lecture5
TRANSCRIPT
The Structure(s) of Work
The Ideal Type
The Ideal Type
• A heuristic device
• A conceptually pure but realistically impossible construct
• Meant as a contrast to real-world scenarios
• ‘Ideal type’ bureaucracy / rationality not about efficiency ~ Weber
<Bureaucratic Dysfunctions>
Organisations in THEORY are:
• Efficiently functioning systems
• Collectivities united by pursuit of common goal
• Objective and systematically created group(s) of people with clearly defined and mutually compatible roles and interests, working together to achieve a consensual vision
but in PRACTICE?
Exercise #1
Revealing the unofficial / informal side of organisation
Organisational Contradictions
Formal Rationality vs.Material Rationality
The Jobsworth Problem
Culture
“Rites” and “Rituals”
Legend / Myth
Consulting Firm• Jargon – ‘dingdongdingdong’• Artifacts - • Rituals – coffee-making, writing first proposal, first client
presentation, first oversease project, etc.• Myths – who’s sleeping with who?• Sagas – how Petronas project was won…• Heroes – Kevin Hew (top Principal graduated from
Canada)• Norms – the “friendly firm”• Good / bad actions – winning project, pissed off partner’s
secretary• Rewards and punishments – overseas trip, assigned to
department X, ‘scribal’ duty, unassigned, ‘training’
Banking Software Company• Jargon – source-code• Artifacts – boarding pass• Rituals –• Myths – intellect of Goh Peng Ooi• Sagas – • Heroes – country managers and project
managers• Norms – late nights• Good / bad actions – staying late, never
questioning project managers, • Rewards and punishments – bonuses, cold
storaged
Private International School
• Jargon – sugar daddy, • Artifacts – gifts for dignataries, new cars,• Rituals – 6 hour meetings on Friday(!)• Myths – events involving boss,• Sagas – surviving lawsuit• Heroes – anyone performing above norm• Norms – no one questions leaders, talk about
vision in public,• Good / bad actions – protocol for GOH,• Rewards and punishments – cold storage,
overseas conferences
Cayce’s job?
Micropolitics
If true power does NOT reside in ‘bureaucracy’ and formal rationality,
then in where does it lie?
Do you have a gift to share?
Can you resolve scenarios for which
no manual was written?
Have you silenced the lizard brain?
<The Post-Bureaucratic
Organisation?>
Outsourcing
Independent Teams
Virtual
Marketization
Marketization of the Firm
• Teams have their own P&Ls’, revenue targets and even acquire businesses i.e. they’re a “business within a business”
• Teams can reject the offerings of other departments
• Teams encouraged to compete with each other (for business) in the department
• Teams seek outside sources of revenue