Important terms – exam
preparation
Lecture 1: what is organization theory?
Organization
An organization is a collective entity with an organizational environment, organizational goals,
members/stakholders and an organizational structure. (collective actors like military, sportsclub,
movements or student associations are not organizations, UT, gemeenten or public/private
corporations are).
Functional perspective: focus on the functions of input and processes
Institutional perspective: a diverse body of theoretical and empirial work connected by a common
emphasis on cultural understandings and shared expectations.
Corporative actor
Corporative actors, act cooporative. The organization behaves, has goals, has resources and makes
decisions. (see examples above)
Institution
Institutions are the rules of the game in society or are the humanly devised constraints that shape
human interaction.
Social science theory (VIP: Adam Smith, 1776)
Is a systematic explanation for the observed facts and laws that relate to a specific aspect of life. They
identify relationships between concepts (what they are, how they look, why they are and where and
when they are applicable). This goes back to Adam Smith (a well known social scientist). His book the
wealth of nations is best known and is later further studied by modernist scholars as Taylor and Ford.
Organization theory
Makes assumptions about the development (behavior) of collective actor and is developed based on
social and technological changes. They explain retrospectively and forecast – they are not always
useful to guide future behavior.
Ontology
Is the science of what is, of the kinds and structures of objects. It seeks the classification and
explanation of entities. It is a specification of a conceptualization. (what is existance, what is reality?)
,Epistomology
The study of the nature, origin and limits of human knowledge. It is the theory of knowledge (do we
know things, and how and when do we know things?).
Positivism
A philosophy which accepts only things that can be seen or proved. All knowledge regarging matters
of fact is based on the ‘positive’ data of experience.
Subjectivism
The doctrine that knowledge is merely subjective and that there is no external or objective truth.
There is no truth outside of one’s own experience.
Managerialism
Belief in or reliance on the use of professional managers in administering or planning an activity. It is
the reliance on professional managers and organizational strategies to run an organization.
Analytical levels
Micro -> peron
Meso -> organization
Macro -> institutions and policies
Theories as spotlights
Alle theories have boundries, there are no grand theories -> all just spot parts of reality.
CONCLUSION
Organization theories
o Condensed abstractions of organizational reality
o Concepts and relationships
o Interesting and useful
Not one coherent framework
o Different perspectives
o A world of disagreement, social strife and even wars
,
preparation
Lecture 1: what is organization theory?
Organization
An organization is a collective entity with an organizational environment, organizational goals,
members/stakholders and an organizational structure. (collective actors like military, sportsclub,
movements or student associations are not organizations, UT, gemeenten or public/private
corporations are).
Functional perspective: focus on the functions of input and processes
Institutional perspective: a diverse body of theoretical and empirial work connected by a common
emphasis on cultural understandings and shared expectations.
Corporative actor
Corporative actors, act cooporative. The organization behaves, has goals, has resources and makes
decisions. (see examples above)
Institution
Institutions are the rules of the game in society or are the humanly devised constraints that shape
human interaction.
Social science theory (VIP: Adam Smith, 1776)
Is a systematic explanation for the observed facts and laws that relate to a specific aspect of life. They
identify relationships between concepts (what they are, how they look, why they are and where and
when they are applicable). This goes back to Adam Smith (a well known social scientist). His book the
wealth of nations is best known and is later further studied by modernist scholars as Taylor and Ford.
Organization theory
Makes assumptions about the development (behavior) of collective actor and is developed based on
social and technological changes. They explain retrospectively and forecast – they are not always
useful to guide future behavior.
Ontology
Is the science of what is, of the kinds and structures of objects. It seeks the classification and
explanation of entities. It is a specification of a conceptualization. (what is existance, what is reality?)
,Epistomology
The study of the nature, origin and limits of human knowledge. It is the theory of knowledge (do we
know things, and how and when do we know things?).
Positivism
A philosophy which accepts only things that can be seen or proved. All knowledge regarging matters
of fact is based on the ‘positive’ data of experience.
Subjectivism
The doctrine that knowledge is merely subjective and that there is no external or objective truth.
There is no truth outside of one’s own experience.
Managerialism
Belief in or reliance on the use of professional managers in administering or planning an activity. It is
the reliance on professional managers and organizational strategies to run an organization.
Analytical levels
Micro -> peron
Meso -> organization
Macro -> institutions and policies
Theories as spotlights
Alle theories have boundries, there are no grand theories -> all just spot parts of reality.
CONCLUSION
Organization theories
o Condensed abstractions of organizational reality
o Concepts and relationships
o Interesting and useful
Not one coherent framework
o Different perspectives
o A world of disagreement, social strife and even wars
,
