Ontological or Epistemological Organisational Structure

Ontological or Epistemological Organisational StructureOrganizations Structure Modern / emblematical and Post- Modern perspectivesThere argon many antithetic offices at looking at plaques, with apiece way producing a different insight, familiarity, and perspective. Depending on the ontological as hearty epistemological assumptions, different theories and perspectives may seem to apply interrupt. The essay will focus on the similarities and differences between the theories through with(predicate) the models of brotherly organise in an geological formation.From the philosophical ontological point of overtake, the modernist sees the material and social world as consisting of coordinates that exist, regardless of soulfulnessistic aw arness. For example, the hierarchy of an organization is regarded as a social fact even if people ar non aware of it.Organizations should work like machines, using people, resources, as their parts. With the key design of building the b est machines to maintenance organizations productive. (Han van Diest. 2008)As such, the modernist approach to an organization commode be considered as a well designed, organise entity. Operating organisational success is considered to be the result of well-organized establishments that keep people / machines busy and costs nether control. (Han van Diest. 2008)On the other end of the spectrum, the postmodernist would argue that the social world external to individual support is made up of nothing more than mere names, concepts and labels which are then used to go a bodily structured reality. (Burrell and Morgan 1979) Supporters of the postmodernist argue that organizations are imagined entities. A core idea in postmodernism is that we are always making sense of our omniscient reality through a pair of imaginative supply glasses based on such factors as our present desire in a given(p) situation, our past experiences, our values and culture, our understanding of what is rea l, and so forth. It is never possible to take the glasses off all in all and view the world impartially. (Inkeles A. 1983.)Taking a more balanced stand in the spectrum, a symbolical interpretative perception would be that social reality is establishd through communicative interaction between groups of people. social reality is not a reality or set of facts existing prior to homophile activity. We create our social world through our run-in, symbols and behavioral actions. (Steven R Corman, marshall Scott Poole 2000)As expressive forms representative of human consciousness, organizations are understood and analyzed not mainly in economic or material price but in terms of their expressive ideas and symbolism. (Smircich 1983 347-8). (Hatch, Mary J. and Cunliffe, Ann L., 2006)Structure of an OrganizationWhile defining an organization from nuts and bolts point of view such as objects, buildings and elements, one of the key aims of a modernist perspective is to meter the organiz ational social structure to find out how to improve and contrive the ideal organization. (Hatch, Mary J. and Cunliffe, Ann L., 2006) by research and past studies of various organizations, it was found that there is a strong relationship between the familiar/external environment and the social structure of an organization in both a cross-tabulated or correspond way. Influences may include the size or bureaucratic structure of the organization. (Lex Donaldson 2001).The organizational environment has a contain effect on organizational structure, such that unstable environment produce an organic structure system that screw react and adapt more quickly, while in the opposite scenario, produces a mechanistic system. The better the match, the higher the effectiveness of the organization. (e.g., Burns Stalker, 1961 Pennings,1975). (Shmuel Ellis, Tamar Almor, Oded Shenkar 2002)The modernist also views the organization through its social structuration. As routines, habits and rules are real through the mutual interaction and influences between the workers and organization, a structural system is created, re-created and mediated at heart the organizationa. Realizing that the dominance and its structures are both conditions and outcomes of the actions of human action, social relations and practices deep down the organization (Cohen, 1989, Giddens, 1984), social structure is therefore viewed not a dead entity, but a social construction created and maintained by social practices. (Jennifer Wheeler-Brooks 2009)Again, although the organization structure provides the setting, in which workers fulfill and complete their daily task, the relationship between them, is not cast in stone, as employees remain as intimacyable, responsive workers who have the ability to choose their have behaviors and thus either continuing or modifying the organization through their actions and behavior.It is also important to note that the modernists view on social structure comprises thr ee mutually supportive dualities of structures and agency (workers), namely signification, domination, and legitimation. Although these three are inseparable in practice (Giddens, 1979, 1984), (Giddens, 1979, 1984), they may be analyzed separately.Structures of signification are institutionalized interpretative schemes that allocate meaning to peoples actions, such as beliefs, and language. Structures of legitimation are organization norms, constituted in the tacitly understood moral and social obligations (Clegg, 1989). Structures of domination are the institutionalized acquisition of power (Giddens, 1984). This can be in the form of, resources domination involving the structured distribution of material resources, such as products, services including right wing of access and deployment of such resources, as well as institutionalized authority relationships. (Giddens, 1984 Whittington, 1992)By concentrating on the discontinuities and ever-changing patterns of behavior and relation ships of an organization, one cannot help but question and probe deeper on the relationship between agency and structure. (Giddens 1979 Reed 1997). (Paula Jarzabkowski 2008)It can therefore also be said that formal structures have symbolic as well as action producing attributes. Structures can become injected with socially shared meanings, and thus, apart to their functional roles, can serve to share and bring information about the organization both internally and externally. A symbolic interpretation can therefore help provide a new and different perspective into the causes and consequences of structure within an organization. (Tolbert and Zucker, 1996, p. 177). (Van de Ven, Andrew H. Dooley, Kevin Holmes, Michael E. 2004)The symbolic interpretive perceives that the emergence of the organization social structure needs to include social interaction and human consciousness through social practices, routines and community interaction.Through the build up of ideas, knowledge and action s of people, a routine is birth and rebirth in response to new experiences observed. (Levitt and March, 1988) Routines may include organizational rules, roles, conventions, strategies, structures, cultural practices and capabilities. (Martin Schulz 2002)It is therefore incorrect to think of organizations as only departments or system units. Interpersonal understanding is the crux of any organization as it creates structures and foundations which can then affect what needs to be done, who to do it and what to do after that. (Robert Lawrence Heath, Jennings Bryant 2000)Organizations are adaptable to their environments in ways such as creating jobs for specific occasions, purposes or people and evaluating and deciding to continue or discontinue the job, based on the new requirement and knowledge acquired. (Miner (1987, 1991). (Martin Schulz 2002)The Symbolic interpretive views the social structure of an organization through the process of knowledge transference within the organization . (Davenport and Prusak, 1996 Choo, 1998) Knowledge, symbolism and best-practice transfers within and between organizations is not a one-sided activity, but an ongoing process of sharing, involving exam and error, feedback, and the mutual adjustment of both the sender and receiver of knowledge. (Szulanski, 1996 Powell, 1998 Kaeser, 2001). (Georg von Krogh 2003)It is also viewed that the chief feature of human organization is the use of language and symbolism (including the attribution of meaning to things and making sense of the world). (Robert Cooper 1989)From the Symbolic interpretive perspective, language such as the use of words, shared vocabulary, the way workers speak about their organization, use of slangs and jargons can also be used to define the social structure within the organization.Such groups of people, Communities of practice, cohere together due to similar passion for their skills and knowledge, and through regular interaction in order, develop a tacit understandin g and meaning with one another, thus enhancing the social structure within an organization. (Etienne Wenger, Richard Arnold Mcdermott, William Snyder, 2002)The foundational perspectives of postmodernism are that the individuals in the organization do not have an independent consciousness but needs inter- communion with others to develop an identity. Meanings are not given prior to communication but arise from it and are context-dependent meanings, structure and language are considered temporary due to the ever-changing environment and developments. (Bart Nooteboom, 1992)Where modern organizations favour bureaucratic structures that emphasis on roles, rules and procedures, postmodern organizations prefers a more democratic approach and views that are informal and based on mutual agreement. analyze to modern organizations that favour separation of functions and departments, postmodern organizations favour de-differentiation of those elements. This allows the creation of multi-skilled worker that can break handed-down structural boundaries and inflexible work processes. (Steve May, Dennis K. Mumby 2004)The social structure of an organization is viewed simply as a criticism of the built commitment of individuals to help develop a set of rules for the organization in order to drop dead in the ever changing postmodern era. (Jim Barry, 2000)Drawing much from the philosophies of language of (the later) Wittgenstein (1976) and de Saussure (1979), in Postmodernism, communication rather than consciousness is viewed as the backbone of knowledge, and hence the philosophy of language occupies a central position. run-in are not longer interpreted as names of objects or properties (meanings, concepts) that are given prior to language unlike in the Symbolic interpretive perspective. (Bart Nooteboom, 1992)Language reveals the organizational reality by demo that it is a process that involuntarily includes its internal differences and conflicts. The social structure of the organization is always in distract caused by threats and internal fighting. Organizations should therefore be viewed appropriately based on sense, intellect and logical context. This is rattling much unlike the modern thinking of the notion of an organization stability. (Robert Cooper 1989)However, despite the difference of language opinions, postmodernists still follow the fundamental social structure similar to that of the symbolic interpretive in that interaction between people does not arise from a fixed structural identity, but is formed through interaction between people. In the words of Lyotard The self by itself does not amount to much, but it is not isolated. It is taken up in a tissue of relations which is more complex and mobile than ever. It always finds itself in a nexus in communication circuits, however small.(1979, p. 59, authors translation). (Bart Nooteboom, 1992)In conclusion, although the three perspectives differ in their interpretation and views on the dimens ion of an organizational structure, it can be agreed that all perspectives recognize the splendour of the social structure of an organization as the key building block that forms the organization. Blau (1977 1) The study of social structure centres attention on the distribution of people among different positions and their social associations.Through the study of structural effectuate of the various perspectives, we are able to understand the spirit, character and characteristics of social structure within an organization, as well as the effects and outcomes it carries by looking at factors such as formal organization chart, separate positions within the structure, relationships among task-relevant roles, languages games used, differentiation, inter-communication, etc.Thus having a good understanding of the different perspectives and applying a mixture of different theories in the right context and environment will help to strengthen the organization as a whole and provide a bett er picture of what an organization is and why things are happening the way they are.ReferenceAndrew H, Dooley, Holmes, Kevin, Michael E, Van de Ven, Handbook of organisational Change and Innovation Cary, NC, USA Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2004. p 179.Bart Nooteboom, A Postmodern Philosophy of Markets, Int. 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