K-cooperations - Global Culture and Economy

Q: What is the key human superpower that allows large-scale cooperation?

A: The ability to organize via shared stories (e.g., religion, money, law).

Q: Why study organizations?

A: Because almost all modern life—education, business, government—is shaped by organizations.

Q: Who defined bureaucracy as a rational system of organization?

A: Max Weber

Q: What are the five key features of bureaucracy according to Weber?

A: Specialization, hierarchy, rules/regulations, impersonality, merit-based selection.

Q: What is Weber's 'Iron Cage'?

A: A warning that too much bureaucracy dehumanizes people, trapping them in rigid systems.

Q: What is Taylorism?

A: A management approach that breaks tasks into efficient steps, eliminating variability.

Q: What is the Hawthorne Effect?

A: When people improve performance because they are being observed.

Q: What are the four types of workplace control?

A: Direct (simple), technical, bureaucratic, concertive.

Q: What is concertive control?

A: A form of control based on the norms, values, and beliefs of a group or team.

Q: Why did Chandler say corporations emerged?

A: As efficient responses to industrial complexity (e.g., railroads needed coordination).

Q: What was Roy's critique of Chandler?

A: That corporations spread due to elite-driven legal/political changes, not just efficiency.

Q: What is institutional isomorphism?

A: Organizations look similar due to mimetic, normative, and coercive pressures.

Q: What is the advantage of studying organisations as shared belief systems?

A: Enables cooperation among strangers by organizing around shared stories like money, laws, or nations.

Q: What is a disadvantage of studying organizations only as belief systems?

A: Overemphasizes ideology and may ignore power dynamics or material inequality.

Q: What is an advantage of Weber's model of bureaucracy?

A: Promotes efficiency, fairness, and predictability in large-scale coordination.

Q: What is a disadvantage of Weber's model of bureaucracy?

A: Can lead to dehumanization, rigid rules, and loss of autonomy—"iron cage."

Q: What is an advantage of Adler's enabling bureaucracy?

A: Builds trust, competence, and uses rules as tools for learning and collaboration.

Q: What is a disadvantage of Adler's enabling bureaucracy?

A: Hard to sustain without strong culture; may be seen as too idealistic in competitive markets.

Q: What is an advantage of Taylorism (Scientific Management)?

A: Greatly increases productivity through standardized tasks and optimized efficiency.

Q: What is a disadvantage of Taylorism?

A: Dehumanizes workers by treating them like machines and reducing creativity.

Q: What is an advantage of the Human Relations School?

A: Improves morale, motivation, and recognizes emotional and social needs in the workplace.

Q: What is a disadvantage of the Human Relations approach?

A: May overlook deeper structural issues and can lead to shallow engagement strategies (e.g., free snacks ≠ real empowerment).

Q: What is an advantage of Edwards' 4 control types theory?

A: Provides a realistic view of how multiple control systems (simple, technical, bureaucratic, concertive) coexist in the modern workplace.

Q: What is a disadvantage of Edwards' workplace control theory?

A: Does not clearly indicate which type is most effective or when to use each.

Q: What is an advantage of Chandler's view of corporate rise?

A: Explains how organizational and technical complexity drove the emergence of managerial capitalism.

Q: What is a disadvantage of Chandler's corporate view?

A: Ignores the role of political and legal power in shaping corporate dominance.

Q: What is an advantage of Roy's power-based critique of corporations?

A: Highlights how legal, political, and elite forces helped create and spread corporate structures.

Q: What is a disadvantage of Roy's view on corporations?

A: Understates the real technical and logistical challenges corporations had to overcome.

Q: What is an advantage of DiMaggio & Powell's institutional isomorphism theory?

A: Explains why organizations become similar due to mimetic, normative, and coercive pressures.

Q: What is a disadvantage of institutional isomorphism theory?

A: Makes firms appear passive and may not explain innovation or resistance well.

What is isomorphism?

The tendency of organizations within the same field or environment to become more similar over time, adopting comparable structures, practices, and strategies