Key Concepts 2 Flashcards
Decommodifying Labor
Treating labor as a right rather than a commodity, with particular emphasis on protecting essential sectors like healthcare from market-driven exploitation
Hybrid Organizing
A form of organizational structure that balances financial, social, and environmental objectives by incorporating democratic governance into corporate decision-making processes
Leadership
The process of influencing others to achieve organizational or societal objectives
Great Man Theory
Leaders are born with inherent traits (charisma, decisiveness), and not made
Employee-Centered Leadership
Focus on team motivation, development, and well-being
Job-Centered Leadership
Prioritizes task completion and productivity over individual well-being
Kurt Lewin’s Leadership Styles
● Autocratic Leadership: Centralized decision-making.
● Democratic Leadership: Involves team participation in decisions.
● Laissez-Faire Leadership: Hands-off approach, best for highly skilled teams
Situational Leadership (Hersey & Blanchard)
● S1 (Directing): High directive, low support.
● S2 (Coaching): High directive, high support.
● S3 (Supporting): Low directive, high support.
● S4 (Delegating): Low directive, low support.
Transactional Leadership
Focuses on reward-based exchange between leaders and followers
Transformational Leadership
Inspires followers to exceed expectations by fostering passion and shared vision
Servant Leadership
Prioritizes the growth and well-being of followers over the leader’s interests
Ethical Leadership
Leadership that is guided by ethical principles and moral decision-making
Complexity Leadership Theory
Leadership emerges from interactions within a broader system rather than from one individual. It emphasizes adaptability, learning, and evolution in dynamic environments
Emergent Leadership
Leadership that arises organically within groups without formal authority, based on problem-solving and contributions
Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS)
Networks of interacting, interdependent agents working toward shared goals in dynamic environments. Leadership in CAS emphasizes learning and adaptability
Adaptive Leadership
Leadership that responds to complex, unpredictable environments by guiding systems through collaboration and interaction
Tension and Creativity in Leadership
Productive tensions within systems can stimulate innovation and adaptability
Crisis Leadership
Leadership that involves navigating complex, high-stakes situations by balancing diverse stakeholder needs, time pressure, and societal scrutiny
Paradox
The coexistence of seemingly contradictory elements in an organization, requiring leaders to manage opposing forces
Paradox of Power
The idea that individuals gain power through empathy and collaboration but may shift toward self-interest once power is obtained
Organizational Ambidexterity
● Exploitation: Efficient use of current resources and capabilities.
● Exploration: Pursuing new opportunities and innovation.
Team Collaboration Paradox
Balancing individual expertise with the need for collective teamwork to achieve goals
Scott Poole’s Framework for Coping with Paradoxes (DCSAST)
● Denial: Ignoring the paradox.
● Cosmetic Response: Pretending to deal with the paradox.
● Selection: Focusing on one side of the paradox.
● Alternation: Switching between poles of the paradox.
● Segmentation: Assigning different parts of the paradox to different areas.
● Transcendence: Finding creative solutions to balance opposing forces.
Organizational Deviance
Actions that deviate from formal goals and norms, leading to undesirable outcomes (e.g., the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster)
Normalization of Deviance
The gradual acceptance of risks as normal, even when they deviate from established safety norms (e.g., NASA’s O-ring failure)
Groupthink
A decision-making process where the desire for group consensus overrides critical thinking.
● Illusion of Invulnerability: Overconfidence and risk-taking.
● Suppression of Dissent: Pressure on dissenting opinions to conform.
● Unanimity Illusion: The mistaken belief that the group is in total agreement.
Dimensions of Power
● 1st Dimension: Direct and visible power, making others do what you want.
● 2nd Dimension: Controlling the agenda, preventing issues from being raised.
● 3rd Dimension: Shaping values and ideologies to influence perceptions without overt conflict.
High-Reliability Organizations (HROs) (PRSCD)
Organizations that avoid catastrophic failures despite operating in high-risk environments.
● Preoccupation with Failure: Constant vigilance toward potential problems.
● Reluctance to Simplify: Avoiding oversimplification of complex issues.
● Sensitivity to Operations: Focus on the real-time operational environment.
● Commitment to Resilience: Ability to recover quickly from failures.
● Deference to Expertise: Prioritizing expert input over hierarchical authority.
Groupthink in NASA’s Challenger Disaster
Poor decision-making caused by suppression of critical thinking and dissent, leading to the normalization of unacceptable risks
Framing in Crisis Leadership
The way leaders and the media frame issues can shape public understanding and response, influencing national identity and trust (e.g., Reagan’s speech after the Challenger disaster)
Law of Requisite Complexity
Organizations must have internal complexity that matches the external environment to effectively handle challenges
Self-Organization
The capacity of systems to adapt and form structures without top-down control, based on interactions between agents
Entanglement
The interconnection of adaptive and administrative leadership, where they rely on one another in complex systems
Inclusivity Lite
A critique of distributed leadership that claims superficial inclusivity without addressing deep issues like power, gender, or race
Three-Dimensional Power (Lukes, 1974)
Power operates not just through direct decision-making or control over the agenda but also by shaping perceptions, desires, and beliefs. This form of power ensures that individuals accept and internalize the values of the dominant group as their own, often unconsciously
Paradox as a Tool for Theory-Building
The idea that contradictions in theory should be embraced rather than resolved, as they can generate richer insights
Foolish Consistency
The notion that rigid adherence to consistency limits theoretical insights, advocating for flexibility in theory construction
Trading Zones
Spaces where individuals from different knowledge areas come together to negotiate and coordinate meanings despite differences in perspectives
Structural Secrecy
Organizational compartmentalization of knowledge that leads to fragmented and incomplete understanding across departments
Latent Effects
The idea that small, seemingly insignificant technological changes can lead to significant, unpredictable outcomes in the long term
Routine Decisions with Unpredictable Outcomes
The risks associated with seemingly ordinary decisions that can lead to unintended, large-scale consequences due to organizational complexities
Elite
The highest social class, characterized by significant economic, cultural, and social capital, typically holding positions of power in society
Established Middle Class
A stable middle-class group with a mix of economic and cultural capital, typically working in professional or managerial roles
Technical Middle Class
A subgroup within the middle class, characterized by technical or specialized skills, often with higher economic capital but less cultural capital
New Affluent Workers
A relatively new class that combines moderate levels of economic capital with less established cultural capital, often working in emerging industries
Emerging Service Workers
Workers in service-based industries with relatively low economic and cultural capital, marking a more precarious class position
Precariat
The lowest class, characterized by insecure employment, minimal capital, and little social protection, often facing significant social and economic vulnerabilities
Social Class Markers
Everyday practices and cultural tastes that signal an individual’s social class, such as leisure activities, consumption habits, and lifestyle choices
Bourdieu’s Volume of Capital
The total amount of different forms of capital (economic, social, cultural) that an individual or group holds
Bourdieu’s Composition of Capital
The specific types of capital (economic, social, cultural) that make up an individual’s or group’s resources
Bourdieu’s Trajectory
The potential for upward or downward social mobility within the social space, influenced by the volume and composition of capital
Reified Class Relations
The objective aspect of social class, where individuals occupy fixed positions in social institutions that limit their actions and perceptions
Deposited Class Relations
The subjective aspect of social class, where individuals internalize social hierarchies as mental schemas, shaping their worldviews and interactions
Exoticism of Poverty
The tendency to view lower-class areas or individuals as exotic or different, often used as a form of social distinction by higher classes
Cumulative Disadvantage
A process where disadvantages (such as lower-class origins) accumulate over time, reinforcing inequalities in areas like hiring, promotion, and social mobility
Class Work
Strategies individuals use to manage discomfort in cross-class interactions, such as rationalizing or avoiding lower-class status
Segregation of Classes
Institutional practices that physically or socially separate individuals from different classes, often reinforcing existing social hierarchies
Accountability Norms
Organizational practices that hold individuals accountable to class-based rules, reinforcing existing class distinctions in the workplace
Commodity Diversity
The commodification of diversity into marketable items (e.g., seminars, slogans) without addressing deeper inequalities
Homogenization of Diversity
The reduction of real differences in diversity initiatives by focusing on superficial representations, often flattening meaningful conversations about inequality
Diversity Washing
Superficial diversity efforts used by organizations to project inclusivity without making systemic changes to address inequality
Happy Diversity
A form of diversity that is accepted by dominant groups because it is non-threatening and safe, avoiding the need for deeper institutional change
Performative Diversity
When institutions produce diversity documents or policies primarily as a form of image management, rather than as a commitment to real change
Hot Moments
Intense emotional reactions in diverse classrooms, often triggered by microaggressions or discussions of controversial issues such as race or class
Safe Spaces
Environments where individuals, particularly from marginalized groups, can express their views and experiences without fear of marginalization or harm
Liquid Modernity
A concept developed by Bauman describing the current era of constant change, uncertainty, and flexibility in social roles and institutions
Intellectual Danger
The idea that students should be challenged to engage critically with uncomfortable ideas and tensions, balancing emotional safety with intellectual rigor
Perpetual Modernization
The ongoing process of societal change with no final stage of stability, reflecting the fluidity of Liquid Modernity
TINA (There Is No Alternative)
The idea that in Liquid Modernity, individualization and constant adaptation to changing social norms are unavoidable
Unholy Trinity of Liquid Fear
- Uncertainty: Lack of stability, whether in work, personal relationships, or social roles.
- Insecurity: A pervasive feeling of unsafety, socially and economically.
- Unsafety: A more explicit lack of protection in an increasingly fragmented world
Sameness-Difference Dilemma
The tension in diversity initiatives between treating everyone the same (colorblindness) and focusing too much on differences, both of which can fail to address systemic inequality
Essentializing Sameness (Color Blindness)
A diversity approach that ignores differences in an attempt to treat everyone equally, often reinforcing existing inequalities
Essentializing Difference (Celebrating Difference)
A diversity approach that celebrates differences but can commodify them, failing to address power imbalances or lead to true inclusion
Diversity as Ongoing Learning
A progressive approach to diversity that treats it as a continuous process of growth, focusing on addressing systemic exclusion and fostering inclusion through ongoing efforts
Perpetual Modernization
The belief in an end to the process of modernization is gone. Instead, modernization is an ongoing, perpetual process
Cultural Cloning
The reproduction of dominant social norms (e.g., white sameness) within organizations, even under the guise of diversity policies
Superdiversity
Bauman argues that diversity must be understood in more than just ethnic terms. Factors such as immigration status, legal conditions, economic status, and access to public services all contribute to a more super-diversified society
Symbolic Violence (Bourdieu, Savage)
The process through which dominant social groups maintain power by imposing their values and norms on lower classes, leading to the internalization of class inequality
Intersectionality (Savage)
The concept that class interacts with other forms of identity such as race, gender, and cultural capital to shape one’s position in society
Long-Range vs. Short-Range Mobility (Savage)
This concept critiques the rarity of upward mobility from the lower to elite classes, noting most mobility happens within the middle class
Role of Elite Institutions (Savage)
Elite class entry is often limited to graduates from top universities, where cultural capital is maintained and passed on, limiting broader access to these elite positions
Cross-Border Class Relations (Penissat & Siblot)
The idea that class structures extend across national borders, especially through multinational corporations and labor markets
Convergence of European Social Structures (Penissat & Siblot)
Social structures, including class hierarchies, are increasingly aligning across Europe due to shared systems like education and labor markets
Class Homogenization (Lee et al.)
The increasing uniformity in the corporate elite, where leadership is dominated by those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, reducing diversity within corporate leadership
Total Shareholder Return (TSR) (Lee et al.)
A focus on increasing market value and dividends, aligning corporate leadership’s goals with shareholder interests, often to the detriment of broader social concerns
The Inner Circle (Mizruchi)
A small, cohesive group of corporate elites with moderate, pragmatic political views, shaping mid-20th-century corporate strategies to address societal issues
Class Origins and Risk-Taking (Palmer)
CEOs from lower or upper social classes are more likely to take strategic risks compared to middle-class CEOs, showing how class influences decision-making styles
Role of Elite Education in Risk-Taking (Palmer)
For lower-class CEOs, elite education reduces risk-taking, whereas for upper-class CEOs, it has little impact since they already feel secure in their position
Impact of Nationalism on Corporate Governance (Useem)
The rise of nationalism, especially during events like the COVID-19 pandemic, has challenged the global cohesion of the corporate elite, potentially leading to more domestic-focused governance
Echo Chamber Effect (Muftugil-Yalcin et al.)
A classroom dynamic where only dominant perspectives are reinforced, discouraging intellectual diversity and silencing marginalized voices
Safe, Tokenized Diversity (Ahmed)
A form of diversity that is only embraced when it is non-threatening and palatable to dominant groups, promoting a superficial engagement with diversity issues
Complaints as Mechanisms of Control (Ahmed)
The use of diversity documents to dismiss complaints of racism or exclusion, allowing institutions to maintain the appearance of progressiveness while silencing dissent
Modality in the Age of Algorithms (DRAHC)
● Decision Making: Linked to choice and deliberation, involving reflection and understanding.
● Reckoning: The use of algorithms to process data without reflective judgment.
● Algorithmic Morality: Decisions made purely by AI based on data, lacking moral judgment.
● Human Morality: Human judgment, with empathy and reflection, informs decisions.
● Co-Constituted Morality: A combined approach where human judgment and algorithms inform one another.
AI’s Limitations
AI operates only on pre-fed data, lacking the ability to dynamically gather new information or adapt to changing social norms
AI and Human Responsibility
AI should assist but never fully replace human judgment due to the complexity of ethical decision-making
AI Control Mechanisms (DED)
- Direction: AI recommends or restricts actions, potentially leading to feelings of manipulation or disempowerment.
- Evaluation: AI uses surveillance to rate performance, leading to potential discrimination.
- Discipline: AI replaces human effort or provides rewards, creating job insecurity or stress.
AI Systems as Recommendation Systems (Calclusions)
AI processes data through categorization, pattern recognition, extrapolation, and optimization. These recommendations may be treated as decisions
Paradox of AI
AI enhances human abilities, but reliance on AI increases the need for responsible human oversight, creating a feedback loop where both are necessary for proper decision-making
Unethical AI Usage
● Malicious Intent: AI used for self-serving, exploitative purposes.
● Technological Solutionism: The belief that technology alone can solve all societal problems.
● Children’s Diseases: Early development flaws in AI that might/might not improve with progress.
Use of Language and AI Anthropomorphization
Treating AI as if it possesses human-like qualities can lead to misconceptions about its capabilities and ethical limitations
