Alternative Perspectives in the Organizational Sciences - Essay Example

SALEH ALOTHMAN Week 8 Word Count 1085 Understanding Organisational Research Evered and Louis (1981) were concerned with improving the degree of understanding with regard to organisational research which has the aim of producing benefits. The term paradigm occurs frequently in writings on this subject. The word has been linked to such things as beliefs and values as well as techniques shared by a community according to these authors. Its purpose is to capture, create and share knowledge. In their discussion the writers focus on the complementary tasks - “inquiry from inside” and the “inquiry from outside”. The argument they put is that researchers would need, at best, to blend something both of these concepts, but it is to be preferred if they stress one more than the other .Research undertaken by researchers who do not belong to an organisation is referred to as an outside inquiry. The opposite term, an inside inquiry, is used to refer to research undertaken by an employee of the organisation. My particular research is the latter, an enquiry from the inside as I am a manager/member of the organisation where I am undertaking research into poor levels of employee motivation, as well as seeking ways in which the situation could be improved. If I took my research further, by investigating in the same way some other Kuwaiti companies then they would be outside enquiries. My objectives would be to come to an understanding of employee motivational levels and ways in which other companies seek to improve the motivation of their employees. .There is however a slight conflict of roles – inside or outside, because if I investigated motivational levels in other companies and the methods they employ, my purpose would be ultimately to benefit myself as a researcher and also give me ammunition with which to attempt to convince my own company’s top managers to try out new techniques. A researcher needs to be aware of various possible approaches and to both understand and use a paradigm that will create fresh knowledge with regard to organisational theory. Such new knowledge will benefit the workplace environment. Action learning is one of the best ways to create knowledge, and is commonly used in organisations. It is closely associated with action research, something Eden and Huxham (1996) express as being as increasingly popular in the field of management research. The term is linked to various approaches to research and, despite being popular, has received criticism for not having sufficient rigor. Despite this Eden and Huxham, 1996; p. 75. argue that provides “richness of insight which cannot be gained in other ways” On this subject of action research Zuber-Skerritt and Perry (2002) focus on academic writings and give fresh insights into this. They argue that in the research field of the social sciences action research is a suitable approach as it assists with the development of professional abilities and create learning within an organisation.. This they refer to as “social science action learning”. The authors talk about five types of learning which are based within organisations. These they based upon Senge’s (1990) categorization of learning organizations. These are:- 1. Mastery on a personal level 2. Creating Mental Models 3. Sharing the Vision 4. Learning as a Team 5. Systems Philosophies and Thinking Each of these five deal with the ways in which knowledge is acquired and then shared within an organisation by means of a process of continual learning. Founded on the knowledge within my own company there is a need to develop learning together as a team. Each department has been developed as a team, but if the organisation is taken as whole this is unfortunately not true. What is required is putting in place a new environment throughout the company based upon systems thinking. Within such an atmosphere all involved would be able to comprehend the complete company structure , the processes involved and the whole company ethos I feel the need to deviate slightly away from the suggested reading list in order to define the two very similar terms - learning organisations and organisation learning. Gorelick (2005) believed that the two terms are not interchangeable. Based upon the definition given by Schwandt (1993), Gorelick in 2005 discussed the definition of organization learning as being:- A system of actions, actors, symbols and processes that enables an organization to transform information into valued knowledge which in turn increases its long-run adaptive capacity” (p. 384). Within such an environment a learning organisation makes progress not just because of natural learning, but by means of methodically making use of learning as the preferred method of achieving improvements. This means that action learning has a major part to play as organisations gradually develop and change through the ongoing process of learning. Zuber-Skerritt and Perry ( 2002) discuss the second term, ‘ A learning organization’ on when speaking about action learning being the chosen method when conducting academic research, as we students must be able to do. Research carried out be a company in a direct way, or undertaken from an academic point of view, share the common idea of a body of knowledge which will in the future be of value within the same organisation. These authors define action learning as having three main facets :- a) A team which works together to reach a common aim. b) This same team is united by “planning, acting, observing and reflecting” on the events that surround them with a high level of motivation as compared to the way they usually c) The data gathered is then recorded and finally presented in the form of an academic thesis or report. According to Eden and Huxham (1996) and using the argument put forward earlier by Aguinis in 1993, there are similarities action research and more traditional methods of scientific research. They argue that it is not obligatory for action research to meet all the requirements of scientific methods normally used in order to produce good quality action research. There must however be a good understanding of what must be included in order that it can be considered as being considered to be research of an adequate quality. According to the discussion above .an organisation must clearly define its goals as far as research is concerned. I including what needs to be done. Such research can be internal or external. They must do The organisation concerned will need to produce a learning environment, one in which there is a thirst for knowledge as a process which is continuous process, with every employee being involved in creating this new knowledge. REFERENCES AGUINAS, H., 1995, Statistical Power with Moderated Multiple Regression in Management Research, Journal of Management , 21 : 1141-1158 EDEN ,C. and HUXHAM,C., March 1996, Action research for management research, British Journal of Management, 7, pp. 75-86, EBSCOhost [Online]. Available from: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/ehost/detail?hid=105&sid=446561bf-3152-405d-87fd-f6972fd2d38e%40sessionmgr115&vid=47&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=buh&AN=4528438 (Accessed: 8thAugust 2011) EVERED,R. and LOUIS, M., 1981, Alternative perspectives in the organizational sciences: “Inquiry from the inside” and “inquiry from the outside.”, Academy of Management Review, 6 (3), pp.385-395, EBSCOhost [Online]. Available from: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/ehost/detail?hid=105&sid=446561bf-3152-405d-87fd-f6972fd2d38e%40sessionmgr115&vid=47&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=buh&AN=4285776 (Accessed: 8th August 2011). GORELICK, C., Gorelick, 2005, Organizational learning VS the learning organization: a conversation with a practitioner, The Learning Organization, 12(4): 383-388 SCHWADT, D., 1993. Organizational Learning., Presentation at The Cutting Edge of HRD Lecture Series. The Office of Personnel Management. Washington, DC SENGE, P., 1990, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, New York, Currency Doubleday ZUBER-SKERRITT,O. and PERRY, C, 2002, Action research within organisations and university thesis writing, The Learning Organization, 9(4), 171-179, Emerald [Online]. Available from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/journals.htm?issn=0969-6474&volume=9&issue=4&articleid=882639&show=html&PHPSESSID=cb1d0684nvdgb9b31q327mhe91 (Accessed: 8th August 2011). Read More