Chapter 17 The Organization Organizational information theory

Question 1

Author Organizational information theory

Answer 1

Weick

Question 2

Tradition Organizational information theory

Answer 2

Cybernetic

Question 3

Communication context Organizational information theory

Answer 3

Organizational

Question 4

Approach to knowing Organizational information theory

Answer 4

Positivist/emperical

Question 5

Overall theory Organizational information theory

Answer 5

1. Human organizations exist in an information environment
2. The information an organization receives differs in equivocality
3. Human organizations engage in information processing to reduce equivocality of information

The primary focus is how people exchange information and understand it.

Question 6

Equivocality

Answer 6

the extent to which organizational messages are uncertain, ambiguous and/or unpredictable

Question 7

General system theory

Answer 7

Different departments/teams get different informations - goal is tasks and to share and integrate information to get a conclusion - need combined information to make adjustment and reach goal

Need feedback to reduce uncertainty and to see if they have received the correct info to make a decision. reflect on darwin approach

Question 8

Darwin: the theory of sociocultural evolution

Answer 8

Darwins belief that only the fittest can survive challenging surroundings

Question 9

connection darwin to organizations

Answer 9

The goal of a organization is to survive and like humans, the discovered best strategy survive. -adapt to cope with challenges - firms who are quickest to adapt, survive and prosper.

With deal with other cultures, you need to adapt to their culture to succes with a cooporation.

Question 10

Information environment

Answer 10

to succes and inform other e.g. about a study to future students you need get a lot of info and feedback about what they need to know -end with a lot of info. need to know how to manage it.

need to select the messages that are meaningful or important.

Question 11

Plan

Answer 11

need to find the best in understanding unclear messages and how to understand them - make a plan - equivocality messages motivate people to organize

Question 12

Strategy to reduce ambiguous messages: Rules

Answer 12

Determine rules and choose appropriate response to the message received.-guidelines

Question 13

Rules to chose one cycle of information or feedback over another(4) - Duration

Answer 13

engage in communication that can be completed in the least amount of time.

Question 14

Rules to chose one cycle of information or feedback over another(4) -Personnel

Answer 14

The person who are the most knowledgeable should be key resource in reducing equivocality

Question 15

Rules to chose one cycle of information or feedback over another(4) - Succes

Answer 15

a succesful plan or tool from past experiences should be used to reduce equivocality

Question 16

Rules to chose one cycle of information or feedback over another(4) -effort

Answer 16

decisions regarding equivocality should be made with the least amount of work . most efficient with least work

Question 17

Systems of behavior cycles

Answer 17

series of communication behaviors that serve to reduce equivocality. the more equivocality, the more cycles needed to reduce.

Question 18

Double-interact loops

Answer 18

Cycles of an organization (e.g. interviews, meetings) to reduce equivocality with members. prevent accidents.

Question 19

few rules to reduce? cycles of info exchanges?

Answer 19

many cycles-make adjustment(feedback until understood)

Question 20

the process of reduced equivocality

Enactment, selection and retention

ESR

Answer 20

enactment: interpretation/analyze of info received to know how much is equivocality -sensemaking

Selection analyze what it know after cycles and choose the best method(rule and cycles) for further reduction

Retention: store information about process for further use

Question 21

Critic -logical consistency

Answer 21

more intuition than rules - learn after some time what to do- not so conscious about it

Question 22

Critic - Utility

Answer 22

the theory have unraveled the complexity of informations processing, so very useful

Question 23

Critic -Heurism

Answer 23

is heuristic - online, humor e.g. Continue to attract

Question 24

Communication model -

Answer 24

Interactive Model. Because we have a sender who try to understand and a receiver who give feedback in return to help the sender understand - the communications doesn’t happen simultaneously.

Question 25

Other personal

Answer 25

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