Structuration Theory Flashcards
Who came up with the theory of structuration?
Anthony Giddens (1978)
What does Giddens say in regards to organizations and Structuration?
Organization is not a concrete entity.
1) It is constructed through interaction through times with goals.
What is structure as outcome?
When the organization is constructed through interaction through times with goals.
- how class works, where the tables and chairs are, lecture, notes, drink, notebook, pen
What is structure as a medium?
Structure is always a process, the structure as outcome guides and constrains interactions.
What taken together is the duality of structure?
Structure as outcome and structure as medium
What is the duality of structure?
Structure (organization) is both a medium and outcome of social practices (interaction)
What are the assumptions of the duality of structure?
Knowledgeable agents
Agency
Unintended consequences
What is a knowledgeable agent?
A person in the organization who has the ability to act. As people interact, they know their actions serve to maintain or change the current structure (sitting in the same spot in class)
What are the types of consciousness under KA?
People can have:
Practical consciousness where:
- The agent is not easily able to explain how or why they do something
- Can observe their routinized patterns (hard to articulate what you do at work)
Discursive consciousness:
-Agent can explain easily (highlighter helps you study)
What is agency?
Choice or action: at any point in time the agent could have acted otherwise (sat somewhere else in class)
What are the unintended consequences of the theory of structuration?
We cannot always control/predict how others will respond to our actions (get knocked down on sidewalk, meet someone on sidewalk)
