The sociological paradigms of organisational analysis

Seminar activities
Activity One: Paradigm Questionnaire

Individually: Determine your preferred paradigm, using the

questionnaire provided on Blackboard
Be prepared to share which paradigm informed YOUR own view
of organisation
 Reminder

Burrell and Morgan (1979)

Different Paradigms: In a Nutshell -1

• Functionalism - organisations give structure to society and are a necessity

to its stability and continuity. Each organisation is a solution to a
particular problem and basically has a function that can be explained by
observing what it does. The concern is efficiency and effectiveness, and
the expertise of management in creating wealth.
• Interpretivism - organisations are comprised of people. It is people that
theorists of organisation must understand: their organised activities,
symbolic systems, and the meaning of their actions. Organisations are to
be understood from within rather than be explained from without - by
trying to understand the subjective outlook, social actions, and cultural
practices of others.
Different Paradigms: In a Nutshell -2
• Radical structuralism – presently, business organisations materially
dominate and exploit their workers and create economic conflict and
inequality in society. Theories of organisation need to explain this system and
its horrible relationships. This may help workers realise that the inevitable
time will come for them to smash the system of capitalist society and its
inequalities. It is the only way toward creating something better.
• Radical humanism - theories about how to manage an organisation’s culture,
build teams, create visions, control people so that they perform etc. are not
necessary or relevant to human progress. Theories of organisation need to be
more critical of management, and possibly anti-management. This is because
business organisations and their managers use sophisticated tools of subtle
psychological domination. They use ideas, language, and ideological
frameworks to prevent people from reaching their full potential or from
realising that they are being both dominated and exploited by capitalism.
Rather than smash the system, we must first liberate minds.
Activity Two: Individually, then in pairs
Watch the video
• What would a theorist who
operates with the assumptions
of functionalism ‘see’ in this
video?
• What would a theorist who
operates with the assumptions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTQJdGp4F34 of radical humanism ‘see’ in this
video?
Activity Three: In small groups
• Use the web to research the work of the following theorists and the way
they approached the study of organisation and / or management.
• Discuss and agree what paradigm of organisational analysis you think their
work is located in and be prepared to explain briefly why:
• W. Edwards Deming
• Erich Fromm
• Harry Braverman
• Erving Goffman
• Put together a short presentation for the class that identifies these theorists,
the paradigm position their work is located in and your rationale for this
assertion
Suggested Reading
• Burrell, G. and Morgan, G. (1994 [1979]) Sociological Paradigms and
Organisational Analysis. Arena. Especially Chapters 1,2,3.