Role of Social Construction in the Making of Organizational Vision - Coursework Example

Discuss the role of social construction in the making of organizational vision. Student’s Name: Course Code: Tutor’s Name: Date of Submission Introduction Social construction is the method through which the society develops certain beliefs regarding a phenomenon. It is a way of forming a social construct through human choices (Allen 2005). A social construct is a notion or an idea that is obvious and appears to be a reality to the ones who accepts it. Social construction is a product of the society and the society is a product of human beings. A good example of social construction is how individuals are identified as coming from a specific ethnic group or race (Allen 2005). An organizational vision is a clear and comprehensive picture of the organization or the business at a certain point in the future. Organizational involves the process of a business declaring its objectives and the vision acts as a guide in the organization’s decision making (Cole, Harris & Bernerth 2006). Social construction plays an important role in coming up with an organization vision since the organization must work closely with the society. The society here can be the various stakeholders as well as the external business environment (Allen 2005). This essay will analyze the social construction theory; give the characteristics of an effective organizational vision and the role of social construction in coming up with an organizational vision as well as the role of managers and technology. The social construction theory The theory is perceived to work on the basis of some assumptions that are very important in showing how workers and other stakeholders contribute to the development of organizational culture by the vision discourse. These assumptions include: According to Allen (2005, p. 35), “Meaning arises from social systems rather than from individual members of the society”. Bearing in mind that an organization is a system, its existence will be highly determined by how the workers relate not where the business is located or the resources it has. In the event that the management will not include the workers in coming up with the vision of the organization, they are expected to follow and accept the ideas brought to them (Caldwell 2003). This means that workers will come up with their own vision as they interact and this will be a vision that is constructed socially (Johansson 2004). Knowledge is constructed on the basis of historical, social and political situation (Cole, Harris & Bernerth 2006). This means it is very important to understand these situational factors when interpreting the vision of an organization. An organization can therefore be affected by the external environments hence it must consider the interests of the society (Hosking & McNamee 2006). The third assumption is that language is equally important in meaning construction. Social construction theory looks at organizational vision as a result of the members of the society’s discussions through interactions with the use of language (Johansson 2004). In social construction, social action and knowledge are interrelated issues. The way workers in an organization will perceive the vision of the organization will affect the organization’s operations (Hosking & McNamee 2006). The various aspects of a good organizational vision with reference to social construction input in coming up and realizing organizational vision are very important (Hosking & McNamee 2006). It is good to understand that an organizational vision is a broader concept than the vision statement. The vision statement is a way to express a vision; this gives social construction a significant role to play in building the organization vision. As change is inevitable in every social setting, organizations should be able to adopt the necessary change in adopting a positive social construction and revising the negative social constructions (Ford, Ford & Mcnamara, 2002). These aspects include the following. The organization’s reason for existence and purpose A well laid out vision in an organization should clearly show why the organization or a business was started. Other than maximization of profits, an organization must have other duties to perform in the society as well as in the economy where it operates. The society here can include the employees, shareholders as well as the management (Kim 2002). Employees should be involved in coming up as well as developing an organizational vision. This will make their perception on the vision more meaningful as well as make them not resist any change through their interactions. The external environment of the business which includes the demographic factors of the location must also be considered greatly when coming up with an organizational vision (Kim 2002). Social constructs such as gender and ethnic background of the society where the business operates play a significant role in the organization’s operations. The vision should try and encompass these social constructs of the society as it establishes the reasons for its existence. A good example is the Westpac banking corporation headquartered in Sydney Australia. According to O’Donovan (2005), their vision statement is, “To be one of the world’s great service companies, helping our customers, communities and people to prosper and grow.” The core reason for this business existence is to provide banking services but they have provided an inclusive vision. Here they have given provisions for their customers as well as the community which constitutes the society (O'Donovan 2005). This means that the various social constructs among the society will be dealt with as the organization exists. Other than stating their vision in the real vision they have identified how they will reward their shareholders and becoming a leader in their community. This shows the purpose of the organization with reference to social construction. Core values of the organization A well laid out vision should clearly show where the business is heading. In other words who the organization is striving to be and who they are currently. This will be made possible by the involvement of the various stakeholders in the organization. Employees for instance play a very important role in determining the vision of an organization. According to Dvir, Kass & Shamir, (2004), employees are the ones who own the vision of a business. The social construction of these employees, for example, must be in line with the core values of the organization, if they have some social constructs which are not in line with the vision of the organization (Hosking & McNamee 2006). There must agents of change or individuals to create a real social, environmental as well as political change in the working environment. Some workers can be racists in the working place and this can deter the effectiveness of the business to achieve its vision. There must be procedures in the management to be able to change this so as to realize the ultimate goal of the organization (Kannan-Narasimhan 2012). The value proposition of the organization The effectiveness of an organizational vision can be realized by showing what makes the organization unique and special from other organizations. The vision should show what is good about the organization and the reason why that goodness matters (Kannan-Narasimhan 2012). The various social constructs are the ones to show the uniqueness of a business. A business which does not embrace gender equality among its stakeholders should employ change and design a vision that will show the uniqueness in matters relating to gender issues. Other managers in organizations can treat their employees depending on their social classes something that is not advisable to be shown in an organizational vision (Harrison 1970). This means that the social construction of the society should be considered well designing a vision to show the general public that the business organization is unique. An organization like virgin airlines in Australia shows its unique qualities in their vision by stating that they do the right thing. This will include issues like safety as well integrity and honesty. This goodness matters in that they every customer will look for these qualities when I need of the services that they offer (Cole, Harris & Bernerth, 2006). The strategic intentions of the organization A good vision will encompass the future aspirations of the organization and the goals they are aiming at achieving within a specified time in the future (Allen 2005). If the social construction of the society around the firm can disadvantage their achievement, they need to put clear provisions in their vision on how to make it better. It is good to understand that social constructions do not mean the reality. This means that there can be some negative social constructs but the society does not take them as reality. The negative constructs should be done away with as the organization must operate in the society and changes must keep on being put into place (Allen 2005). Role of the management In the process of making and developing organizational goals, managers have a significant role to play in managing the social constructs from their stakeholders. Some of their roles in this perspective include the following: Analyzing their employees’ performance; some of the employees can be resistant to changes in organization due to their different social constructs. Managers should analyze their individual responses to be able to handle them as a group (Ford, Ford & Mcnamara, 2002). Managers should also act as catalytic leaders in the organization. This will make sure that they interact with other stakeholders freely to identify and solve any emerging construct that can be of negative implication (Ford, Ford & Mcnamara, 2002). Together with other stakeholders, managers should take the role of crafting strategies through which social construction will be of benefit to the organization in the realization of their vision (Ford, Ford & Mcnamara, 2002). Charismatic leadership should be provided by the management for the realization of the desired change in the process of attaining the desired change (Caldwell 2003). Role of technology Social construction goes hand in hand with changes in technology. Advancement in technology has a major to play in how works as well as the management perceive to be the reality. Making and realization of organizational vision has to be accompanied by the embracement of the technological changes (Ford, Ford & McNamara 2002). Positive perception on employment of technological changes has to be taken positively by the workers for the proper realization of organizational vision. In matters concerning technology, the relationship between management and employees as well as the level of the trust that exist between them will be greatly associated with the potential of vision success. The employees must be understood how they construct the authority of the vision (Ford, Ford & McNamara 2002). The employees must view the change of technology as visionary and consistent for the vision to be realized. Conclusion In conclusion, Social construction theory has some assumptions that knowledge is constructed on the basis of some contextual factors such as historical as well social. The meaning of social constructs comes from the society. There are some aspects of a good organizational vision which is a broader concept than the statement of the vision. These aspects include the reasons why the organization exists as well the core values of the business. The value proposition of the organization is another aspect in the perspective of showing that the organization is unique in its own ways. Different stakeholders value the vision of an organization according to how they relate and interact with the organization. The management has a considerable role to play in analyzing their employees as well as acting as catalytic leaders. They also have to act as agents of change in crafting strategies for the organization’s well-being. As change is always inevitable in the organization’s realization of the vision as well as its making should go hand in hand with the changes in technology. Employees should interact freely with their supervisors to embrace the changes in technology so as to realize the organizational vision. References Allen, B.J. (2005). Social constructionism. In S. May & D. K. Mumby (Eds.), Engaging organizational communication theory and research: Multiple perspectives (pp. 35-54). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Caldwell, R. (2003). Change leaders and change managers: Different or complementary? Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 24(5): 285-293. doi:10.1108/01437730310485806 Cole, M. S., Harris, S. G., & Bernerth, J. B. (2006). Exploring the implications of vision, appropriateness, and execution of organizational change. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 27(5): 352-367. Dvir, T., Kass, N. & Shamir, B. (2004). 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