Organisational Theories in Business Management - Term Paper Example

? "The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment." Warren G. Bennis (American Business Professor) Technology will determine the future for organizations Name Course Tutor Date Introduction It is widely believed that technology is the main driver of social change in this 21st century due to the number of various technological inventions. The relationship between technology and social change is symbiotic thus providing a bright future for most of the technical advances. In order to perform well in this knowledge economy, most of the organizations are being forced to adapt technological changes to ensure sustainability within their operations. The organizations also require their employees to be technological savvy so that they can cope up with rapidly evolving technologically driven environment. The future of organization is thus expected to be very different in terms of its operations form the current due to rapidly changing technological driven environment. Modernism (Ontology: Objectivism) This theory focuses on organization as an independent objective thus taking a positive approach in generating knowledge which is vital in increasing efficiency. This theory focuses on an organization as a community sustained through human relationships and use of subjective ontology in most of the everyday activities. This implies that instead of man treat organizations as webs of meaning that are jointly created and not as objects to be measured and analysed hence exploring meaning to realities made possible by those who participate in them. Post modernism generates health scepticism towards dominant theory hence licensing individuals to try something different most of the time (Melaney, 2001). The organization culture is the collection of values and norms that people in a company share thus controlling the way in which individuals interact with one another in their day to day activities. The values represent beliefs and ideas especially in the organization goals which workers pursue thus achieving them in a particular pattern and behaviour which often differ from one person to another. These values over time develop norms and guidelines together with expectations that determine the behaviour of employees which in turn affects the behaviour of the management towards them. The organizational culture in most cases spans form the top management downwards thereby acting as a control mechanism which shapes the behaviour of the employees at different levels of management thus establishing organization behaviour. This promotes the employees effectiveness through mutual understanding between individuals and groups with the ultimate goal of achieving the best results for the company. This provides a continuous system in which employees work harmoniously thus controlling themselves while adhering to the norms of the company. This theory also focuses on how organization members make meaning and role that determine the direction of workplace. The art of moving cultural symbols is predominantly made by the press and the politicians thus changes the meaning of situations and locations in which they occur. The postmodern cultural studies often go beyond fragmentation assumption by asserting that reality is an illusion that aims to suppress and marginalize those who do not accept and support the dominant view. According to this theory, organization culture is just one more from form those in power to mask their manipulation and control of others thus leading to destructions (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006). Critical theory (Epistemology) This theory is an approach developed by Frankfurt school in Germany and it holds that every society is totality in which each feature is essentially connected with others constituted by forms of beliefs and understanding in the society. The theory argues that atomism and objectivism are false, the epistemology of critical theory combines historical materialism, Freudian psychoanalysis and hermeneutics thus are more historical and unconsciously situated hence more reflective about the premises for the development of the theories. Epistemology is the subject of second problem which favour postmodern social theory supported by foundational claims which move in the direction of anti-foundation narratives. This theory calls for intervening into events and conflicts through relating the narratives of participants in the conflicts. The theory minimizes the difference between lay and the expert knowledge and thus asserts that the critical social theory is a specialized practice in the modern world. The problem is that anything is permissible so long as the claim doesn’t involve the presumption of the foundations of its own truth. This theory can be reduced to the role of the propagandist who recounts the narrative on behalf of the participants in the struggle for a common goal and objective. Past modernism (Methodology) This theory focuses on organization as an independent objective and takes a positivist approach in generating knowledge designed to increase efficiency. With more and more advances still witnessed in the field of technology, it’s quite uncertain where this advancement in technology is likely to take the modern man. The organizational management is designing means and methods of ensuring that technology is maximally utilized in most of its operations so that they become cost effective. Social constructed theories (Symbolic interpretation) Besides the literal meaning to these theories, there is always a deeper meaning to that can be expressed form them to come up with symbolic interpretation. These deeper meaning may be spiritual, moral or symbolic but they always give the view of true interpretations which is often different from the literal meaning. It’s believed that a society makes goals with good intentions that all members can enjoy but the truth is that only a fraction of them always enjoy form such benefits. Most of those who enjoy the benefits of societal achievement come from the elite class going down in the hierarchical order thus some social groups in the lower hierarchy are highly disadvantaged. In most societies, wealth acquisition is the goal of most individuals but the goal is less achieved by the non-elite members in the society who have limited access to socializing institutions and cultural capital. This implies that for individuals who are poor and live in slums have limited access to education and economic network opportunities thus will not adequately benefit from the advancement in technology (Cameron & Quinn, 2005). Resistance of modernism (Critical theory) Some scholars argue that modernism changes nothing in its endless efforts to bring in numerous developments in terms of technology. Modernism also comes with it a lot of investment which often consumes a lot of time and resources in attempt to make breakthroughs in the scientific field. This means that modernism mostly benefits the developed countries more that under developed countries due to disparity in resource mobilization. Modernism is associated with ignoring the truth of the real human suffering while taking the assumption that everything is technologically grounded and thus should be solved technically. Modernism brings with it a lot of information form the technological advancement which in some cases brings in confusion as to which is right or wrong thus seriously affecting the lives of most members in the society. The rich cultural norms are quickly disappearing with the embrace of modernism which is always overlooked to be good than the traditional cultural settings. Modernism is also associated with selfishness of individuals where there is less concern of the other person due to mad rush to achieve own selfish goals. This can lead to negative behaviour such as rime among the disadvantaged youth who are desperate to achieve their ever demanding desires (Parker, 1995). Technology will determine future of organization Sociologist view of technology is the impetus for the most fundamental of social trends and transformation in the current set up. This calls for a clear understanding of the role of technology in the economy and the society so that people can fully benefit from such a transformation. With the major breakthroughs in science especially in the field of information and communication technologies, the way in which society and businesses are managed is expected to change drastically. Modernism and Technology The modern set up is characterized with increased use of technology in most of its applications with the aim of simplifying interaction process. In the modern era, it’s highly believed that technology is the main solution to most of the existing problems. This is why most organizations are heavily investing in information and communication technologies together with other advanced technologies in their operations. It’s highly believed that technology is the major driving force behind modernism thus the two exists mutually and thus none can exist without the other. This implies that for the modern man, technology is part and parcel of his undertakings both economically and socially (Volti, 2012). Symbolic interpretivism of technology Technology is expected to determine the direction the world will take both culturally and materially due to the first speed in which it’s picking up. Technology is expected to dictate the way that man relates with one another and also the way that man relates with the world. Since technology is slowly but surely taking its place in the society, man should be careful in embracing it lest he suffers from the negative consequences that may arise from it. Technology and Science The relationship between technology and science is evident due to most of the outcomes witnessed in the 21st century. Most of the organizations are employing technological measure to maximize their output and to increase efficiency. This is proving beneficial and thus most of the organizations are investing heavily on latest technological inventions with the view of maximizing their output in the long run. This strong belief that science and technology is beneficial to organization is the major driving fore behind the latest and advanced technological inventions. The widespread use of information and communication is shaping the direction in which most business transactions takes place and the organization management now and the future. The use of computer technologies is causing revolution to the economies on a large scale than is expected and this brings with it a lot of desired changes in the production and market system. The information society coms with it a lot of changes in the manner in which people consume leisure, relationships, education among others besides providing employment opportunities (Volti, 2006). Technology Determinism Technological changes shape new social norms in the modern world and this has seen a significant growth and disruptions of past expectations. Science and technology provides rich resources for understanding technology as a social technical product which is essential for the development of an organization. With the experience of globalization, there is an increased thirst for the societies to develop and acquire more advanced ways of doing business and enhancing transactions between different diverse groups. This is highly facilitated by the intensity, extensity and velocity of global flows and interactions which are beneficial especially to the global economy. Technological changes is also shaped by the social circumstances in which its placed thus demonstrating that technological artefacts are socially shaped. The sociology of technology in their design and technical content are important in determining the direction the society takes with respects to its organizations (Wajcman, 2002). Critical Theory Modern man fundamentally views reality in several various contexts which in turn shapes individual psyche and personality. The unconscious theory is a complex illustration of motivation by man in behaviour and proposition that determines the outcomes and the perception of different things. The unconscious move by man is manifested in his dreams and fantasies which fills the human wants and desires in the society (Baron & Greenberg, 2005). Politics and the economy transform what a modern man looks vies the world and make judgments form his undertakings. The increase in science and technology in in today’s organization is radically changing the means of production which in turn affects the social status of individuals in the society. With such a huge increase in technology, the politics of the day also comes to influence such enormous developments in the society. The indication that technological prudence interprets to political rationality has a long ancestry before the dawn of computer age which brought a lot of changes in modern society. The role of market liberalism has been replaced by new modernist technocrat ideology which has come with a lot of changes in the modern world. The scientization of politics is leading to the view that political problems are technical problems hence need expert advice on how to solve such problems (Baron & Greenberg, 2005). Post Modernism The future of human organization is quite uncertain despite numerous efforts by man to devise a clear path leading future organization. In the post modernism, man is expected to be highly developed and experienced than the present man. Most of the developments is expected to come from science and technology in an attempt to simplify production process and maximize profits. Man is also expected to be highly organized and self-reliant in fulfilling his needs in the ever demanding society (Cameron & Quinn, 2005). The future is quite uncertain but considering the trends especially in the information and technology, there is a lot of room for improvements which man and his aggressive nature is expected to fulfil. Some philosophers have come critically to analyse post modernism by arguing that its meaningless and promotes obscurantism hence it adds nothing to analytical and empirical knowledge (Burell, 1994). In conclusion, it is quite evident that the direction of the future organization will be determined by technological advancement which will be very different from the present organization. Therefore it is possible that the future factory will have a man feeding the dog who will be responsible for keeping the man form touching the equipment. References Baron, R. A. and Greenberg, J. (2005). Behavior in organizations - 9th edition. Pearson Education Inc., New Jerry and Public Management Thompson Wadsworth Burell, G. (1994). Modernism, Postmodernism and Organizational Analysis 4: The Contribution of Jurgen Habermas. Organization Studies; vol. 15, 1: pp. 1-19. Cameron K. S. & Quinn R. E. (2005). Diagnosing and changing organizational culture: Based on the competing values framework. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Hatch, M.J. and Cunliffe, A. (2006) Organization Theory: Modern, Symbolic, and Postmodern Perspectives. Oxford: OUP Oxford Melaney. W.D. (2001) After Ontology: Literary Theory and Modernist Poetics. Albany, NY: State U of New York P,. x + 260 pp. Parker, M. (1995). Critique in the Name of What? Postmodernism and Critical Approaches to Organization. Organization Studies; vol. 16, 4: pp. 553-564. Volti, R., (2006), Society and Technological Change, Fifth Edition, Worth, New York, pp. 271-274 and 287-295. Volti, R., (2012), An Introduction to the Sociology of Work and Occupations, Sage, Thousand Oaks, pp.77-94. Wajcman, J., (2002), “Addressing Technological Change: The Challenge to Social Theory”, Current Sociology, 50:347, pp.347-362. Read More