Types of Control
Sue is taking an online class. When it is time for the mid-term exam, she is told that it is open-note and open-book. However, she has a strict time limit of 90 minutes to complete it. As she finishes each answer, she must click “submit” before she can move on to the next question. She moves quickly through the multiple choice questions at the beginning. The essays, however, take her more time to complete. She finishes her second, and final, essay at 91 minutes. She clicks “submit” but the answer is not accepted since it is beyond the time limit, and she automatically loses 20 points from her grade. This situation illustrates which type of control?
Technological control
The belief that organizational research should focus on how communication affects organizational outcomes is a part of which paradigm?
Post-positivism
Alex notices how efficient Sam is in the factory, however she believes that productivity can be increased by almost 200% if she gives the employee a 50% salary increase. Which management theory provides the foundation for this effort to increase productivity?
Scientific management
True or False: If a system is complex, it is by nature also more complicated.
False
True or False: Cultural purists have a broader view of what counts as an organization than cultural pragmatists.
True
In order for employees to work in the best interest of an organization, they must be acclimated to the system of beliefs and values. This socialization represents what type of control?
Ideological control
Which of the paradigms in organizational communication scholarship emphasizes the importance of understanding the subjective experiences and interpretations of individuals within organizations?
Interpretivism
Andrew is part of an organization in which the organizational rules and regulations are clearly defined in its governing documents and organizational members are treated impartially. From Weber’s perspective, which form of authority best characterizes this organization?
Rational-legal
True or False: Because open systems are more open to the environment than closed systems, they are more likely to experience entropy than closed systems.
False
Mr. Kimble thinks that his students lack enthusiasm and dedication to the high school class that he is teaching, so he decides to create a more competitive atmosphere so that students will engage and work harder. He decides to institute a classroom talent show, holds a class t-shirt design contest, and gives rewards for perfect attendance. In his attempts to manage her classroom’s culture, we might say that Mr. Kimble has a ______ understanding of organizational culture.
Pragmatic
RJ and JR are two entrepreneurs who recently partnered to grow their business. In the past, neither owner kept good records, operated under an employee handbook, or enforced many rules. RJ and JR have agreed that their merger should be defined by a solid corporate philosophy that included providing staff with an employee handbook, which clearly defined each job description, the merit-based reward system, employee rights, responsibilities, disciplinary actions, and a clear company leave policy. RJ and JR are implementing which form of control to ensure a successful merger?
Bureaucratic control
______ refers to the mass production of popular culture, administered from above, that creates needs in people that they would not otherwise have.
Rhonda places emphasis on social groups that fosters a connection because she believes that these relationships lead to more communication and connect workers. This best represents ______.
Human Relations Management
In a system, feedback that corrects a deviation from the norm (error-activated) is called ______.
negative feedback
Christmas parties, company picnics, and student/faculty social events are all examples of which cultural rite?
Rites of integration
The ‘self,’ diversity, and mobility in the job market have caused employers to place emphasis on creating a work environment that considers the whole employee and focuses less on limiting autonomy. This type of control encompasses all aspects of life and often connects our work identities and social/personal identities.
Biocratic control
______ is a system of attitudes, beliefs, ideas, perceptions, and values that structure our perception of reality
The process by which all aspects of the natural and social world become increasingly subject to planning, calculation, and efficiency (as prescribed by bureaucracy) is known as ______.
Rationalization
Two presidential candidates decided to take different approaches to “getting out the vote.” One political campaign went the social media route, Tweeting, Facebooking, and mobilizing voters online. The other political campaign went the face-to-face route, knocking on doors and holding rallies. On election day, both campaigns were surprised to see that each had mobilized a great number of voters – voter turnout was unprecedented for both candidates. This best illustrates ______ in organizing.
Equifinality
At Danielle’s undergraduate university, there was a gazebo on campus where it was believed that if a couple kissed under it, they would become engaged before they graduated from college. Danielle was secretly delighted when she and her partner kissed in the gazebo one afternoon; they later became engaged right before graduation. To Danielle’s surprise, when they moved across the country to pursue graduate work, the university that they attended had a similar story – except the “kissing” spot was on the seal of the university. What phenomenon of organizational stories might explain this phenomenon?
The uniqueness paradox
What is control, and why, if at all, is it necessary in organizational life?
Control is the dynamic process of aligning individuals' goals and behaviors with that of the larger organization. Because employee and organizational goals often conflict, control is necessary for achieving coordinated, goal-oriented behavior.
The ability to question common sense assumptions about the world is done through the development of ______.
Critical communication capacities
The workers in an automobile factory know that they can perform tasks faster than they already do, but they collectively limit their output in order to limit management’s knowledge of the labor process. This is called ______.
systematic soldiering
Self-organizing systems are characterized by...
a lack of equillibrium
Understanding metaphors used by organization members can be an important part of understanding an organization's culture because...
they reflect and guide member's understanding of the way the organization works.