Chapter 15 The Organization Structuration theory Flashcards
Author
Giddens
tradition(2)
Cybernetic, socio-cultural
Communication context(2)
Small groups + organizational
Approach to knowing
Positivist/emperical
Overall theory
Organizations create structures(rules and resources to substring group) - result in social systems.
Organizations achieve life of their own because of the ways members use their structure.
- Groups and organizations are produced and reproduced through actions and behaviors.
- Communication rules serve as both the medium for and an outcome of interactions
- Power structures in organizations which guide the decisions-making process
Organizing/organization
formal informal
How to quickest get knowledge, protection, problem solving
¨
Formal - hierarchy
Informal - e.g. more western. no fine clothe, open door til office, not so much hierarchy
Blueprint
how society is organized - under here:
blueprint of organization. How everything is done, structures, rules(routines), hierarchy, behavior- organization
implicit stated:Employee manual/explcit learned:Respect- everyone have a voice.
Feedback guide regulations
Adaptive Structuration Theory:
How task groups use and strategically adapt information technology, rules and recourses to accomplish group goals. – Used in this chapter is how this new technologies help optimize effectivity in information understanding like skype conference calls.
Structuration
The production, reproduction and transformation of social environments through rules and resources in relationship and To understand ones patterns of behavior - e.g. how a meating should be done, addressed formal or not?
Agency
the specific behaviors or activities that humans engage in, guided by the rules and context in which interaction takes take place. ”E.g. class
Agent
the person who engages in these behaviors. E.g. student
Organization engage in process: Reflexivity
a person ability to know and understand his or her actions or behavior- predict if changes in structure is necessary
The awareness to explain reasons for behavior/change occurs on two levels:
Discursive consciousness
Practical consciousness
Discursive: reason for activity /behavior easily put into words
Practical: Reason for behavior feelings e.g. is not easily explained
Relecivity: suggest change in structure from formal to informal and explain good experiences. - So this is also discursive.
Practical: difficult explain the warm feeling with having people talk to him by name, and that use of only last name make him feel old.
Duality of structure
Actions create structure and structure empower or limit further actions.
Rules and resources used to guide organizational decisions about behaviors or actions
Rules
How things should work and how to behave and understand different situations and what should be used to accomplishing goals - general routines that the organization or group follows in accomplishing goals.
Resources (power)
Things that can help get things done.
Power individual bring to the organization - attributes(decision making style) or material goods that can be use to exert power in a organizations - power led to action and change
Resource allocative
material assistance used to help groups accomplish their goals. -e.g. a facility to work
Resources Authoritative
interpersonal(ability to influence other) assistance used to help groups accomplish their goals. - allow a person to execute power
Resource Power types (authoritative) -
reward RCRLE
have the ability to provide value to another e.g. material reward
Resource Power types (authoritative) -
coercive RCRLE
have the ability to deliver punisment to another
Resource Power types (authoritative) -
referent RCRLE
is power of an individual over the Team or Followers, based on a high level of identification with, admiration of, or respect for the powerholder/ leader. Nationalism, patriotism, celebrities..
Resource Power types (authoritative) - Legimate RCRLE
Also called “positional power,” power because of position and duties within an organization. - formal authority delegated to the holder of the position. Have attributes of power such as a uniform, a title, or an imposing physical office
Resource Power types (authoritative) - Expert power RCRLE
power deriving from the skills or expertise of the person and the organization’s needs for those skills and expertise- people tend to trust them and respect what they say.
Application of time and space
social interactions is composed of time(temporal) and space(spatial). The time and place the communication take place – why does it happen now and here?
e.g. talk about lay off in parking lot(place) after work(time) - why here?
communication flow hierarchy - Organizational culture
top down/ bottom up
mission vission value
Critic - Scope
use in numerous settings with teams, small groups and organizational communication but broad in the sense of all cover with rules, resources, power e.g.
Critic Parsimony
not quickly read and intuitive. Many concepts and a little hard to connect them
my workplace experience
We have both lineær transactional and interactional communication - we get letters with info with no intended feedback, we get messages to answer and and get a respond to - our work plan, social event + communication at the same time e.g. facebook where everyone can comment even though the sender can comment on the same time.
We also have some way we are engoraged to behave and rules about how to behave. We get informed on facebook about new rules and structures for how to close, how to deliver post how to order bread to the baker, how to talk to customers. We need to accept these structures for them to work, or they change.
Class room
teacher have power to execute power to punish and reward. Each individual have the power to result in positive outcomes for the group. Teacher make structures on how you dont come late or rase hand. The agents can accept the rules or either say it or ignore them. These structures then need to be taken into consideration if they were good enough.
