Postmodern Turn of Organizational Science

1

• Postmodern Turn of Organizational Science

2
Index

• Introduction
• Development of Organizational Science
• Modernism vs. Postmodernism
• Link between Article and Book
• Child's framework
• Social Problem
• Discussion

3
Organization Science as Social Construction
Postmodern Potentials

• Article by Gergen and Thatchenkery
• Philosphical approach to Organizational Science
• Modernism vs. Postmodernism
• Development and advancement of the 3 major
  assumptions of Organizational Science
• Article displays the roots, developments,
  influences of organizational science

4
Modernism vs. Postmodernismtwo different ways to
approach something

• Modernism
• Objectivism seeing things in an objective way
• Rational
• Individual
• Totalitarianism no other opinions are accepted
• Hierarchical bureaucratic
• Special groups generate data, results are
  channeled to decision making domains, who are
  higher ranked --gt strong division of labour
  (specialization) and hierarchy

• Postmodernism
• Subjectivism critical, out of a personal point of
  view
• Social focus on the community
• Community
• Pluralism different opinions and point of views
  possible
• Liberal
• A 'new' sensibility, change in the view due to a
  higher importance of social problems / changes

5
Advancement of the 3 major assumptionswith these
assumptions the authors try to describe the
different views and how the developed

• Modernism
• Rational Agent
• Empirical Knowledge
• Language as Representation

• Postmodernism
• Communal Rationality
• Social Construction
• Language as Action

6
Modern Organizational Assumptions

• 1. Rational Agent
• how a person can be seen in society
• - Enlightment Individual
  Rationality induvidualrational, everyone is
  acting according to a rational pattern -
  Taylorism Individual as a worker is only an
  executicve who responds to various inputs in a
  systematic way - individual /
  rational decision-making (manager)
• organization as a byproduct of individual
  rationality

7
Modern Organizational Assumptions

• 2. Empirical Knowledge how to see things/evaluate
  them, everything has to be tested/approved
  - Induvidual observation - Importance of
  empirical and statistical researches to
  support organizational decision- making people
  should act accordingly (to data)
• - Need for mathematical evidences

8
Modern Organizational Assumptions

• 3. Language as Representation -
  Language as a mean to report observations and
  to inform colleagues
• - Words as only carriers of knowledge
• - precise communication of data to simplify
  decision-making

9
Postmodern Organizational Assumptions

• 1. From Individual to Communal Rationality
  - Individual now is a part of a
  community - Individual as a participant in a
  form of cultural life
• - Importance of social interactions -
  Rationality as a form of communal participation
• not everyone in the society is rational, people
  have different strengths

10
Postmodern Organizational Assumptions

• 2. From Empirical to Social Construction
  - Focus on the interpretation and effects
  of the data and their influences on the
  community - Findings attempt to explain
  coherences
• - Research results shall stimulate
  sociocultural processes
• findings sensitize the participation in
  constructing the world, data give possibilities
  to understand processes rather than just proving
  facts

11
Postmodern Organizational Assumptions

• 3. Language as Social Action
• - Language as a participation between people
• - Form of action in a set of social
  conventions - Language gains its meaning from
  its use
• language as a link between people

12

• Conclusion - Article
  describes two major influences of Organizational
  Science Modernism and Postmodernism
• - displays the development from a totalitarian
  more individual and rational focussed
  view to a plural and communal
  view - points out the need for
  organizations to reconsider postmodern
  theories to meet current organizational
  challenges replacement of the individual by the
  community

13
Quiz

• Modernism vs. Postmodernism
• Which conception meets today's organizational
  needs and challenges?

14
Link between Article and Book

• Child as Postmodernist
• The article establishes the basis for the
  framework introduced by Child

15
Relevance

• Article
• describes the development from modern to
  postmodern and provides a basis for Child's
  implementation
• Chapter
• translates the theoretical assumptions into a
  practical framework
• points out the consequences of the postmodern
  development

16

• Organisations have to seek for the right mix of
• cost advantages
• differentiation advantages
• social elements

17
3 Strategic Needs

• Efficiency
• - cost advantage
• - inefficiency loss of profit
• can never be neglected

18
3 Strategic Needs

• Innovation
• - differentiation advantage
• - creation of a new product/service

19
3 Strategic Needs

• Adaptability
• - ability to adjust to new circumstances
• e.g. respond to changing customer demands
  from an existing portfolio

20
Child's Solution

• Hybrid Organizational Forms
• internal hybrids infuse hierarchy with
  elements of market control
• external hybrids introduce additional
  elements of hierarchy

21
Social Problem

• Employees not as individual but as part of the
  community
• New organizational forms have to be found to
  satisfy employers and employees

22
Implementation

• different activities different priorities
• Every organization has its own combination of all
  factors, based on how it chooses to compete in
  the marketplace

23
Conclusion

• Organizations do not only have to earn revenue
  but also distribute rewards and well-being
• 'Conventional' organizational features are being
  enhanced by postmodernistic influences
• Hybrid forms of organizations are going to be
  prevalent

24
Discussion

• How come developing countries like China and
  India are successful despite neglecting the
  social aspect?