Dissent Theory Profile - Essay Example

Dissent Theory Profile Affiliation: Reflect upon theories you have studied in other courses then choose one of those theories and describe how you believe it too works to explain the phenomenon or process of organizational dissent.The theory I choose is the normative conflict model of dissent which is in the communication field specifically social psychology which deals with communication between social groups. This theory explains how people who are in a group tend to protect one another and especially if their identity is being challenged by the external forces or environment (Packer, 2008).

Since people in a group have a collective identification type of relationship where they view each other in a collective form of way and not as individuals, they are prone to protect each other from any harm. Usually in a group, there are two types of people: there are those who identify strongly with the group and others who have weak identification with the group. Those are who are strongly identified are the ones prone to dissent from the norms in order to protect the rest of their social group and their identities from outside forces in every way they deem possible.

What is astonishing about the theory is that these same people who are strongly identified with the group will not easily and quickly dissent if the challenge is not on their group but on themselves as individuals. This provides a strong sense of how deeply these people feel about their social group which they identify with and the extent they can go to for the group which is not even the same they can go for themselves. The weak identifiers with the group are the exact opposite of the strong identifiers as they cannot go an extra mile (such as challenging the system or dissenting) for their social group members but when it comes to them, they will act to protect themselves more than the strong identifiers do to themselves.

Weak identifiers are just an indication of the non-conformity that arises out of some people being disengaged from the group norm while strong identifiers are an indication of the non-conformity that arises out of desire to help group members or even change the group.The aspect of social interaction is important for this group of people and anyone or anything trying to challenge this social interaction is deemed an enemy and must be fought with or discouraged to continue doing so. It is for this reason of trying to protect their social interaction and identities to each other that people find the need to dissent.

The reason for the dissent is justifiable as they are protecting not only their organizational duties but their social and psychological ones as well (Kassing, 2011). The dissent may even be an organizational norm but this does not matter and especially to the strong identifiers who would even challenge the authority and managers of the organization if it means that their collective identification as a group will not be disrupted. The dissent may however not be so strong or pronounced by the same individuals if the challenge is directed towards them as individuals rather than towards the group however it will be among the weak identifiers with the social group whom all along may have been silently participating in the social interaction and identity dissent.

ReferencesKassing, J. (2011). Dissent in Organizations. Cambridge: Polity.Packer, D. J. (2008). “On Being both With Us and Against Us: A Normative Conflict Model of Dissent in Social Groups.” Personality Social Psychology Review, vol. 12 issue 50, pp. 50-72. Retrieved from: http://psr.sagepub.com/content/12/1/50