PR truyền thông - Organizational culture theory and critical theory

Organizational Culture Theory and Critical TheoryMove from systemic and structural issues to . . . Culture Theory Understanding organizations through a cultural lens with a focus on values, attitudes and beliefs of membersCritical TheoryRevealing how social and technological structures within organizations serve to oppress workers.“Organizational Culture” FOCUSChanges in Global MarketplaceIntense CompetitionReconsider Traditional Management PracticesShift from traditional, highly rationale theories to more fluid and irrationalSocietal consciousness-raising regarding oppressive atmosphere in organizations for workers, women, and minoritiesInequities and Oppressive Circumstances Organizational Culture TheoryState University vs. Southern University Case StudyAttempts to explain behavior within organizationsAttempts to account for differences among organizationsDescription of how members of a group live and make sense of their world togetherCulture provides a lens through which its members interpret, interact with, and make sense of realityCulture helps to explain patterns of behavior and thought that characterize individuals and the groups with which they are associatedFocus on VALUES, ATTITUDES, and BELIEFS of membersOrganizational Culture TheoryOrganizational culture provides meanings for routine organizational events, thereby reducing the amount of cognitive processing and energy members need to expend throughout the day.Misunderstandings and Organizational CultureCultural variations are often the cause of major and minor misunderstandings as groups come into contact with one anotherValue of cultural perspective is in illustrating the misunderstandings that occur within an organizationCulture may hinder organizations from progress in the futureOrganizations consist of “subcultures”Mergers and International Mergers are also a source of misunderstandingsTwo Competing Perspectives on Organizational CultureCulture as VariableSomething an organization “has”By-product of organizational activitiesStories, rites, rituals, and heroesCulture is changeable by managementOrganizational “tool” for enhancing organizational effectivenessIn Search of Excellence (Peters and Waterman)Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life (Deal & Kennedy)Strong cultures have four key componentsValues - basic beliefs and concepts (concrete guidelines for success)Heroes - personify cultural valuesRites and rituals - public performances that display and enact valuesCultural network - primary carrier of cultural information (stories, myths, legends, jokes, and gossip)Criticisms: shortsighted, more than strategy, not just a skill; culture is a complex, communicative phenomenon rooted in the history of the organizations events.Two Competing Perspectives on Organizational CultureCulture as Root MetaphorSomething an organization “is” as opposed to something it “has”Organizations as expressive forms, manifestations of human consciousnessCulture is the process of sense-making created and sustained through communication and interactionsRituals and stories are ‘generative processes’ the yield and shape meaningsProvides deep understanding of the way members of a particular organization make sense of the world around themThe essence of an organization is cultureThree Primary ElementsComplex (multi-level construction of values, beliefs and attitudes)Communicative Construction (constructed and reconstructed through interaction)Subcultures and CounterculturesDifferential interactionShared experiencesSimilar personal characteristicsComparisons on page 90.Comparison of Two Competing Perspectives on Organizational CultureVARIABLESomething the organization “has”; a tool, skill, or leverInform workplace of valuesChange occurs through management directive and interventionROOT METAPHORSomething the organization “is”; expressive formCreate sustain and influence cultureChange occurs through natural evolution; all members influence cultureDefinitions of Organizational CultureThree common characteristicsCulture is SHAREDFrameworks of understanding and interpreting organizational phenomenaCulture is INTANGIBLEConsists of values, assumptions, norms, and frameworksCulture AFFECTS HUMAN BEHAVIORConstruction of human interaction that affects and is affected by the behavior of all members of the organizationOther characteristicsCommunicative creationsCultures are created, sustained and and influenced by and through human interactionHistoricalCultures emerge and develop over timeOrganizational Culture DefinedOrganizational culture is a communicatively constructed, historically based system of assumptions, values, and interpretive frameworks that guide and constrain organizational members as they perform their organizational roles and confront the challenges of their environment.Multi-level Perspective on CultureSchein’s Model of Organizational CultureThree Interrelated Levels of CultureArtifacts and Creationstangible, physical, or hearable things in the environment of the organizationImportant to connect artifacts to valuesValuesSense of what “ought” to be, as distinct from what isCommon basis for operating togetherCognitive constructionsBasic Assumptions - represent the essence of culture FIVE BASIC ASSUMPTIONSHumanity’s relationship to natureThe nature of reality and truth - is truth real or discovered?The nature of human natureThe nature of human activityThe nature of human relationshipsCritical Perspectives on CultureCritical Perspectives . . .Reject the notion that organizations are value-free sitesOrganizations are sites of struggle between management and workers resulting in domination and oppression of the powerless by the powerful.Critical TheoryKarl MarxRoots in the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt (Frankfurt School)Knowledge is not objective; tainted by personal interests and the power structureInvolvement in the inner workings of society to reveal contradictions associated with the imbalance of powerProvide critique that allows for the reversal of oppressive conditions in the futureResearch goal: reveal how social and technological structures within the organization serve to oppress workersResearchers must engage in consciousness-raising among organizational membersCritical TheoryOrganization as a Site of DominationPower, Hegemony, and Concertive ControlPower - the possibility of imposing one’s will upon the behavior of other personsHegemony - the predominant influence over othersConcertive Control - based on adherence to socially constructed norms and values developed by organizational members as they attempt to structure the environmentCommunication and Critical TheoryHabermas - goal to develop a theory of society that aims at the self-emancipation of people from domination (the ideal speech situation)The utterances are truthfulThere is a legitimate relationship established between the participantsThe utterances are sincereThe utterances are comprehensibleGoal of Critical Theorists Attempt to uncover the communication practices, whether they be interpersonal, team-based, or organization-wide, that serve to promote an unhealthy imbalance in organizations.Critical Theory: Issues and ChallengesCreating a more ‘human(e)’ workplaceOppressive reality of organizational life does not have to continueOppression is not an inherent part of organizational lifeWorkplace democracyEncourage SELF-REFLECTIONEncourage COLLECTIVE DEVELOPMENTEncourage INDIVIDUAL OPPORTUNITYCritical theory offers a means of identifying elements of constraint and oppression and prescriptions for improving the situationThe plight of women: Feminist organizational communicationExamine the oppressive circumstances experienced by women in the workplaceRaise our collective consciousness regarding unequal treatment and oppressionAttempts to uncover the assumptions upon which those circumstances are basedOffers a variety of means by which the oppression can be alleviatedCritical Theory: Feminist PerspectivesLiberal Feminists - advocate working within the existing structureRadical Feminists - argue for a separation of men and women Materialist Feminists - gender differences are socially constructedGoal: Seek to show the centrality of language and interaction to the circumstances women face in the gendered workplaceOrganizational members are able to understand how their communicative actions and interactions contribute to either the perpetuation or the reversal of the current oppressive situation (change behavior, affect the behavior of others, help promote a more equitable and equal workplace for the sexes)SummarySimilarities of Organizational Theory and Critical TheoryBoth theories call into question the theories and practices of the past and view organizations as more than the sum of management practices and task allocationCommunication is central to both theoriesMost critical approaches to organizations realize that it is through communication that oppressive structures come into being and, in turn, restrict the communication of certain groupsCommunication is the way to freedom from those oppressive structuresIntention of both theories do not serve to increase profits -- they excavate the underlying values and assumptions that guide organizational life and may serve to oppress certain membersCritical theory is not as popular as organizational culture theoryMost organizations are unwilling to make themselves vulnerable to disapproval (think about how this applies to your major research project!)