reduce tension by legitimating authority structures

Front 12

Weber (characteristics of bureaucracy)

Back 12

fixed division of labor,
structural hierarchy,
codified rules and procedures
official domain
technical qualifications
careerism

Front 13

Taylor (scientific management)

Back 13

standardize production,
maximum output, minimum input
deskill production
predictable and efficient

Front 14

Simon (bounded rationality)

Back 14

emphasis on making decisions
organizations suffer form "bounded rationality"
members do not have access to full info, do not search for best solution

Front 15

bounded rationality

Back 15

the idea that in decision-making, rationality of individuals is limited by the information they have, the cognitive limitations of their minds, and the finite amount of time they have to make a decision

Front 16

Focal points of Natural system

Back 16

goal complexity
informal structure

Front 17

Goal complexity and informal structure

Back 17

-more similar to informal connectivity
-emphasis on individual goals, actual goals, and maintenance goals
-informal operations, formal authority attached to position informal authority attached to actor

Front 18

Hawthorne Effect

Back 18

-workers conform to group norms that restrict production at the expense of higher earnings

Front 19

Mayo (Human relations assumptions)

Back 19

individuals can be motivated without coercion and feel most rewarded when fulfilling self-actualization needs
(opposite of rational system)

Front 20

Barnard (cooperative system)

Back 20

material rewards are not sufficient motivators need prestige, power and distinction
-form a collective purpose that becomes morally binding on participants

Front 21

Selznick (institutional approach)

Back 21

-individuals act as wholes rather than perform roles
-organizations often prioritize maintenance goals

Front 22

Conflict Theory

Back 22

-critical of organizational hierarchies due to oppressive, exploitative, and alienating properties
-goals and rules serve interests of those in power

Front 23

Open System Focal points

Back 23

goal diffusion, isomorphic structure

Front 24

Organizations as closed

Back 24

contains inner feedback loop, capable of self-regulation, experiences entropy

Front 25

Organizations as open

Back 25

send and receive information (external feedback), capable of growth and change (self-maintenance),
restore and repair )the idea that in decision-making, rationality of individuals is limited by the information they have, the cognitive limitations of their minds, and the finite amount of time they have to make a decision (fight entropy)

Front 26

Contingency theory

Back 26

organizations work to reduce uncertainty and instability introduced by the environment

Front 27

Institutional theory

Back 27

-environmental pressures alter organizational goals and practices
-regulators force organizations to adopt reforms'
-competitors push imitation
-clients push improvements
-open systems standardize organizational forms (isomorphism)
-feature "loose coupling"

Front 28

loose coupling

Back 28

-rules don't always govern actions or affect behavior
-can be functional adapting to local culture
-can absorb reforms