week 1 & 2 six strands
1. Managerial – psychologistic Mintzberg
Taylor: standardization of work Strategic apex: steers the company and makes decisions
Decompose work to enhance efficiency separate thinking Middle line: managers, belong to the low class (operating core)
(employer) from doing (employee), Deskill: simple tasks and because they don’t make rules and receive salary instead of
complex control structures, Neo-classical economic perspective profit
on human behaviour, Incentive pay systems, Man as homo Operating core: workers/employees who produce
calculus: economic animal, pure micro level, Repeating the Support staff: don’t directly contribute to the core business,
same task makes you better at it. but in other ways: legal services, communication, HR
Psychological Humanism focuses on people are inherently Technostructure: tries to make things for efficient for people
motivated to grow, develop, and achieve their potential in a (planning, logistics, rules)
supportive environment.
Theory X (McGregor): employees are lazy, need close
supervision, and are motivated primarily by external
rewards (like money or fear of punishment). Managers need to
control them
Theory Y (McGregor): employees are self-motivated,.
Managers should create a trusting environment for employees
to develop their skills and take initiative.
hygiene factors: salary, healthy workspace etc
motivations factors: recognition, responsibility
2. Durkheim – human relations
Focus on social cohesion and group dynamics in
organizations. the importance of informal
relations and shared values. Stresses the role of social
norms in shaping behavior output
Hawthorne Effect: Productivity increases simply because
workers know they are being observed.
Focus: Durkheim organizations is social systems where social
relationships/values are key to motiv and productivity
Taylorism, which focuses on efficiency and control, Durkheim
focuses on social cohesion and employee well-being.
3. Interactionist – negotiated order
focus: interactions individuals/society for organizational order.
Negotiation and interdependence over rationality/sentiments.
Micro(gedrag) macro(social structure).
transgression(regelbreken), return to order, equality dashed,
insti powerplay. Ongoing process thru negotiations. how things
really work in an organization is shaped over time by the
everyday interactions, deals, and compromises between
different people and groups.
4. Weber – social action institutional
modernization is process of rationzalization (predict, efficient)
bureaucracy is best, hierarchy structure, governed by rules and
procedures. Traditional authority (monarchie), charismatic Adaptability vs Efficiency
authority (revo leaders) rational-legal authority (rules/positions) Adaptability: The ability to quickly change or adjust to new
this is bureaucracy. Instrumental values important, paradox of conditions, technologies, or customer needs. Focuses
consequences (efficiency undermines original goal/ reduce on innovation and flexibility in response to changing
creativity/fairness). Iron cage: loss of freedom thru environments.
rationalized/efficient world. Mimetic isomorphism (explains why Efficiency: The ability to do tasks with minimal
companies look like each other. resources and time, focusing
5. Marxian – labour process on optimization and standardization of processes.
proletariat, workers and bourgeoisie owners. Workers create Blackberry Example:
more value than they paid for, Surplus. Deskilling, routinizing, Blackberry prioritized efficiency (secure email,
mechanizing, simplified. Rationalization supports exploitation. physicalkeyboard) but failed to adapt to the rise
Proletariat becomes homogenous, lose skill and control. of touchscreens and apps, losing market share to
marx; never enough work (exploitation), taylor: never enough more adaptable competitors like Apple and Android.
workers. (existing workers more efficient)
marx: religion justifies exploiting system
weber: interplay religion, economic Ideal type bureaucracy (Weber)
rate of return capital always bigger than rate of income growth. All operating rules and procedures are formally recorded
6. Post-modern/ post-structuralist Tasks are divided up and allocated to people with formally
reject idea objective reality, reality shaped by language and certified expertise to carry them out
discourse, thruth is concstruct of communication/social Activities are controlled and coordinated by officials organized
interaction. in a hierarchy of authority; Communications and commands
progess=illusion, uncertainty, chaos, fragmentation embraced, pass up or down the hierarchy without missing out steps; Posts
reject idea that everything is easily understood, organized or are filled and promotions achieved by the best qualified people
controlled. Modernist: control the world, organizations are Officeholders’ posts constitute their only employment and the
single entities, postmodernist: don’t control world and level of their salary reflects their level in the hierarchy;
organizations are plural with multiple conflicting truths and Posts cannot become the property or private territory of the
values. Reject grand narratives. post-structuralist: language officeholder; the officer’s authority derives from their appointed
and discourse form power office and not from their person;
reject power structures, shaping language = power. All decisions and judgements are made impersonally and
neutrally, without emotion, personal preference or prejudice.
Week 3 Organisational structure
Organisations want to minimise costs, maximise profits, rise Burns & Stalker
above competition. Efficiency favours rational behaviour Mechanische org: stabiele omgeving, centralisatie controle,
Taylor, Ford, Weber → bureaucracy aims to promote efficiency formalisatie werkproces, hierarchies/standardization labor
Weber → mimetic isomorphism (copying other successful Organiscg org: dynamische omgeving,
organisations) decentralisatie/flexibiliteit, aanpassingsvermogen. Work is
distributed met nadruk op expertise medewerkers.
Social division: different people are working different jobs
Technical division: more people are working on/contributing to Week 4 organisational culture
one job, There is no longer one farmer or one carpenter, people culture: gedeelde normen en waarden inside organisations die
are working together on one job gedrag sturen. Micro: individuals, Meso: practices/organizations
Isomorphism: building something a certain way because Macro: organisations & their environment
everyone does it that way
, Partial cultures approach: organisation has partial cultures Occupational structure: pattern in a society which is created
within. Sexist workculture, presenteeism (being visible at work), by the distribution of the labour force across the range of
ideal worker. Norms & stereotypes (young working men ex) existing types of work or occupation
Negotiated order (hallet): culture emerges from Class: a matter of the part which they play (or the person upon
interactions/negotiations between individuals in organization. whom they are dependent plays) Whitin the division of labour of
This happens mostly thru people with symbolic power (ability of a society and the implications which this has for their access to
actor to define situations behavior and norms, manager shapes those experiences, goods and services which are scarce and
perception of org rules) valued in that society.
Habitus refers to dispositions persons carry, shaped by Status: that aspect of social inequality whereby different
their social, economic, and cultural capitals. It influences positions are awarded different degrees of prestige or honor
how they behave in various situations but does not determine
actions entirely, as individuals have agency and ability to make Technology
choices. Habitus can lead to conflict when personal Social determinism: preserving traditions even though it can be
dispositions clash. done faster or better otherwise
Weber: Instrumental rationality replaces substantive Technological determinism: a society’s technology determines
rationality in modern societies, substantive rationality was the development of its social structure and cultural values
based on values and ethical considerations, instrumental Placebo control: giving people the idea that they have control
rationality focuses on practical, efficient means to achieve over something
specific ends. This shift is the role of science, which provides
the tools for optimizing decisions and processes that are not
driven by moral or ethical considerations but by efficiency.
Hatz & Schultz: dynamic identity
Technology’s consequences
Working conditions: some jobs are (partly) taken over by
machines, flexible/remote working
Job loss: because of automation
Inequality: digitally illiterate people, older workers, hiring by
algorithm (not unbiased)
Managerial control: principal-agent problem (= when your boss
can’t fully trust you to act in their best interest, so they try to
monitor or motivate you to align your behaviour with their
goals)
Direct control: manager watches directly (input)
Indirect control: manager checks result (output)
Infocratic: System monitors or restricts your behaviour through
Dysfunctions: data Street level (human monitors), screen level (computer
Narcissism: a gives suggestions), system level (computer decides by itself)
construction of identity that refers nearly exclusively to the Panoptic: you feel watched even if you’re not, you self-discipline
organisation’s culture with the likely implication that the Gofmann: monitoring the weak or powerful?
organisation will lose interest and support from their external Zuboff: machines don’t monitor, companies do (for data), big
stakeholders data allows nudging people (subtle influence)
Identity game: in their desire to be heard and respected, Internet has democratized control. Bv: doctors(medicine) cops.
organisations of today participate in an ongoing identity game
in which their interest in their surroundings is often
overshadowed by their interest in themselves
Hyper-adaptation: giving stakeholder images so much power
over organisational self-definition that cultural heritage is
ignored or abandoned
Occupations and professionalism
Autarkic society: everyone produces and works for him/herself
Characteristics of professionalism:
- (abstract) theoretical knowledge;
- Provision of education and training;
- Altruistic service;
- Professional body;
- Code of conduct;
- Testing member competence;
- It exists only among higher occupations.
Organisational principle = on a bureaucratic administrative
or formal organization basis
Occupational principle = on the basis of the type of work that
people do, concentrate on the way specific work tasks are done
Vertical: mobility involves promotion up a firm’s hierarchy in
‘careers of advancement’ (characteristic of the bureaucratic
labour market)
Horizontal: ‘career of achievement’, mobility involves an
increase in reputation or prestige based on expertise (suggests
going from one firm to another, characteristic of the
occupationally controlled labour market)
Organisational principle of work structuring: structuring of
work on a bureaucratic, administrative or formal organisation
basis. Emphasis on the ways in which work tasks are designed
by the managerial agents of the owners of work organisations
who when they recruit, pay, coordinate and control the effects
of others to carry out tasks in a way which enables the
organisation to continue into a future existence
Occupational principle of work structuring: structuring of
work based on the type of work that people do. Emphasis on the
patterns which emerge when we concentrate on the ways in
which specific work tasks are done.
1. Managerial – psychologistic Mintzberg
Taylor: standardization of work Strategic apex: steers the company and makes decisions
Decompose work to enhance efficiency separate thinking Middle line: managers, belong to the low class (operating core)
(employer) from doing (employee), Deskill: simple tasks and because they don’t make rules and receive salary instead of
complex control structures, Neo-classical economic perspective profit
on human behaviour, Incentive pay systems, Man as homo Operating core: workers/employees who produce
calculus: economic animal, pure micro level, Repeating the Support staff: don’t directly contribute to the core business,
same task makes you better at it. but in other ways: legal services, communication, HR
Psychological Humanism focuses on people are inherently Technostructure: tries to make things for efficient for people
motivated to grow, develop, and achieve their potential in a (planning, logistics, rules)
supportive environment.
Theory X (McGregor): employees are lazy, need close
supervision, and are motivated primarily by external
rewards (like money or fear of punishment). Managers need to
control them
Theory Y (McGregor): employees are self-motivated,.
Managers should create a trusting environment for employees
to develop their skills and take initiative.
hygiene factors: salary, healthy workspace etc
motivations factors: recognition, responsibility
2. Durkheim – human relations
Focus on social cohesion and group dynamics in
organizations. the importance of informal
relations and shared values. Stresses the role of social
norms in shaping behavior output
Hawthorne Effect: Productivity increases simply because
workers know they are being observed.
Focus: Durkheim organizations is social systems where social
relationships/values are key to motiv and productivity
Taylorism, which focuses on efficiency and control, Durkheim
focuses on social cohesion and employee well-being.
3. Interactionist – negotiated order
focus: interactions individuals/society for organizational order.
Negotiation and interdependence over rationality/sentiments.
Micro(gedrag) macro(social structure).
transgression(regelbreken), return to order, equality dashed,
insti powerplay. Ongoing process thru negotiations. how things
really work in an organization is shaped over time by the
everyday interactions, deals, and compromises between
different people and groups.
4. Weber – social action institutional
modernization is process of rationzalization (predict, efficient)
bureaucracy is best, hierarchy structure, governed by rules and
procedures. Traditional authority (monarchie), charismatic Adaptability vs Efficiency
authority (revo leaders) rational-legal authority (rules/positions) Adaptability: The ability to quickly change or adjust to new
this is bureaucracy. Instrumental values important, paradox of conditions, technologies, or customer needs. Focuses
consequences (efficiency undermines original goal/ reduce on innovation and flexibility in response to changing
creativity/fairness). Iron cage: loss of freedom thru environments.
rationalized/efficient world. Mimetic isomorphism (explains why Efficiency: The ability to do tasks with minimal
companies look like each other. resources and time, focusing
5. Marxian – labour process on optimization and standardization of processes.
proletariat, workers and bourgeoisie owners. Workers create Blackberry Example:
more value than they paid for, Surplus. Deskilling, routinizing, Blackberry prioritized efficiency (secure email,
mechanizing, simplified. Rationalization supports exploitation. physicalkeyboard) but failed to adapt to the rise
Proletariat becomes homogenous, lose skill and control. of touchscreens and apps, losing market share to
marx; never enough work (exploitation), taylor: never enough more adaptable competitors like Apple and Android.
workers. (existing workers more efficient)
marx: religion justifies exploiting system
weber: interplay religion, economic Ideal type bureaucracy (Weber)
rate of return capital always bigger than rate of income growth. All operating rules and procedures are formally recorded
6. Post-modern/ post-structuralist Tasks are divided up and allocated to people with formally
reject idea objective reality, reality shaped by language and certified expertise to carry them out
discourse, thruth is concstruct of communication/social Activities are controlled and coordinated by officials organized
interaction. in a hierarchy of authority; Communications and commands
progess=illusion, uncertainty, chaos, fragmentation embraced, pass up or down the hierarchy without missing out steps; Posts
reject idea that everything is easily understood, organized or are filled and promotions achieved by the best qualified people
controlled. Modernist: control the world, organizations are Officeholders’ posts constitute their only employment and the
single entities, postmodernist: don’t control world and level of their salary reflects their level in the hierarchy;
organizations are plural with multiple conflicting truths and Posts cannot become the property or private territory of the
values. Reject grand narratives. post-structuralist: language officeholder; the officer’s authority derives from their appointed
and discourse form power office and not from their person;
reject power structures, shaping language = power. All decisions and judgements are made impersonally and
neutrally, without emotion, personal preference or prejudice.
Week 3 Organisational structure
Organisations want to minimise costs, maximise profits, rise Burns & Stalker
above competition. Efficiency favours rational behaviour Mechanische org: stabiele omgeving, centralisatie controle,
Taylor, Ford, Weber → bureaucracy aims to promote efficiency formalisatie werkproces, hierarchies/standardization labor
Weber → mimetic isomorphism (copying other successful Organiscg org: dynamische omgeving,
organisations) decentralisatie/flexibiliteit, aanpassingsvermogen. Work is
distributed met nadruk op expertise medewerkers.
Social division: different people are working different jobs
Technical division: more people are working on/contributing to Week 4 organisational culture
one job, There is no longer one farmer or one carpenter, people culture: gedeelde normen en waarden inside organisations die
are working together on one job gedrag sturen. Micro: individuals, Meso: practices/organizations
Isomorphism: building something a certain way because Macro: organisations & their environment
everyone does it that way
, Partial cultures approach: organisation has partial cultures Occupational structure: pattern in a society which is created
within. Sexist workculture, presenteeism (being visible at work), by the distribution of the labour force across the range of
ideal worker. Norms & stereotypes (young working men ex) existing types of work or occupation
Negotiated order (hallet): culture emerges from Class: a matter of the part which they play (or the person upon
interactions/negotiations between individuals in organization. whom they are dependent plays) Whitin the division of labour of
This happens mostly thru people with symbolic power (ability of a society and the implications which this has for their access to
actor to define situations behavior and norms, manager shapes those experiences, goods and services which are scarce and
perception of org rules) valued in that society.
Habitus refers to dispositions persons carry, shaped by Status: that aspect of social inequality whereby different
their social, economic, and cultural capitals. It influences positions are awarded different degrees of prestige or honor
how they behave in various situations but does not determine
actions entirely, as individuals have agency and ability to make Technology
choices. Habitus can lead to conflict when personal Social determinism: preserving traditions even though it can be
dispositions clash. done faster or better otherwise
Weber: Instrumental rationality replaces substantive Technological determinism: a society’s technology determines
rationality in modern societies, substantive rationality was the development of its social structure and cultural values
based on values and ethical considerations, instrumental Placebo control: giving people the idea that they have control
rationality focuses on practical, efficient means to achieve over something
specific ends. This shift is the role of science, which provides
the tools for optimizing decisions and processes that are not
driven by moral or ethical considerations but by efficiency.
Hatz & Schultz: dynamic identity
Technology’s consequences
Working conditions: some jobs are (partly) taken over by
machines, flexible/remote working
Job loss: because of automation
Inequality: digitally illiterate people, older workers, hiring by
algorithm (not unbiased)
Managerial control: principal-agent problem (= when your boss
can’t fully trust you to act in their best interest, so they try to
monitor or motivate you to align your behaviour with their
goals)
Direct control: manager watches directly (input)
Indirect control: manager checks result (output)
Infocratic: System monitors or restricts your behaviour through
Dysfunctions: data Street level (human monitors), screen level (computer
Narcissism: a gives suggestions), system level (computer decides by itself)
construction of identity that refers nearly exclusively to the Panoptic: you feel watched even if you’re not, you self-discipline
organisation’s culture with the likely implication that the Gofmann: monitoring the weak or powerful?
organisation will lose interest and support from their external Zuboff: machines don’t monitor, companies do (for data), big
stakeholders data allows nudging people (subtle influence)
Identity game: in their desire to be heard and respected, Internet has democratized control. Bv: doctors(medicine) cops.
organisations of today participate in an ongoing identity game
in which their interest in their surroundings is often
overshadowed by their interest in themselves
Hyper-adaptation: giving stakeholder images so much power
over organisational self-definition that cultural heritage is
ignored or abandoned
Occupations and professionalism
Autarkic society: everyone produces and works for him/herself
Characteristics of professionalism:
- (abstract) theoretical knowledge;
- Provision of education and training;
- Altruistic service;
- Professional body;
- Code of conduct;
- Testing member competence;
- It exists only among higher occupations.
Organisational principle = on a bureaucratic administrative
or formal organization basis
Occupational principle = on the basis of the type of work that
people do, concentrate on the way specific work tasks are done
Vertical: mobility involves promotion up a firm’s hierarchy in
‘careers of advancement’ (characteristic of the bureaucratic
labour market)
Horizontal: ‘career of achievement’, mobility involves an
increase in reputation or prestige based on expertise (suggests
going from one firm to another, characteristic of the
occupationally controlled labour market)
Organisational principle of work structuring: structuring of
work on a bureaucratic, administrative or formal organisation
basis. Emphasis on the ways in which work tasks are designed
by the managerial agents of the owners of work organisations
who when they recruit, pay, coordinate and control the effects
of others to carry out tasks in a way which enables the
organisation to continue into a future existence
Occupational principle of work structuring: structuring of
work based on the type of work that people do. Emphasis on the
patterns which emerge when we concentrate on the ways in
which specific work tasks are done.
