Critical Approaches to Power Dynamics in Organizations

1. Chapter 6 Critical Approaches

2. Overview • Political frame of reference • Unitary-common org. goals/conflict is rare • Pluralist-org. consist of groups w/ diverse interests • Role of theorist • Prescriptive-finding effective techniques for organizing • Descriptive-explaining relationships to understand • Sites of domination-raise awareness of people involved

3. Roots of Critical Approach • Karl Marx & Fredrick Ingles • Critical theory • Societal structures and imbalances lead to fundamental imbalances of power • Imbalance of power leads to alienation and oppression • Role of critical theorist is to uncover imbalances and bring to the attention of the oppressed

4. Pervasiveness of power • Definition of power (what is power?) • What are sources of power in an org? (p. 123) • Traditional approach • Hierarchy, structure • Symbological approach • Views power as a product of communicative interactions and relationships • Radical-critical approach • Concerned with “deep structures” that produce and reproduce relationships in org. life • Contribute to hostile work environment-lead to exclusion

5. Pervasiveness of power • Control of modes of production • Economic conditions that underlie the production process • Control of means of production • Actual work process • Control of gender issues • Focus on patriarchy • Stereotypical female characteristics are devalued (emotion, empathy, intuition) • Control of org. discourse • The way we comm. can empower power

6. Ideology and hegemony • Ideology • Taken for granted assumptions about reality that influence perceptions of situations and events • Hegemony • Process in which a dominant group leads another group to accept subordination as the norm

7. Emancipation • Liberation of people from unnecessarily restrictive traditions, assumptions, ideologies and power relations • Dialectic of control • “Relations of autonomy and dependence (power relations) are never fixed; that is, subordinates can always exercise some degree of control over the conditions of hegemonic reproduction” (awareness)

8. Critical Approaches Theory • Concertive control theory • Power relations still exist with a team based environment • Three concepts • Control • Simple, technological, bureaucratic • Identification • Discipline (self monitoring)

9. Critical Approaches Theory • Feminist theories • Org.’s are inherently patriarchal • Traditional vs. feminist characteristics “bounded rationality” (logic vs. emotion) • Different view points toward male domination • Liberal feminists • Radical feminists • Case in Point - “Using the F Word” (p. 133) • Sexual harassment • Framing devices & Policies still tend to oppress (Table 6-2/p. 135) • Hostile work environment-degree of exclusion

10. Research methods • Quantitative • Demonstrates how resources are distributed in organizations or how individuals perceive their lives within org’s • Interpretive • Similar to those used by cultural scholars • Deconstruction • Involves “taking apart” a text in order to reveal social and political meanings

11. So What? • What does this mean to you? • Do you feel like you have ever been marginalized, been put at a disadvantage, or missed an opportunity because of certain cultural characteristics? • What’s the role of communication? • How can we make change?