Consequences of Instrumental PDF

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Consequences of Instrumental...

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Consequences of Instrumental-Rational Action —trained incapacity: To be efficient, organizations some- times train employees to

respond mechanically or mindlessly to the dictates of the job, leaving them unable to respond creatively to new or changing circumstances. In other words, workers are trained to do their jobs in an efficient way to meet organizational goals while ignoring other important matters related to self, community, and environment. Here, efficient means quickly and without thought. At the root of trained incapacity is a job with little variety and repetitive tasks —tunnel vision —oligarchy: Large formal organizations inevitably tend to become oligarchical; that is, power becomes concentrated in the hands of a few people who hold the top positions. In his writings about bureaucracy, Max Weber emphasized that power lies not in the person but rather in the position that person occupies. A superior gives orders to subordinates, who are required to carry out those orders. The superior’s power is supported by the ability to threaten sanctions, such as demotions, layoffs, or firings. professionalization A trend in which organizations hire experts with formal training in a particular subject or activity—training needed to achieve organizational goals. — Alienation. The growth of bureaucracies to coordinate the efforts of humans as well as machines and other technology is accompanied by alienation. Although Marx discussed alienation in general, he wrote more specifically about alienation in the workplace. Marx maintained that workers are alienated on four levels: (1) from the process of production, (2) from the product, (3) from the family and the community of fellow workers, and (4) from the self. “a state of being in which human life is dominated by the forces of its inventions.” It is essentially the notion that human lives are increasingly being governed and influenced by technological innovations. With the growth of technology humans are to a greater extent able to manipulate nature and as a result have increased efficiency and pace at which essential products are being manufactured and delivered....