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  • Essay / Exploring organizational paradigms

    Organizations shape our lives. They have an influence on our lives, our freedom and our behavior. Organization theory is a social science that attempts to understand the behavior of organizations. Organization theory is a set of prepositions that explain how organizations relate to and manage particular environmental factors. Furthermore, organizational theories aim to find solutions to possible problems in an organization or to increase the capabilities of the organization. Organization theory finds ways to develop organizations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Modernism There are three main paradigms in organization theory. These are modern, postmodern and symbolic interpretations. All have a different approach to organizational studies. These paradigms work for different causes and therefore use different methods to study behavior. This essay will give brief information on each paradigm, talk about their ontology and epistemology. The behavior of organizational members of each paradigm will also be discussed. Next, the essay will talk about the best ways to study behavior by giving examples from the members and their studies. Additionally, this essay will compare the objectives and purpose of each medium paradigm. Modernist society underwent major changes in the 19th century. Some of these changes are urbanization and the industrial revolution. Due to the industrial revolution, society experienced certain developments. These developments are: large groups of humans working together, workers starting to work with machines, industry growing rapidly, and businesses facing testing. With these developments, researchers sought a way to organize people, maximize manufacturing, and manage large groups. In order to find solutions to these problems, it has become important to maximize efficiency and manufacturing. Theories have been developed for administration and increasing efficiency. This era in the world is called modernism. Modernism understands nature through the human intellectual. Additionally, the modernist angle is to use the five senses rather than emotions. This paradigm claims that the only way to be accurate is through rationality. Modernism in organization theory values ​​statistics in order to make a rational decision. Modernists believe in objectivism because only scientific research methods can produce unbiased, objective, and numerical results. Modernist ontology is realistic and its epistemology is positivist. A modernist organization focuses on performance. Its main objective is to increase production. Employees are therefore subject to surveillance. When it comes to employment, modernism in organization theory uses scientific methods. Modernist organizations are highly disciplined and fully controlled. These rules affect the behavior of its organizational members because they must focus on the efficiency and development of the organization. During this time, they are not allowed to express their thoughts and complaints. This is why modernism has a “bad side”. It does not focus on members' ideas. Modernist Theories The first example of a theory is called scientific management theory. However, this is called "Taylorism" in the literature. Taylorism refers to Frederick W. Taylor's views on management. According tothis theory, scientific methods must be used to study the behavior of organizational members. Founder of the theory, Taylor is an engineer who values ​​efficiency. He studied the movements of iron workers to find ways to maximize production. Through his studies of movement in organization, he laid the foundation for this theory. Scientific management theory mentions that workers should be supervised and assigned tasks according to their abilities. Another theory is called bureaucratic theory, founded by Max Weber. This theory focuses on organizational structure. Weber believed that organizations should resemble government. He did not believe in a charismatic leader. He believes that employees should be assigned roles based on their abilities. Weber's bureaucracy has a hierarchical structure, meaning that lower-ranking employees must answer to a higher-ranking employee. Additionally, he believed that employees and managers should have a professional relationship rather than a personal one. Management style in Weber's idea of ​​bureaucracy is defined by rules, the rules are written for each employee, and there are also rules for unexpected situations. Symbolic Interpretation Symbolic interpretivism has a different perspective. His point of view is subjective. Symbolic interpretation is a relativist ontology and its epistemology, the nature of knowledge, is interpretivist. The symbolic refers to slogans, interactions and meanings. Symbolic meanings influence behavior. For example, a designer outfit costs a lot more than a regular outfit. However, wearing a designer outfit attracts more people, which gives them confidence, which is why people continue to buy designer clothes rather than regular clothes. Symbolic interpretation explains how humans define the outcome of their experiences. He searches for the hidden meanings of employees’ actions. Additionally, it helps people understand what is right and what is wrong. Compared to modernism, symbolic interpretation is subjective and its perspective goes beyond the five senses. According to my workshop notes (Revision and Essay Plan, December 2018), it seeks "first-hand" knowledge and uses qualitative research methods to study behavior. Therefore, the symbolic interpretive perspective states that surveys will not be useful and suggests that researchers go and talk to people in person, conduct interviews. The symbolic interpretive perspective explains why people do such things, for example, they had no idea about something. so it has become a norm for them. Symbolic interpretivists believe that it is not possible to know whether an employee is working or not if someone does not validate their work. The symbolic interpretation claims that such things, like logos, establish a connection with the organization and the employee. Symbolic interpretivists believe that an organization is like a corporation because of its flexibility. They see the organization as a place where people can be creative and take part in work that is meaningful to them. Unlike modernists, symbolic interpretivists want to emphasize organization rather than constructing a hierarchical structure. Symbolic interpretation focuses on rebuilding an organization through observation and communication. Symbolic interpretivists need interpretations and assertions that make sense when examining organizational culture. The symbolic interpretation suggeststhat compassion among employees within an organization will help them be more productive. The symbolic interpretive perspective aims for organizational members to find what interests them, so that they can succeed in their work. Symbolic Interpretivist Theories The Chicago School is where the fundamentals of sociology were developed. He is famous for his symbolic interactionist perspective. This school studied philosophical pragmatism and the changes in the city in a sociological way. The school was interested in the relationships between individuals and groups, so it studied social psychology and anthropology. One of the most important aspects of this school is that it uses an empirical approach in its studies. Another important thing to remember is that the Chicago School also values ​​participant review research. The school used radio and newspapers to propagandize, and they saw social life as a "system of interaction", and considering that social relations are made through interaction, the school tried to find solutions to social problems. Herbert Blumer believed that people were affected by things that had meaning to them; the meaning of elements created from social communication; and these meanings change due to the interpretive aspect of communication. (Simosi, 2019) The Iowa School is another of the leading schools of symbolic interactionism. In comparison to the Chicago School, the Iowa School used quantitative rather than qualitative methods. During the postmodern era, ethnic minorities and oppressed groups have come together. Postmodernism is about examining each community, the postmodern perspective understands an organization by criticizing and diminishing managerial ideas. The foundational philosophers of postmodernism are Michael Foucault and Hayden White. According to my workshop notes (Postmodernism, November 2018), postmodern organizations have a flat structure, like computer scientists. Postmodernism in organization theory does not believe in structure. In modern organizations, there were boundaries between employees and managers. However, in postmodern organizations, these boundaries have lost their power. Unlike the modern perspective, the postmodern perspective values ​​“the creation of an organization” rather than the structure of an organization. Postmodern organizations use decentralization and dedifferentiation. According to Chia (1995), the postmodern approach to thinking is an approach that qualifies activity, change, growth and development. Postmodern epistemology believes that the world is made up of the language that people share and that members of each language find meaning in the world through their particular forms and language games. Postmodernists must try to expose power relations to show the fragility of the activity of organizational life. (Parker, 1992) In a postmodernist organization, employees do not respond to their superiors as in a modernist organization. Postmodernist organizations choose to empower their members to succeed, and within the organization, each employee is responsible for themselves. These organizations use difference as a resource for sufficient success. () All things considered, with their flat structure and flexibility, postmodernist organizations offer their members a free working environment. She motivates her employees not through salary, but through empowerment. For this reason, these aspects of the postmodernist perspective have a beneficial influence on its organizational members. Postmodernist theories.