Theory W 330
Chapter 5 - A 3-sided pyramid
Strategy definition
Strategy as process
Elementary visualization
A proposition about work
Organization development
Review. In chapters one
and three, the pyramid was
shown to have a place in the history of organization. The
traditional pyramid commanded - thou shalt have but one boss
above thee. In contrast, the job-task pyramid of authority
received little mention.
Summary. Using the familiar
triangular and pyramidal
shapes from organization history, four structures of
organization are differentiated and combined to form a
functional structure of organization. That conceptual shape
of organization has four facets, a base and three structural
sides. The facet names are technology and formal, informal,
and functional. Theory W provides the place of the
functional structure relative to the other structures, then
details the ability to control the functional structure.
Next. Integrate the concept
of strategy as an
alternate view of organization structure.44
Strategy
The word strategy presents a concept,
and the
____________________
44 Section 4 of the traditional
dissertation would
be entitled Strategy.
Theory W page 331
Pyramid
understanding of a concept-word first reaches back for the
root of the word. The second reach for understanding looks
for and identifies current usage and rationalizes that
usage. And the third reach attempts to isolate and smooth
any tangential direction of the rational current usage.
First the root.
Strategia.
The word strategy comes from the
Greek strategia,
which means the art or science of being a general.
The
Greeks knew the importance of generalship in winning
and
losing battles....the Greeks also knew that strategy
was
more than just fighting battles. Effective
generals had
to determine the right lines of supply, decide when
to
fight and when not to fight, and manage the army's
relationships with citizens, politicians, and diplomats.
Effective generals not only had to plan but to act
as
well. Dating back to the Greeks, the concept
of strategy
thus was both planning components and decision-making
or
action components. (124 196)
Work. The modern day version of
action components can
be seen as simply acts, or work, or tasks, or worktasks.
In
these worktasks, the Greeks saw the bigger picture of
strategy as a combination of art and science. The science
being the planning of the worktasks. Thus the root elements
of the strategy concept can be seen as planning and action.
Reconciliation of the planned
worktasks and actualized
worktask results can be seen as an art.
Variance analysis. Theory W advocates
weekly
feedback, review, and replanning of the organization's
functional work structure. This weekly activity can be
seen
Theory W page 332
Pyramid
as analogus to monthly budget variance analysis - business
having a variety, and personal checkings statements being
another variety.
Strategy in 1965. The second reach
for understanding
looks for and identifies current usage and rationalizes that
usage.
One modern day approach to strategy
was presented by
Chandler.
The determination of the basic
long-term goals and
objectives of an enterprise, and the adoption of
courses
of action and the allocation of resources necessary
for
carrying out these goals. (124 198)
Thus the idea of measurable objectives
or management by
objectives (MBO) was merged with the strategy-concept.
Strategy, in a sense, was revived from history and
reconciled with the MBO and the scientific-method
problem-solving eras. MBO and problem-solving needed to
be
linked with some "why" reasoning. Theory W asks "why,"
thus
seeking the functional authority of any particular
organization.
From the Greeks to 1965. Why did
world wisdom have to
wait till 1965 to reinvent, revive, or reconcile the
strategy-concept? One could simply conclude that the
methods of war, specifically the strategy-concept, did not
transfer to the control of peaceful civil actions. Perhaps
the non-military could not understand the advantages of the
underlying ideas of planning and action as they applied to
non-military administrative tasks. For evidence of this
Theory W page 333
Pyramid
simple conclusion, look around at the actual use of planning
and control in families and the classroom.45 In general,
people do not choose to plan and control.
Less war, less strategy? Assuming
that non-military
sectors of a culture less appreciate the advantages of the
strategy-concept, then one must be aware that if the
military shrinks, the discipline of the strategy-concept
interjected by the military and its retirees into the
culture will also shrink.
Less industry, less strategy?
The 1965 revival of the
strategy-concept may also identify with the reallocation of
national product from the non-service to the service
segments. The decline of the non-service national product
can be seen as an opportunity for the promotion of the study
of the strategy-concept to facilitate the organizational
reengineering of the non-service segments.
Strategy application in 1979.
A 1979 text promoting
the use of the strategy-concept explicitly portrayed the
work of organizing the strategic planning process as 40
functional responsibilities (247 75). Thus the process
was
____________________
45 Theory W in the classroom via Lesson
Zero can be
seen as an example of teaching students some elements of
planning and control.
Theory W page 334
Pyramid
viewed somewhat simplistically. The detailed work
explicitly linked in support the organization strategy did
not appear as either a complexity of responsibilities or an
important enough program so as to require a data base
(247 129).
In contrast to a pat 40 functional
responsibilities,
Theory W recognizes the complexity of supporting the
organization's strategy and requires the use of a computer
database to show the organization's work relationships.
In
1979 literature the complexity of work relationships was
covered under "Other areas of interest."(247 130)
Theory W work tasks. Theory W,
on a non-other basis,
requires the explicit statement of work tasks which support
the organization strategy. In 1979 that explicit statement
of work tasks appeared last on the above referenced
resources list of an enterprise. Theory W proposes just
the
opposite, that the explicit, valid, and reliable statement
of work tasks be first priority for each member of the
organization.
Thus why and work become the two
ranking Theory W
words. From a previous figure other Theory W words were
way, what, where, who, and when. The who emulates which
worker.
The individual worker. Interestingly,
a whole chapter
of the 1979 strategy-application-text was devoted to
Theory W page 335
Pyramid
personal lifetime planning (247 311-8).
Theory W carries that personal
lifetime planning
orientation unto the same level of strategic planning used
for large organizations, that of first priority work tasking
for each member of the organization.
This equating of individual orientation
to the larger
orientation DOES NOT receive support from education. An
example -
Anti-worker education.
Administration means that individual
[worker] goals
must be set aside in favor of larger organizational
goals, and a key question: Even if strategy formulation
is the product of rational, analytical thinking,
how can
this be reconciled with the fact that administrative
tasks...are often achieved through internal political
processes? (124 199-200)
Worker education. Theory W puts
the task goals of the
worker in first place and reconciles the formal (political)
authority with the functional (thinking logically) authority
of the organization by using the three-sided pyramid as a
representation of the organization-concept. The three sides
of the pyramid represent formal organization, informal
organization, and functional organization. The base of
the
pyramid represents the recognition and use of technology.
For example, in the case of Theory W, a required
technological tool can be seen as the worktask database.
The strategy side of Theory W's
three-sided
organization pyramid, as a process, moves an organization
Theory W page 336
Pyramid
from its top aim, down to measurable objectives, and then
down to action. Previous figures presented this concept.
Control, as a process, measures
the variance between
the objectives and the actual action results and arranges
corrective action in a ranked order. That control process
motivates the individual members of the organization toward
the experience of good feelings. The task accomplishments
of the expert worker are used in supporting both the
strategies of that individual and the larger organization at
the same time.
Life work strategy. "Science is
the outcome of
research."(256 15) Therefore actual data can be seen as the
start of research.
Life actualizations are recognized
by the mind. This
actual data can then be subjected to scientific method.
Thus the content and complexity of life can be harnessed.
That control harness can be seen as applying to both a
single life organization and to organizations which
encompasses a multitude. In either case, concepts or
constructs are useful in seeing an organization strategy.
Theory W provides a construct of organization strategy as an
essential life structure.
Many of life's aspects do not
have explicit standards,
yet all life aspects have the aforementioned actual
experiences as recognized by the mind. This does not
Theory W page 337
Pyramid
indicate that life is or is not scientific. For science
is
woven into all lives. However, what does it take to
proclaim a worker's life as scientific? Could every worker
be seen as an expert scientific worker?
Expert workers support strategy.
There is no distinct dividing line
between common
sense and scientific method (256 17).
One could thus conclude that every
worker would be
capable of attaining an expert condition, assuming that all
workers are capable of common sense. However, the challenge
can be intimidating -
There is much between the start
and outcome:
(1) order investigation,
(2) use scientific method,
(3) gather representative evidence,
(4) reason logical conclusion,
(5) demonstrate conclusion validity, and
(6) cumulate appliable principles. (256 15)
Under Theory W the expert worker
can see a less
intimidating way.
Investigation can be seen as a
continuation our
three-year old "Why?" curiosity. Investigation can be seen
as something learned at an early age. The search for
knowledge can be seen as continually demonstrated by most
people in many natural ways throughout their lives.
Science extends from the search
for knowledge for its
own sake to problems concerned with immediate needs
of
man. The latter end of the spectrum, applied
science, is
distinguished from common-sense investigation by
its
methods and by its roots in basic science.
(256 19)
Theory W page 338
Pyramid
Theory W has specific and unique
methods of
organization structure. The building upon common sense
continues.
Scientific methods develop and
use concepts in the
development of complex theories. While common-sense
methods do employ concepts, such concepts are usually
at
the first level of abstraction. (256 20)
The expert worker's first level
under Theory W becomes
their worktasks and the time they spend in support of the
functional organization's aim. The Theory W support
structure becomes an important higher level of organization
abstraction.
Scientific researchers carefully
document their
methods and results. Failures as well as successes
become part of the written record of science.
Publication of common-sense methods is relatively
rare.
(256 20)
Worker author. Under Theory W
the week's research by
the expert worker becomes a one page publication in evidence
of review and support by the formal organization chain of
command.
The worktask author in Theory
W seeks to document the
work tasks which support organization strategy. For
example, this dissertation's appendix shows strategic work
tasks of the author - writing principles which support the
strategic functional organization process.
Strategy still unpopular. Combining
the views of
"less war," "less non-service industry," and "anti-worker
Theory W page 339
Pyramid
education," administrative theory maintains the
strategy-concept as an elitist tool - a tool to be used by
those in the upper reaches of the formal organization
structure, not by the common worker. Thus the current usage
of the strategy-concept comes to be rationalized and
unfortunately relegated to the public relations aspects of
annual reports.
Now another mental reach for understanding
strategy.
As the third and final reach for
the understanding of
a concept-word, Theory W attempts to isolate and smooth the
tangential anti-worker direction of the strategy-concept.
For scientific study, the variables
of the strategy
concept follow.
The variables of strategy.
Leavitt (1965) sketched four interacting
variables...
task, people, technology, and structure....
Each of the
professional specialists may find himself overlapping
into another's area from time to time. Despite
these
overlaps, each tends to develop strong biases for
one
variable being more "strategic" than another.
(113 80-1)
Theory W integrates the above
variables rather than
specializing any one of them, then adds time as an
independent variable.
Theory W page 340 Pyramid
Table 41 - Strategy variables defined
____________________________________________________________
task a verb-descriptor-noun phrase
representing a
non-duplicated part of the functional
organization
people a specific number of task performers
called
expert workers (one individual worker may
represent a group of internal organization
members or a group of external individuals)
technology the necessary single computer database to handle
separately (1) the complexity of functional
authority in the wholistic task view and (2) the
simplicity of individual responsibility for all
the organization's work tasks
structure for context, the three-sided organization
pyramid, and specifically, the precedence network
pyramid side representing the functional
authority of the organization (Theory W permits
an individual to also be structured as an
organization)
____________________________________________________________
Note: Ordered variables from (113 80-1).
The above variables are combined
with the Greek
strategy-concept resulting in a quick application of Theory
W in the tables immediately following. Much detailed Theory
W application information will appear in subsequent
chapters. The integrated strategy variables appear
parenthetically in the following tables.
Theory W page 341 Pyramid
Table 42 - Functional Greek strategy
____________________________________________________________
Structure
_________
Tasks
People
____________________________________________
________
Act Verb Descriptor
Noun Pre Who Whrs
____ __________ ______________ _____________ ____ ___ ____
1 win
battles 2 mu
mu
2 fight
battles 5 cit proj
3 determine supply
routes 6 gen
proj
4 decide battle
schedules 3 gen proj
5 manage citizen
relationships 4 gen rout
6 manage politician
relationships 1 gen rout
6 manage diplomat
relationships 1 gen rout
7 relate general's
management 5 cit rout
____________________________________________________________
Note: From (124 196).
Keywords used above: mu - not pertinent; CITizen in the
army; GENeral; PROJect; ROUTine.
Table 43 - Greek army-citizen's work tasks
____________________________________________________________
Act Verb Descriptor
Noun Pre Who Whrs
____ __________ ______________ _____________ ____ ___ ____
1 win
battles 2 mu
mu
2 fight
battles 5 cit proj
5 manage citizen
relationships 7 gen rout
7 relate general's
management 5 cit rout
____________________________________________________________
Note: From previous table. The why and way hierarchy of
tasks are shown to the expert worker for motivation and
expectation.
Theory W page 342 Pyramid
Table 44 - Greek general's work tasks
____________________________________________________________
Act Verb Descriptor
Noun Pre Who Whrs
____ __________ ______________ _____________ ____ ___ ____
5 manage citizen
relationships 4 gen rout
4 decide battle
schedules 3 gen proj
3 determine supply
routes 6 gen
proj
6 manage politician
relationships 1 gen rout
6 manage diplomat
relationships 1 gen rout
1 win
battles 2 mu
mu
____________________________________________________________
Note: From previous table. The why and way hierarchy of
tasks are open to the expert worker for motivation and
expectation.
Means-end chain. The why-way worktask
hierarchy of
Theory W can be seen as a means-end chain structure.
In the above tables, note well
the difference in the
functional authority between the general and the
army-citizen. Also note well that the general and the
army-citizen responsibilities are integrated into the whole
organization in yet another table. Theory W intends that
these differentiations be specific and precise thus
providing clear and concise pure functional organization
structure to any organization, including the individual as
an organization.
Additionally note the emphasis
on the measurement of
task whole hours - a vital validity measure of pure
functional organization structure. Drucker expressed the
importance of timed task actualization by portraying a young
Theory W page 343 Pyramid
writer saying,
One day's delay won't make much
difference... That
was forty-six years ago... (123 vii)
Theory W makes real the 24 whole
hours of Drucker's
day's-delay.
In general, Theory W takes a unique
approach to
strategy - Theory W's approach to enterprise (organization)
goals and action involves asking the simple question, "Why,"
or more specifically, "Why act," and most specifically in
Theory W terms, "Why work?" Or "Why spend productive
whole-hours?"
This Theory W approach opens the
way for the more
universal explanation of the existence of any or all
organizations, including each individual as an organization.
Additionally, the general why-question
links to the
general education concept of learning. Learning enhances
the ability of any organization to work and achieve the why
of the organization. That learning concept appears
elsewhere in this dissertation. Here we continue with a
reconciliation with the matrix structure material previously
presented in this dissertation.
Reconciliation with matrix. In
1965, corporate
strategy portrayed the manager as the relationships of the
(1) two dimensional formal organization chart, (2) informal
structure, and (3) functional structure which has
Theory W page 344
Pyramid
experienced a forced merger with the formal to become the
formal-functional chart. The formal-functional
relationships display became the matrix chart.
Theory W separates and thus simplifies
the
formal-functional and project-matrix combinations and
emphasizes the separation of organization elements. Those
elements being (1) the formal chart, (2) the project or pure
functional chart, (3) the informal chart, and (4) the
organization base of technology.
Praxis context.
We have seen over the past decade
a fundamental change
in the basic philosophy which underlies managerial
behavior, reflected most of all in the following
three
areas:
A new concept of man, based on
increased knowledge of
his complex and shifting needs, which replaces the
oversimplified, innocent push-button idea of man.
A new concept of power, based
on collaboration and
reason, which replaces a model of power based on
coercion
and fear.
A new concept of organizational
values, based on
humanistic-democratic ideals, which replaces the
depersonalized mechanistic value system of bureaucracy.
(236 572)
Mind-soul-spirit. The above self-organization
premises center in the mind. The mind being an element
of
the unique religious soul or spirit in each of us.
In the past, the mind has been
equated with the soul
or the spirit. But such terms are religious
or
spiritual, rather than philosophical or scientific...
(127 xiv)
Expert worker mindset. Thus the
Theory W life of the
expert worker leaves behind the all-consuming formal
Theory W page 345
Pyramid
organization of religion - faith in the supervisor who can
be seen as closer to God. By virtue of scientific
schorlarship the pure functional organization structure
presents an added dimension of authority - the dicotomy of
faith versus logic-challenged expert workers no matter on
what level of the formal organization chart - general or
citizen as per the above tables.
The combination of formal and
functional authorities
can now enliven the informal structure so that all the sides
of the organizational pyramid can focus work energy unto the
aims of the concerned organizations. In a sense, the
four-sides of reference concerning organization
actualization can be seen to support a contingency theory
whereby any structure can be appropriately emphasized, yet
the others not forgotten.
Theory maturation. Theories are
not evident instantly
- growth appears as time, thought, and effort are extended.
I remember sitting in Professor
McGregor's class some
seven year's ago, when he first presented his new
theories, and I remember the sharp antagonism his
Theory
X and Theory Y analysis then provoked. Today,
I believe
most of you would take these ideas as generally
self-evident. (236 572)
Theory W wishes to make functional
authority
self-evident in the future, through practical application,
continued writing, and promotion.
Why-way structuring. An effective
schedule supports a
Theory W page 346
Pyramid
strategy - with the mission of an organization at the top of
the triangle. One could argue that a schedule should be
constructed only from a strategy. That would be an optimum
regarding productivity.
Since productivity simply compares
output and input.
The input of strategy into an organization would optimally
direct the tactical outputs. Strategy, as the functional
structure of the organization results in a circle of
activity - feedback if you will.
Activity schedules are everywhere
in our complex
society. And many times our strategy driven schedules must
be adjusted accordingly. The dynamics of different
organizations with different strategies adjust dynamically.
Different organization strategies can thus be seen to
cooperate. If these strategy dynamics are taken for
granted, they can be said to exist though the subconscious.
Theory W, on the other hand, provides a conceptual construct
for the conscious viewing of the organization - the pure
functional organization, as contrasted with the formal and
informal views of organization.
Why why-waying? The viewing or
visibility into the
unformal organization will improve productivity. To prove
that hypothesis in application, people just choose and do.
In the academic exploration a statistically significant
experiment requires a design - a model.
Theory W page 347
Pyramid
Model significance. Reliability
comes from the
probability of an operation happening in a timely quality
manner.
After reliability comes validity
- does the operations
manner as output represent what it should represent? To
define those time and quality standards one needs to know
the strategic why of the operation.
For example, returning to the
military, "We build
tanks to keep the peace!" That concept may be reliable,
but
can also be seen as of questionable validity. Thus to have
valid operations of any organization one needs to
demonstrate why the organization exists. Theory W permits
the construction of such an organization model.
The models of organization represent
organization
reality which, being dynamic and complex, can never be
modeled. The energy to model completely rivals the energy
of the thing being modeled. Thus, in a sense, the thing
lives twice. On the human level of organization, we cannot
live life twice, therefore modeling must be simplistic yet
productive.
The alternative of no definitive
functional
organization structure can easily be construed as little
direct interest in promoting direct organization
productivity.
Strategy versus structure. The
planning and carrying
Theory W page 348
Pyramid
out is strategy and the devised organization is structure
(162 13). Additionally, Ansoff's
concept of strategy (1) provides
a broad concept of
the firm's business, (2) sets forth specific guidelines
by which the firm can conduct its search, and (3)
supplement the firm's objectives with decision rules
which narrow the firm's selection process to the
most
attractive opportunities. (122 104)
Weak idea of strategy. The
concept of strategy
supposedly offers to fix U.S.organization productivity.
Using a strategic perspective; to produce more for less,
ownership/management moves from mission, to objectives, and
on to implementation (exemplified by the question "How?"
or
"Way?"). This concept calls for the manager to functionally
organize. The functional view to the top of the
organization answers the worker question "Why?"
Model validity. Validity represents
reality: stands
to reason that cost effective representation of a valid
model would be a goal.
An alternative.
Another approach to charting the
informal organization
is to diagram the pattern of informal interactions
on the
formal organization chart itself. (12 210)
Too complex yet Theory W attempts
to "chart" all
whole-hour task interactions.
Strategy as a process
Theory W page 349 Pyramid
Table 45 - Comparison of Theory W and MOGSA hierarchies
____________________________________________________________
MOGSA Theory W
levels levels
Remarks
___________ __________ _____________________________________
Mission Mission
Objective Objectives (Ties simply to the MBO stereotype.)
Goal Goals Encompasses both mission & objectives
Strategy
Under Theory W strategy is defined as
the administrative process of moving
from mission to objectives to action.
Action Actions
____________________________________________________________
Source: (77 610).
Theory W gives purpose to production
- that is, the
individual actualization mission congruent with the
organization mission. The individual joins the organization
to support its work - the organization's product.
Scientific method problem solving supports the idealized
work hierarchy.
The active [individual] determining
and guiding the
course of a firm toward its objectives. In
contrast to
more common descriptive theories used in the economic
theory, the interest is normative: we seek
to develop a
practically useful series of concepts and procedures
which managers can use to manage. (122 vii)
The strategy side of Theory W's
three-sided
organization pyramid, as a process, moves an organization
from its top aim, down to measurable objectives, and then
down to action.
Theory W page 350
Pyramid
Railroad analogy. The 1850s witnessed
the
solidification of American railroads. By 1860 the
relatively dependable service occured in the East (134 6).
In Kansas, Topeka was "the last community on the map" - 1200
people (134 25). Combined with Atchison on the Missouri
River to the east, and the projection to Santa Fe to the
west, the AT&SF railroad was organized. From the writing
of
the charter in 1859 the organization stepped its way to
Santa Fe. After the early steps of organization
implementation, history records what was ahead - "Exit
frying-pan, enter the fire."(134 37) Thus, in typical human
fashion, the AT&SF stepped through 2080.85 miles of track
(134 194). The track divided into sections and branches
-
hundreds of them. But the basic step was the elemental
railtie - those wooden things under the rails, which tie the
rails together. At one tie every two feet that's over
5,000,000 steps.
A strategy involves steps, yet
more complex - but
simple enough to provide a dynamic model.
Personal strategy. Since a dissertation
associates
with philosophy, this dissertation aims to broader
communication. Thus a dissertation of a certain type begins
on a philosophical note and first-person narrative.
To move my implementations to
measured objectives and
onto the actualization of growth, I was effecting the
Theory W page 351
Pyramid
concept of strategy. That strategy has taken the form of
a
full range business career (from manufacturing engineer
through general manager and on to national consulting) and
then into an education career where a PhD is the ticket.
Theory W provided me with a rigorous
structure for the
ideas of strategy and means-end chain.
Business strategy. The flow from
growth to
relatedness to existence is called strategy - a basic
administrative concept which has existed forever. "From
the
top down" can be seen as the strategy process.
Scientific strategy. Strategy
can also be
mathmatical.
In developing the strategy for
solving a problem with
a scientific calculator,[46] it is important to
remember the basic algebraic approach to calculating.
True algebraic logic means that in a series of
operations, multiplication and division will be
carried
out before addition and subtraction.
All functions on the scientific
calculator are
performed in a specified sequence of priorities.
Each
function has a priority... (233 4)
Priority. Theory W scientifically
presumes that each
organization function has a sequence, priority, or
precedence.
A thesaurus (202 sv) provides definition -
Sequence:
line, order, priority, procession, succession, timing;
____________________
46 "Calculators were limited to
the basic
mathmatical functions...until the early 1970's."(233
1)
Theory W page 352 Pyramid
alternation, circuit, circulation, gyration, revolution,
rotation, round, spinning, turn, whirl;
arrangement, disposal, disposition, distribution,
grouping, ordering;
chain, course, lineup, order, progression, row,
run,
series,
string, train.
Priority:
advantage, precedence, prerogative, privilege, rank,
seniority;
bent, bias, drift, habit, inclination, leaning,
partiality,
penchant, predilection,
preference, proclivity,
talent, taste,
tendency;
line, order...
accent, emphasis, highlighting, importance, significance,
stress, weight.
Precedence: advantage, prerogative...
PR universality. As shown above,
understanding of
strategy runs from more scientific (mathmatical calculation)
to simply a public relations tool. The abbreviation which
most encompasses or universality encompasses the idea of the
pr words can be seen as a pr or previous act number.
However, the word PRE best communicates
the structure
of a functional organization database. That structure will
later lead to both why- and way-versions of the
organization.
Opposition. Although there seems
little opposition to
strategy, neither does one perceive a rush to apply a
practicum of strategy principles. One cause of non-interest
can be seen as the low level of principles development and
promotion. Another cause can be seen as a confused state
of
discussion and terms.
Theory W page 353
Pyramid
Research of the strategy topic
has offered no
illustration of confused opposition. However the following
material reaches back to some earlier laid principles - in
opposition. At this stage of developing functional
organization principles, the confused or incorrect thinking
should be evident to the reader.
By formal is meant those processes
by which members of
two or more engage in relationships with one another
in
their capacities as members of their organizations.
By
informal is meant those strategies of interorganizational
contact in which the collaborators act in some capacity
other than as organizational members. Hence,
it is the
substance of the form which forms the distinction.
(20 130)
Again, the above represents confused
and incorrect
thinking.
Prior digest. Prior dissertation
materials printed to
this point were scanned to pull together associated views on
strategy.
From the Appendix - Dissertation
Proposals,
specifically BGSU course EDFI 797 Spring 1986, subtitled
Methods and Procedures there comes a differentiation of
between certain strategies - that is, qualitative versus
quantitative.
The qualitative strategy has "(1)
the researcher
working in a natural setting," and (2) "the methods...are
characterized by their flexibility."
From R.G.Burgess (1985) Introduction,
in R.G.Burgess
Theory W page 354
Pyramid
Strategies of educational research: Qualitative methods,
Philadelphia PA: Falmer -
Researchers can, therefore, formulate
and reformulate
their work, may be less committed to perspectives
which
may have been misconceptualized at the beginning...and
may modify concepts as the collection and analysis
of the
data proceeds. The advantage to this approach
is that
the researcher has little reason to terminate a
study....The research is concerned with social processes
and with meaning.
Qualitative research is, therefore,
not based upon a
fixed set of rigid procedures, but nevertheless
the
researcher does need to develop a set of strategies
and
tactics in order to organize.
Thus the process of strategy can
be seen to be
dynamic. Appendix - A Purposeful Job, demonstrates a
concise example of a strategy set and its tactics set -
Strategy - To learn and teach creatively.
- And develop personal writing capacity.
Tactics - Dissertation and
articles.
Past teaching performance.
Education & business administrative experience.
Past productivity improvements.
In the Kensington course M698
- Dissertation Proposal,
several personal objectives were set out, including the
exploration of strategy (63 a36), functional organization,
work visibility, and productivity. Only one of these has
not remained in the dissertation's title. Work is more
a
fundamental, like why, what, where, and many other w words.
The proposal had a mission in
its view of strategy.
The mission, in short, was "to meet the synoptic [problem]
requirement of many recognized individuals and
institutions."(63 a38)
Theory W page 355
Pyramid
In the Appendix -Electronic Writing,
the third step of
writing process is to "form a strategy"(63 a64), after
failings recognition and topic specification. Following
steps are note taking, referencing, choosing a writing
style, practice composition, piece together, argue issues,
and build a personal library. In hindsight, and with 460
pages of the dissertation printed, the strategy becomes
clearly about personal growth and its expression. Yet,
at
times, progress is non-existent, or, at best, exceedingly
slow.
Pointed writing evolves after the
clarification of a
strategy structure of why we want to accomplish
written
works and the way in which we actualize the work.
(63 a71)
Thus both a strategic focus and
a problem of time
application can be seen. (63 a82)
When we read for significance,
we study the details
only to see their relationship to the whole.
It is the
total effect, the feeling captured in form, that
we want
to appreciate. The final step in serious reading,
then,
is to draw together all that we have seen and to
consider
its relationship to the human emotion the art expresses.
(200 360)
Writing about abstract ideas may
be the most difficult
of all types of writing. (200 426)
The writing appendix of this dissertation
defined
strategy as
the critical path of actions coordinated
(aimed) to
the attractiveness of good feelings. (63 a96)
Theory W views strategy as a process
where the main
philosophical aim relies on the expression of measurable
objectives. (63 a100)
Theory W page 356 Pyramid
An organization chart of Theory W (63 a100):
/\
An aim on top /__\ sometimes called a mission or philosophy
/ \
Objectives /______\ measured (likened to an
MBO program)
/ \
Actions /__________\ coming out of individuals'
choices
Theory W advocates that the why
of a written work be
included on its title page (63 a105).
Theory W uses the writing process
to introduce
strategy organization as an up and down flow process
-
up
providing answers to the why of purpose, down providing
answer to the way of implementation (63 a110).
The
database evidence of the strategic organization
becomes
an investigative problem solving tool (63 a112).
In general, strategy, as an organizing
process,
provides (1) a focusing aim, (2) supporting objectives,
and (3) implementation guidance. (63 a154)
Means merit ends. Means
are work tasks which flow
through time to provide ends. One strategy
text (264)
uses the term means-end chain to represent the work
flow
of an organization. Thus organization work
merits end
benefits. So too, with the individual - an
individual's
work merits ends throughout life. (63 a170)
Strategy is the process of going
from an aim, to
objectives, and on to implementation. In general,
strategy simply takes a top-down approach to organization
planning. More specifically: (63 a171)
task number and description
why
______________________________
___
1 see organization's aim
2
2 see organization objectives
3
3 know individual tasks
4
4 implement task actions
Another version:
how (the way)
_____________
4 implement task actions
3
3 know individual tasks
2
2 see organization objectives
1
1 see organization's aim
The above wisdom presents an organization
chart unlike
Theory W page 357
Pyramid
the formal or informal organizations - a "new" kind of
authority. An authority of knowing why and choosing to
act
in support of those ends.
By cutting each task from the
others and linking them
- "making a train" - the first version has an action flow
from left to right and the second version has an action flow
from right to left, opposite of English composition
tradition.
Theory W uses the thought process
which moves from the
top philosophic wisdom to the completion of work
tasks
for the facilitation of the life-state of individual
self-actualization. That "top-down" thought
process can
be viewed as a definition of strategy - a process
capable
of releasing much creativity, leadership, and synergistic
potential for any and all organizations. But,
for
strategic thought to be credible, that mental process
of
strategy needs documentation. Thus Theory
W provides a
definitive view of the strategic process - a pure
functional structure of the organization.
(63 127)
Initial hypothesis. Thus a pattern
appears - the top
mission provides the authority for a cascade of goals,
objectives, and task implementations. Theory W views this
top-down waterfall as the process of strategy. Now a
hypothesis can be formed.
If a particular organization's
waterfall of work tasks
can be easily traced to the top mission statement, the
validity and reliability of the pure functional organization
structure can be said to exist. In other words, you can
understand the pure functional organization structure by
reading its database and you can retrace its dynamics over
Theory W page 358 Pyramid
and over again.
An organization structure able
to generate job
descriptions for a large number of members becomes
very
complex and thus requires the maintenance of a flexible
yet rigorous hierarchy. Theory W provides
that hierarchy
through a precedence network database. (63
a129)
A top-down list of the work functions
provides the
opportunity to arrange tasks in priority (hierarchical)
order. The frequent use of the formal organization
chart
establishes the attractiveness of a hierarchical
chart
over narrative [job descriptions]. (63 136)
The full application of Theory
W provides a complete
structure of a organization through the ability to integrate
the valid work tasks of every employee.
Fayol's General Survey of the early
1900s equates to
the idea of strategy today. Although the idea
of
strategy wants for more structure in today's text
books.
Thus Theory W aims to provide an organization structure
which quantifies strategy. Strategy can be
visibly
structured for the organization with the result
of
greater productivity and synergism. Theory
W provides
strategy in organization chart form. (63 138)
Elementary visualization
A whole organization. A pyramid
can be used to
explain the concept of organization as a whole. The pyramid
provides the visualization umbrella for explaining Theory W
within the context of organization and administration of the
organization.
Theory W claims the three-sided
pyramid of
organization as its own because it provides the context in
which the functional structure part of Theory W can
productively be operated.
In essence, organizations are
born of strategy and use
Theory W page 359
Pyramid
problem solving for continued subsistence. Theory W
actuates that strategy process on an appropriate micro
basis. However, Theory W also has the macro basis of the
three-sided pyramid. Thus Theory W has specificity in
context and structure.
It is through knowledge of wholes
that we gain
understanding of components, and not vise versa.
(52 188)
Which of you, intending to build
a [whole pyramid],
sitteth not down first, and counteth the [components],
whether he have sufficient to finish it? Luke
14:28
(52 45)
Theory W sees the components of
an organization as (1)
the traditional formal organization chart, (2) the
Hawthorne-type and OD-type informal organization, and (3)
the job-tasks of functional organization. Those three
structural sides form the pyramid, which has a base of
technology.
A pyramid points up. Man has long
used the pyramid
and its component triangles to direct vision up toward a
transcendental perspective. Yet why does man "look up"
and
why does he seemingly strive to do better?
Further - does man have to be
pushed by complexities
in life, hardship, or the incentive of growing material
wealth to devise better ways to do things in his/her life?
Is necessity really the mother of invention?
Historical evidence would indicate
that very few key
inventions have been made by men who had to spend
all
their energy overcoming the immediate pressures
of
Theory W page 360 Pyramid
survival. Atomic energy was discovered in the
laboratories of basic science by individuals unaware
of
any threat of fossil fuel depletion. The first
genetic
experiments, which led a hundred years later to
high-yield agricultural crops, took place in the
peace of
a European monastery. Pressing human need
may have
forced the application of these basic discoveries
to
practical problems, but only freedom from need produced
the knowledge necessary for the practical applications.
(52 176)
Visualizations of "free from need"
lives are in
museums where scenes of monasteries and workplaces of people
like Gandi and presidents can be brought to the mind.
The quest for transcendence by
way of improvement can
be seen in the organizational charter for the United States
of America. The U.S. Constitution begins as, "we the
people, to form a more perfect union..."
A more recent quest of improvement -
In April 1968, a group of thirty
individuals from ten
countries - scientists, educators, economists, humanists,
industrialists, and national and international civil
servants - gathered in the Academia dei Lincei in
Rome.
They met at the instigation of Dr. Aurelio Peccei,
an
Italian industrial manager, economist, and man of
vision,
to discuss a subject of staggering scope - the present
and future predicament of man.
Out of this meeting grew The Club
Rome, an informal
organization that has been aptly described as an
"invisible college." Its purposes are to foster
understanding of the varied but interdependent components
- economic, political, natural, and social - that
make up
the global system in which we all live; to bring
that new
understanding to the attention of policy-makers
and the
public worldwide; and in this way to promote new
policy
initiatives and action. (52 9)
The Club Rome can be seen as a
grandiose example of
the initiative for action within the human spirit.
Theory W page 361
Pyramid
Service clubs in virtually every
locality provide
additional examples for the uplifting of the human spirit.
In the same upward spirit, this
dissertation attempts
an understanding of Theory W as a perpetual up-lifting
action-initiating tool.
A visual aid. Cardboard provides
more strength than
paper for constructing a visual representation of a Theory W
organization.
Take a piece of paper or card
stock, usually of
rectangular shape, fold one of the short edges in half and
mark the halfway point with a short crease. With a scissors
or paper cutter, cut from each corner of non-creased edge
straight up through where the crease marks that edge's
mid-point. Make three triangles of the type described
above. They are called isosceles triangles. Now take
another piece of paper or card stock and make an equilateral
triangle. Use the short edges of the isosceles triangles
to
measure the required three sides - each of equal length and
equal to the base-length of the three isosceles triangles.
Tape the four triangles together to form a pyramid.
The visual result. Look at the
resultant geometric
figure resulting from the above instructions. That
three-sided pyramid can be seen to represent an organization
- any organization, even the individual as an organization.
While looking directly at each
side, imagine that the
Theory W page 362
Pyramid
side is clear. Note how the other three sides can be seen
when looking through each of the sides.
Theory W professes that no matter
which side of an
organization you are working with - be it technology,
formal, informal, or functional - the other three sides must
be seen as impacting on the current organization development
work. For example, if you look through the functional side,
you see the formal, informal, and technology side merging
with your functional view. The important point of Theory
W
is that you literally can see all four sides of an
organization no matter which side occupies your primary
attention. Thus, if you are working with the functional
side, the formal, informal, and technology sides are there
for you to also see and consider.
Three versus two dimensions. Learning
utilizes the
association of two variables, one step above the rote memory
characteristics of dealing with one variable.
In learning about organization,
hierarchy can be seen
to take up the space two dimensions. Thus when more than
two dimensions are packed into the two dimensional
pyramid,47 the sense of functional priority diminishes.
The matrix organization structure thus stumbles when
attempting to communicate the concept of project and task
priority. With matrix, as the top of the triangle displays,
the formal "boss" structure maintains its hold upon the
Theory W page 363
Pyramid
hierarchical display.
To better cope with the dimensional
complexities of
organization education, Theory W presents the three-sided
and three-dimensional pyramid, releasing one triangle
dimension each for the formal structure and for the
functional structure.
An organization structure? The
three-sided pyramid
provides enough "room" for the separate expression of the
formal, informal, and functional organization structures -
not one of which operates to the exclusion of another.
Theory W, as it includes the three-sided
pyramid,
cannot be called an organization structure. Nor can
Organization Development be considered an organization
structure. But neither can an organization structure
implement itself. Thus concepts such as Theory W,
Organization Development, and Matrix Organization, are
invented to guide the implementation of organization
structure.
Three structures in one pyramid.
Individuals
implement organization structures, and for individual use,
Theory W presents three structures.
____________________
47 The two dimensional triangular
figure and the
pyramid appear to incur synonymous use in the literature of
organization.
Theory W page 364 Pyramid
Table 46 - Structures of Theory W pyramid
____________________________________________________________
Organization
structure
Conceptual base
_______________ _____________________________________
pure formal
power
(military & church)
pure informal selves
(Hawthorne effect)
pure functional value
(tasks linked to mission)
pure technology foundation
(tools of production)
____________________________________________________________
Note: All organization have some output, outcome, and
production process.
The formal organization has been
with the church and
military seemingly forever. This structure has emphasized
service and can be seen to emphasize responsibility and
evaluation.
In the 1900s the science of administration
discovered
another triangle for the pyramid - the informal organization
- more currently exemplified by the Japanese quality circle
or Just-In-Time inventory control personnel programs.48
The Japanese cultural values apparently turn the
Hawthorne-effect into a dynamic positive force for
actualizing the organization aim. This structure can
continually facilitate renewal ideas from the organization
members who are themselves facilitated to become workers
with more expertise - functional visibility being promotive
of more expertise of all concerned.
The third side of organizational
conceptualization
Theory W page 365
Pyramid
involves the why and the way to actualize the purpose of the
organization. Contribution of the individual to the whole
can be seen evidentially. The leadership pull of functional
authority can be unblocked in conjunction with turning the
informal structure into alignment with the organization aim.
Theory W pursues further specificity
in understanding
this pure functional authority of an organization based on
continually evolving technology and worker needs.
The output mission encompasses
a target audience or
marketplace and should lead the organization's work over
decades of time. The output mission umbrellas objectives
which might take years to actualize. Individual work and
the resulting personal actualizations are meant to cooperate
with others and to contribute to the organization output.
The individual's work has both routine tasks (daily, weekly,
monthly, etc.) and project tasks (which might last years).
To make these tasks known and shown as strategically logical
can be seen as the work of administration as a science - the
science of pure functional organization. The model and
technology presented in this dissertation are meant to make
a scientific contribution to any human organization.
____________________
48 Many organizations plead that
they are democracy
and consensus oriented. Democracy, in a sense, relegates
the formal and functional structures, thus stagnating
organization operation at the informal structural level.
Theory W page 366
Pyramid
Universality. The Theory W pyramid
intends to provide
a universal model of organization for Management,
Administration, Organizational Development, and personal
popular-Psychology use.
Based on the universal three-sided
pyramid of
organization, Theory W concentrates on the pure functional
structure - but again - not to the exclusion of the formal,
informal, and technological structures.
A proposition about work
Organization work - be it seen
from the formal,
informal, functional, or technological side - can become
more beneficial (that is, closer to optimization) if the
organization's members can continually see the functional
authority which can be actualized by them and the other
organization members. A hierarchical list of the
organization's work functions provides evidence that can be
seen as reliable and valid.49
Thus the product of Theory W can
be seen as a
renewable resource to prevent slipage relative to
actualizing the organization's purpose and in that way
optimizes member's job-time.
____________________
49 A chorus of miracles results
from Theory W
implementation. The Theory W "chorus of miracles" can be
seen as a next step from "A course in miracles." In this
sense Theory W encompasses the practically of integrating
God authority into organization structure.
Theory W page 367
Pyramid
In the context of the individual
as a organization
where job-time is life-time, continual renewal can minimize
"check-out time" assuming the correct support.
Scheduling organization work.
Activity schedules are
everywhere in our complex society. And many times our
strategy driven schedules must be adjusted. accordingly.
The dynamics of different organizations with different
strategies adjust dynamicly. Different organization
strategies can thus be seen to cooperate. If these strategy
dynamics are taken for granted, they can be said to exist
though the subconscious. Theory W, on the other hand,
provides a conceptual construct for the conscious viewing of
the organization - the pure functional organization, as
contrasted with the formal and informal views of
organization.
A schedule supports strategy.
An effective schedule
supports a strategy - with the mission of an organization at
the top of the triangle. One could argue that a schedule
should be constructed only from a strategy. That would
be
an optimum regarding productivity. Since productivity
simply compares output and input. The input of strategy
into an organization would optimally direct the tactical
outputs. Strategy, as the functional structure of the
organization results in a circle of activity - feedback if
you will.
Theory W page 368 Pyramid
Application difficulties.
In problem solving we move upward
from concrete data
to work out procedures, form theories, and draw
abstract
conclusions. We move back down to more concrete
thinking
when we consolidate information, apply it to a problem,
and test our solution. When we teach people
these
analytic skills along with, and applied to, technical
information, they learn to solve existing, as well
as
new, problems by using their own internal problem-solving
resources. By graduating workers who are comfortable
with moving up and down this learning pyramid, you
are
graduating workers who can digest facts and require
significantly less on-the-job training each time
new...
processes are introduced. (30 20)
High technology thought level.
Between 50 percent and 70 percent
of adults have not
achieved fourth level thought. (32 5-6)
Fourth level thought was first
described by Piaget
(34 156-64) and is critical in the high-tech workplace
(30 19). A classical education model called the "thinking
pyramid"(30 20) encourages the mind to transcend to the
higher levels for more effective problem solving by the
worker.
Organization development
The key words of Organization
Development are montage,
gestalt, behavioral science, change agent, action research,
and interventions. These words would seem to cover anything
that a developing organization would or could need for a
process of planned improvement. The roots of Organization
Development come from the theory and technology of applied
behavioral science (117 1-2).
Theory W page 369
Pyramid
Potential flaw. Organization Development
thusly
provides a proclaimed all-encompassing organizational tool
of intervention, action research, and change based on
behavioral science. However, there exists a potential
weakness in the equating of the individual with animalistic
behavior. Beyond behavioral science there are other
entrances to planned organization improvement which are
potential more fruitful for the human spirit than
animalistic behavior techniques. The alternatives, still
very much within the science of psychology are cognition and
humanism. Cognition likens to recognition and humanism
likens to basic human needs.
The essence of behavioral science,
although
interesting for understanding the "dark side" of the human
worker, cannot shed the animalistic behavioral orientation
of its history. The expert workers of future potential
could be better schooled in the adulthood responsibility of
individual choice. Animals can be seen to have trainable
behavior reinforceable with positive and negative force.
Animals however, do not have logical choice, they have
instinctual reactions. Animals have behavior whereas
individuals as expert workers, including the youngest
students, have choice. When subjected to behavioral
philosophies, workers can perceive being treated as an
animal. The message from the more rational administrator
Theory W page 370
Pyramid
who champions the expert human worker can be seen as saying
something which has the following effect. "The individual
worker chooses. They will not be transformed by
organization development behavioral techniques into a
trained animal." Too many non-well organizations, apart
from being the victims of technological advance, insist on
animalistic imprisonments to "improve" their organizations.
Religious protest. From a religious
perspective, the
first level of Jesus' love according to Powell, integrates
with the humanistic philosophy of psychology rather than the
behavioral science of Organization Development. That first
level of love can be seen as respecting an individual's
choice. Thus the logically loving administrator can be
seen
as using individual choice techniques as a basis for
organization development.50
The future. From the above perspectives
of psychology
and religion, the behavioral science of Organization
Development itself can be seen to be needing its own
prescription of intervention, action research, and change.
If Organization Development has or will evolve to a position
of non-behavioral principles, then it should be able to
____________________
50 Many times non-choice scenarios
are disguised,
blatantly called choice, or otherwise actuated under the
guise of responsibility. Models of developing
responsibility need to have the element of consequential
choosing.
Theory W page 371
Pyramid
clearly reveal those renewable principles.
The expert worker. Importantly
for the wellness of an
organization, the expert worker as a member should have the
tools to reveal the principles underlying a well
organization.
Any worker can answer the question,
"Is this a well
organization?" Workers carry with them their feelings and
concerns about their organization. If the worker replies,
"No! This is not a well organization," then both the worker
and the organization are in reversal. Reversal being a
declining ratio of output compared to input.
The expert worker should be able
to answer other
questions. "In what way is the organization being renewed?
Are those ways consistent with the whys of (1) the concept
of an expert worker, and (2) the organization of which the
expert worker is a member?"
Behavioral extinction. Foundational
to organizational
development is the concept of behavioral extinction.
Hopefully the reader will bring to their consciousness, the
subconscious feeling brought about by being equated to an
animal.
Theory W page 372 Pyramid
Figure 27 - Behavioral extinction
____________________________________________________________
Graph
showing the decline of
training proficiency with time.
____________________________________________________________
Note: Results of experiment based on animal behavior.
On the other hand, one can use
animal behavioral
understanding to reveal what the human condition needs in
order to combat the animal trait of behavioral extinction.
From humanistic scientific psychology those needs would be
categorized as a hierarchy of growth needs on top of
relatedness needs on top of existence needs.
Theory W page 373
Pyramid
Bad informal organization? One
extension of
behavioral extinction places blame for non-perfect learning
and behavior, thus it sees "Hawthorne type" informal
organization activities as covert, working against the
functional aims of the organization. The reasoning: if
the
time for non-functional activities can be eliminated there
exists more time for functional activities. In an opposing
view established by scientific method, informal organization
activity can be seen as a vital facet of every organization.
Figure 28 - Covert organizational aspects
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Note: (99 28) titled Organizational Iceberg.
Theory W page 374
Pyramid
According to Theory W scientific
differentation, the
four facets of every organization can be seen as pure
formal, pure informal, pure functional, and pure technology.
Each of these structures have advantages.
Intervention into the organization
process. The
figure below views Organization Process Development from the
intervention mode - note the complexity which characterizes
Organization Development. Another figure further
exemplifies the complexity of the Organization Development
process from the research variable view. Yet another figure
provides insight into the outcome variables of Organization
Development work. Thus we have independent and dependent
variables, respectively. These complexities hardly form
a
montage. The activity list, the list of research variables,
and the list of outcome variables represent the complexity
of organization development work until a more relational
structure or structures can be shown.
Theory W can be seen as a contribution
of specific
relational structure - an intervention tool if you will.
Theory W page 375 Pyramid
Figure 29 - A view of intervention
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Note: (96 25) titled The OD Cube: A Scheme For Classifying
OD Interventions.
Theory W page 376 Pyramid
Figure 30 - Action research variables
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Note: (92 526) titled Organization Development Research
Variables - Process.
Theory W page 377 Pyramid
Figure 31 - Change as outcome variables
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Note: (92 527) titled Organization Development Research
Variables - Outcome.
Theory W page 378 Pyramid
Theory W action research. From
a measurement view,
the above dependent variable of "initiating structure" can
use Theory W as the initiation of a functional organization
structure. Organization Development would then measure
outcome(s) - figures below provide a few examples.
Theory W page 379 Pyramid
Figure 32 - Outcome measurement
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Note: (94 228) titled Percent Of Change In Operating
Efficiency, Performance, and Performance Comparisons
respectively.
Theory W page 380 Pyramid
Theory W structure facilitates the visibility of work
Division - one of the six elements of the Organization
Development process model shown below.
Figure 33 - Input and output variables
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Note: (95 141) titled The Six-Box Organization Model.
Theory W page 381 Pyramid
The following figure solidifies
the Organization
Development process as a productivity issue. Productivity
being organization output divided by organization input.
Figure 34 - Input-output terms
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Note: (95 142) titled The Six-Box Organization Model Using
Input-Output Terms.
The outcomes of (94 228) can be
seen as translating to
(95 142) outputs.
The figure below sets forth generalized
"Personal and
work outcomes." Note well that the "Critical psychological
state" is work with the task being one of the important job
dimensions.
Theory W page 382 Pyramid
Figure 35 - Job change strategy
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Note: (93 311). Source: J.R.Hackman, G.Oldham, R.Janson,
K.Purdy (1975) A new strategy or job enrichment. University
of CA in CA Management Review vol.18,no.4,p.62.
But these processes lead more
directly to employee
fulfillment per the following figure. The figure emphasises
that "Organization structures" is the direct driver to "Task
accomplishment." Therefore some functional task
organization tool such as Theory W is mandatory.
Theory W page 388 Pyramid
Figure 36 - Structured task fulfillment
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Note: (91 32) titled Approaches to Organization Development.
The following two-part figure
provides a map of
Organization Development so that "Organization structure"
can be delimited (specifically 90 83) - Urwick, Barnard,
McGregor, Likert, Bennis, Shepard, Argyris. More comment
on
the OD realm further in this chapter.
Theory W page 384 Pyramid
Figure 37a - The OD realm
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Theory W page 385 Pyramid
Figure 37b
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Note: (90 82-3) titled Strategies Of Deliberate Changing.
Theory W page 386
Pyramid
An example of the formal organization
appears in the
following figure. Attempt to imagine the differentiation
between the left-hand structure and the right-hand process.
A review of college textbooks provides a clearer focus on
organization structure than the Organization Development
field (112 1+).
Figure 38 - Structure versus work process
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Note: (89 346) titled Types Of Organizations.
Theory versus OD. Organization
theory provides a
structural tool for organization members to use in
increasing its ratios of output to input, whereas
Theory W page 387
Pyramid
Organization Development attempts to provide behavior
improvement. Although a new theoretical tool needs a
facilitator, the Theory W tool can be seen as "a do it
yourself" experience.
Organization Development, in contrast
to Theory W,
usually intervenes upon political decision. The political
empowerment of intervention taints the transfer of change to
the "now do it yourself" implementation phase where the
interveener withdraws from the particular output/input
realm. That inherent taint hinders the greater magnitude
which can be achieved under a non-intervention approach.
Theory W can be seen as an example of a non-intervention
approach because it uses existing strategy and workers as
input.
Table 47 - OD versus Theory W
____________________________________________________________
O.D. terminology Theory W terminology
___________________ _______________________________________
montage
"why together" structure polarizes work
gestalt
synergism as a 2+2=5 greater whole
behavioral science psychology of individual worth
change agent
organization member leadership wants
action research measured mission
and way attainment
intervention
wider perspective learning facilitation
improvement process workflow-to-mission actualization
____________________________________________________________
Theory W within OD realm. Organization
Development as
a field of study presents an overview of associated
literature - a context if you will. The above two-part
Theory W page 388
Pyramid
figure provides a view of that realm.
The will to see. Understanding
theory, modeling,
hypothesizing, and testing can be seen as work - minded
human work. Minded seeing can be described as Theory C
-
c'ing ideas if you will. The above two-part figure can
be
seen as a model of the minded knowledge in existence, which
surrounds Theory W.
Theory W is a model of organization
structure.
An inside-out realm of work. The
human mind thinks.
Theory W sees that every human worker mind thinks - all of
its time. A mind possessive of its time demonstrates a
certain psychological wholeness. Thus Theory W
scientifically numbers all of each particular mind's time as
24 hours each day. Psychology thus operates within the
context of each mind - a micro sense of the mindedness of
the human world.
A macro sense of the human world
can be taken as the
above two-part figure - the thrust idea being the deliberate
changing of minded work in the world. Each author protrays
a thrust which in total are termed strategies - connected by
lines similar to that of a normal organization chart.
Each author as well as the author
of the figure had an
aim of thought - a central theme. Yet all these themes
have
a commonality in their attempt to model the human world - a
non-denial of humanity if you will to think that thought.
Theory W page 389
Pyramid
In contrast, Theory W thinks that the expert worker is the
central theme of functional organization structure.
Thinking, then believing, are two different things. Theory
W means to provoke thought, then elicit belief. The expert
worker being the primary believer.
Theory W OD reconciliation. Using
the above two-part
figure, take the points of Organization Structure and
Scientific Management, pinch the two in the thumb and index
of each to a hand as if the realm was a soft balloon, push
in so that the two points come together inside the balloon,
keep them together, and now turn the balloon inside out so
the aim of the new realm can be seen as structured work in a
scientific data base, with all the other "strategies"
supportive of the expert worker. That, in OD realm terms
is
the Theory W three-sided pyramid.
