How does Morgan’s (1980) view of organizations compare to Astley, W.G. & Van de Ven, A.H. (1983)? What are their similarities? What are their differences? Which view, in your opinion, is best suited to explaining public organizations and why? What, specifically, are Simon’s (1946) concerns about principles of management and how should they be resolved or can they? Discuss and explain. Which specific authors was he referring to in his essay and why? How does Weber (1926) describe the bureaucracy? What are its merits? How can it be efficient and effective? What does the bureaucracy look like? Explain and describe his view and how the bureaucracy is supposed to work, in his opinion. What is scientific management? What are its goals and purposes? Which author(s) discussed scientific management, and in what context. Use dates, descriptions, and methodologies to describe how the author(s) developed what is now known as scientific management. Pfeffer (1993), Van Maanen (1995), and Van de Ven (1999) had a three way discussion of the state of organizational theory. What are each of their main points? What do they agree on? What do they disagree on? How have their views impacted your view of the organizational theory readings we have read – good/bad/indifferent? Give examples of readings and how the arguments of Pfeffer, Van Maanen and Van de Ven shaped your opinion of them, citing both the arguments and the readings. Using Cyert & March (1959) as your guide, what type(s) of coalition(s) do you think will build in response to Flint, MI’s water crisis? What types of side payments will they demand? What types of policy commitments will they demand? What objectives will the coalitions create? How would these coalitions change from pre-April 2014 water changeover to today? What impacted those changes? How will the changes impact future organizations? Public policy? Social justice issues? Why does the giving of orders matter, according to Follett (1926)? What can organizations do to ensure effective and efficient operations in relation to the giving of orders? Explain the difference between personalized and repersonalized orders and working with versus working under someone. Give an example of orders given in your own workplace, and how those orders could be improved by use of Follett (1926)? In the Hawthorne Experiments, what revolutionary concept had the researchers actually found? Why did this matter then? Why does it matter now? What are some present-day examples of this? Is this relatable to Smith’s and Taylor’s research and how? Describe Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs. What does he mean by each level? Consider the concept of cultural specificity and discuss how each level could be changed based on cultural specificity. What does this study have to do with organizations? Discuss and describe Theory X and Theory Y. Compare both with the study of scientific management. Cite authors, findings, and dates to bolster your argument on whether Theory X or Theory Y is more aligned with the concept of scientific management, or whether neither of them aligns with scientific management. What is groupthink and how does it impact policy and political decisions? What are the positives of groupthink? What are the negatives? What should we, as public administrators, do when confronted with groupthink? Blimes and Gould (2009) tackle the age old question: do companies perform better as a result of their investment in human capital, or does a successful company invest more in its workforce? What do the authors say? Why does this question matter? How does it impact human resource studies? How does it impact benefit packages offered in the private sector? The public sector? The NFP sector? What other authors have covered this in our readings? Who are they and how does their work relate to Blimes & Gould? What is the difference between a purely political city government and a bureaucratically structured government according to Tolbert & Zucker (1983)? Why is the change from a political institution to a bureaucratic institution an important change for local governments? How would Kanter (1979) identify sources of power in both the bureaucratically structured and purely political city government? How would the positions of powerlessness change with the change in structure? According to Agranoff, R. & McGuire, M. (2001), what are the “seven basic operating questions related to network management?” Why do they matter? How are these related to an earlier reading and why? What impact did the earlier reading have on their formation? How do Blau & Scott (1962) define a “bureaucratic organization”? What is an “administrative apparatus”? Why is this important? What purpose does it serve? What do Blau & Scott say about all organizations? How does this work relate to LaPalombara’s work and why? What are some of the observed characteristics of Plant F and Plant P, according to Walker and Lorsch (1968)? Why do they matter? How do they impact the work getting done? How do Walker and Lorsch’s (1968) Plant F and Plant P relate to French & Raven’s (1959) discussion of Person P and Person O? What are some of the similarities? What are some of the differences? What are the five basic parts of organizations, according to Mintzberg (1979)? What do you think about this structure? Agree? Disagree? Why? Who are the members of the “Strategic Apex”? Who are members of the “Operating Core”? Who are the members of the “The Middle Line”? Who are members of the “Technostructure”? Who are the members of the “Support Staff”? Why do these players matter, according to Mintzberg? What is “technology as a contingency factor”? What are technology’s effects on: Formalization Centralization Organizational Complexity Configuration Compare and contrast Mintzberg’s 1979 & 1983 articles. How are the diagrams he uses related? How are they different? How does the expansion of the diagram in 1983 address critical issues related to public organizations? Pick a section of the Classics of Organization Theory we have covered in one week’s time. Choose two of the authors in the section and compare their articles, discussing similarities and differences. Tell me how the authors have impacted organizational theory as you see it, and how their work has impacted organizations that you have been a part of in the past or are a part of presently. TEXTBOOKS/READINGS: 1. Shafritz, Jay M; J. Steven ott; Young Suk Jang, eds., 2011. Classics of Organization Theory, seventh edition. Wadsworth Cengage Learning. 2. Bilmes, Linda J.; W. Scott Gould, 2009. People Factor, Strengthening America by Investing in Public Service. Brookings Institute Press. 3. Christensen, Tom; Per Laegreid, Paul G. Roness, and Kjell Arne Rovik, 2007. Organization Theory and the Public Sector. Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group. (https://www.europe-solidarity.eu/documents/ES_ORGANIZAT_THEORY_2007.pdf)
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