Bess and Dee Volume 1 Chapter 1

Organizational Theory 

Organizational theory can be defined as "the study of organizations for the benefit of identifying common themes for the purpose of solving problems, maximizing efficiency and productivity, and meeting the needs of stakeholders." (Barzilai, 2011)

Organizational theory for higher education is a key component of an overall successful institution. Converging trends of competition for students, lower government funding, and accountability have enhanced the importance of an efficient and productive organizational strategy.



Three Perspectives of Organizational Theory: 

 1. The Positivist Perspective:

<span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">This paradigm states there is an objective organizational reality separate from the observer’s perspective that can be discovered by observation, analysis, and verification of others. The objective is to explain, predict ,and control or intervene to maximize the organization (Nadler & Tushman, 1997).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in">

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> 2. <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">The Social Construction Perspective:

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">The construct believes organizations are created by humans, individually and in groups (Berger & Luckmann, 1966; Weick, 1969, 1995). Organizational reality is created and reshaped every day from interpersonal interactions. Senge (1990) created the concept of “mental modes,” in which members must be aware of their own lens and how they view the organization in different lights.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in">

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> 3. <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">The Postmodern Perspective:

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">The postmodern view builds upon the social construct in that it rejects positivist perspective and critically questions thoughts of modern life. The theory suggests that human experience is segmented. Knowledge is gained across many experiences and cannot be lumped into one generalization across many contexts. Predicting the future based on the past is not possible (Hirschhorn, 1997).

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">References

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">Barzilai, K. (2009). Organizational theory. Case Western Reserve University.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">http://www.cwru.edu/med/epidbio/mphp439/Organizational_Theory.htm. Retrieved November 26, 2012.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">Berger, P., & Luckmann, T. (2003). The social construction of reality. Garden City, NJ:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">Doubleday.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">Bess, J. & Dee, J. (2008). Understanding College and University Organization: Theories For          

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">''            Effective Policy and Practice. ''Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri">Bolman, Lee G.; Deal, Terrence E. (2008). Reframing organizations artistry, choice, and 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri">leadership <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri"> (4th ed.). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Davidson, M., Dove, L., &Weltz J. (1999). ''Mental Modes and Usability. ''Cognative Psychology.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">New York, NY: McGraw Hill. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">Hirschhorn, L. (1997). Reworking authority: Leading and following in a postmodern 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt">''<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">organization. ''<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt"> Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">Nadler, D.A., & Tushman, M.L. (1997). A general diagnostic model for organizational behavior:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">Applying a congruence perspective. In J.R. Hackman, E.E. Lawler III, & L. W. Porter

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">(Eds.), Perspectives on behavior in organizations (2nd ed., pp. 112-124). New York:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">McGraw-Hill.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">Senge, P. (1990). The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization,

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt">Doubleday, New York, 1990.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Weick, K. (1969). The social psychology of organizing (1st ed.). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Weick, K. (1995). Sensemaking in organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.