How Techniques of Rationalisation Increase Efficiency and Control - Essay Example

DRAFT Introduction Rationalization is an idyllic form and a historical force that is synonymous with the writings of Max Weber. He considers development of rational forms as being among the most significant aspects of development in the Western Societies and capitalism, while perceiving conventional and charismatic forms as being irrational. Being non-rational is depend on religion, the supernatural or magic as a means of elucidating the social world where authority may also originate from these. Even though these aspects may not have a particular systematic form of development, they may depend on personal insight, emotions, revelations and feelings, which are factors that are non-rational in nature. On the other hand, rationality is comprised of a set of social actions that are informed by reason or thought, calculation and rational seeking of an individual’s interest. Rationality forms a significant part of rational-legal authorities with a number of aspects that are considered by Weber as factors of rationality. Activities in the economic circle or in formal firms like institutions of higher learning possess most of these characteristics and most of them may be perceived as examples of rationality including, efficiency, calculability, predictability, control over uncertainty and non-human technology. These codes of rationality are applicable to numerous activities and action in economic circles with similar principles emerging in the contemporary society in majority of the areas such as religion, music, administration and sports among other areas. Actions and firms that are governed by rationality may result in an overall rationality of the system in general; however, this is not an obligatory outcome. For instance, economic studies demonstrate the manner in which numerous producers who act rationally in order to maximize their profits may end up producing too many products. Consequently, the implications for people involved in systems that were formally rational may often be appropriate. Weber saw rationality as being a necessity for organizations to operate in an efficient manner while at the same time perceiving that rationality would take over more areas of the society. Additionally, he had the fear that this would create more controls over the actions of individuals, hindering charm and tradition and providing limited alternatives for human activities to be creative. Main features of early rational organizations The contemporary organization theory is based on concepts that were developed at the beginning of the industrial revolution through the late 1800 and at the turn of the century. Research that was done by Max Weber is the most important during this time, as had the conviction that bureaucracies were the perfect type of organization. Weber’s model bureaucracy was founded in absolute and legal authority, order and logic where in the organizational structure, workers’ responsibilities were clearly defined and conduct was strictly regulated through rules, procedures and policies. Similar to others in the same period, the theories of organizations developed by Weber addressed impersonal attitudes towards the people within the organization. Undeniably, the employees, with their personal weaknesses and inadequacies were considered as potential detriments to the competence of the system. Even though at present his theories are seen as automatous and outmoded, Weber’s perception of bureaucracy was the source of significant insight in the conception of efficiency of processes, authority and division of labor during that era. Henri Fayol is another person who made significant contributions to the organization theory and is credited with the identification of strategic planning, recruitment of staff, and motivation of workers as well as guidance of employees as being critical management functions that create and nourish an effective organization. The theories created by Weber and Fayol were broadly applied in the early and mid-twentieth century partly as a consequence of the influence of Fredrick Taylor who outlined and implemented theories on the floors of factories in America. He is recognized with assisting to develop a definition of the role of training, selection of employees, work standards and wage incentives in the performance of organizations. Researchers started adopting a less mechanical perspective of organizations and focused more on human influences in the thirties. This development was inspired by a number of studies that illuminated the purposes of human fulfillment in firms. The most renowned of this is probably what was referred to as Hawthorn studies that were conducted under Elton Mayo’s direction in the twenties and thirties at Hawthorn works, an electric company. The company sought to determine the level to which the working conditions could have an impact on output of employees. Amazingly, the studies were not able to demonstrate any considerable positive connection between the condition of the workplace and productivity. For instance, in one of the studies, the productivity of workers rose when there was increased lighting, but also rose when the light was decreased. The outcomes of the study showed that intrinsic forces of human conduct may have a bigger effect on organizations compared to automatous incentive systems. The Hawthorn studies along with other efforts towards organizational research in same period emphasized on the significance of personal and group interactions, social connections as well as humanistic management skills in the workplace. Rationalization in contemporary organizations McDonaldization is a word that was used by George Ritzer, a sociologist, in the book The McDonaldization of Society, which considers the term as a re-intellectualization of rationalization or the movement from conventional to rational forms scientific management and thought. As far as sociology is concerned, rationalization entails replacing emotions, values and traditions as the motivators for the manner in which people behave in the society with practical and calculated ones. Max Weber utilized this classic bureaucracy to denote the direction of this evolving society while Ritzer considers the fast food restaurant as having developed into more representative modern paradigm in the modern societies with McDonalds serving as the case model for this specific process in the nineties. Globalization in relation to rational organizations Globalization is a process that entails international integration, which arises from interchanges in world perspectives, commodities, ideologies and other dynamics of culture. Advancements in telecommunication and transport infrastructure, such as the invention of the telegraph and the consequent development of the internet are some of the key factors of globalization as they generate more interdependence between cultural and economic activities. Those in support of globalization state that it assists developing countries to reach the same standards as the industrialized countries at a much faster rate through more employment opportunities and advancements in technology. On the other hand, critics are of the opinion that it weakens national independence while enabling the richer countries to ship their domestic jobs abroad to the nations where labor is comparatively cheaper. It is important to note that technology has been integral in making globalization possible. The view of organizations as well as that of organizational members in regards to rationalization varies significantly with numerous employees of organizations perceiving rationalization processes as a threat because they have concerns about their income as well as security of their jobs. Organizational members consider the rationalization process as threatening their current skillsets as well as their proficiency in the field. As a result of a lack of cooperation from employees, along with large negative responses against policy makers who deal with globalization, there has been skepticism in regards to the benefits of globalization particularly since this is connected to the labor market even though managements view it as inevitable for the existence of organizations. This conflict in perception therefore affects the future direction of planning in the organization and performance excellence of various departments in the organization. The experiences of developing newer technologies have been varied in the emerging economies and developing nations and studies on rationalization continue to give mixed impressions to the process of rationalization. According to numerous researchers report that changes in technology is followed by observable and instantaneous impacts on organizational processes such as the structure of the organization, knowledge and skillsets required as well as attitudes and conduct of the workers. Considerable changes in one or more of the above aspects results in apparent or actual psychological threats of job displacements, decrease in the disruptions of social arrangements of economic security and a redefining of authoritative relationships. All of these pose threats to social and psychological status of employees and further cause opposition to change. In the evolving business situation, all the organizations experience the challenges resulting from the new international economic order and in dealing with the new demands. Improvements in technology are among the strategies that have been embraced by most of the organizations towards the improvement of their products and maintaining their position in the market. In various places, the whole view on technology has been regulated by controls on the economy as well as an emphasis on self-dependence with these considerations governing the economic and industrial policies of the countries. The newer technologies need knowledge, retaining and new attitudes as far as work is concerned. The process needs interdependence and suppleness in operations, thus the operatives have to make the assumption that responsibility for costs and quality requires new perspectives and attitudes towards work. The organization has to find ways of developing strategies that will encourage changes in working habits in managerial and operations positions. Conclusion The actual achievement of these possibilities will be subject to various factors that include social acceptance of changes, the degree of the changes as well investments in infrastructure, drivers of markets, hurdles, technological breakthroughs and developments. Since these dynamics vary throughout the globe, the ramifications and effects of globalization will vary, particularly in the developing nations. Need for rationalization varies from one industry to the other with technological developments and innovation being relatively more frequent in the manufacturing industry compared to the infrastructural sectors. In the dawn of industrialization and globalization, it is important to tune production processes as well as the quality of products to match global standards. Numerous researchers have stated the ramifications of technological changes and its effects on the socio technical systems and everyone should strive to understand the process of change while acting as a catalyst for efficient rationalization in the relevant industry. Managers are supposed to act as change agents when planning implementation processes of businesses and technologies. Additionally, they should communicate the desired ramifications of rationalization processes to the rest of the employees as well as trade unions to make sure that they take part in the process of change. Managers should further appreciate the global changes and ensure their skillsets and knowledge is up to the needed standards to ensure profits and surplus in the organization through a motivated and cooperative workforce. Read More