The Structure(s) of Work

The Ideal Type

The Ideal Type

• A heuristic device

• A conceptually pure but realistically impossible construct

• Meant as a contrast to real-world scenarios

• ‘Ideal type’ bureaucracy / rationality not about efficiency ~ Weber

<Bureaucratic Dysfunctions>

Organisations in THEORY are:

• Efficiently functioning systems

• Collectivities united by pursuit of common goal

• Objective and systematically created group(s) of people with clearly defined and mutually compatible roles and interests, working together to achieve a consensual vision

but in PRACTICE?

Exercise #1

Revealing the unofficial / informal side of organisation

Organisational Contradictions

Formal Rationality vs.Material Rationality

The Jobsworth Problem

Culture

“Rites” and “Rituals”

Legend / Myth

Consulting Firm• Jargon – ‘dingdongdingdong’• Artifacts - • Rituals – coffee-making, writing first proposal, first client

presentation, first oversease project, etc.• Myths – who’s sleeping with who?• Sagas – how Petronas project was won…• Heroes – Kevin Hew (top Principal graduated from

Canada)• Norms – the “friendly firm”• Good / bad actions – winning project, pissed off partner’s

secretary• Rewards and punishments – overseas trip, assigned to

department X, ‘scribal’ duty, unassigned, ‘training’

Banking Software Company• Jargon – source-code• Artifacts – boarding pass• Rituals –• Myths – intellect of Goh Peng Ooi• Sagas – • Heroes – country managers and project

managers• Norms – late nights• Good / bad actions – staying late, never

questioning project managers, • Rewards and punishments – bonuses, cold

storaged

Private International School

• Jargon – sugar daddy, • Artifacts – gifts for dignataries, new cars,• Rituals – 6 hour meetings on Friday(!)• Myths – events involving boss,• Sagas – surviving lawsuit• Heroes – anyone performing above norm• Norms – no one questions leaders, talk about

vision in public,• Good / bad actions – protocol for GOH,• Rewards and punishments – cold storage,

overseas conferences

Cayce’s job?

Micropolitics

If true power does NOT reside in ‘bureaucracy’ and formal rationality,

then in where does it lie?

Do you have a gift to share?

Can you resolve scenarios for which

no manual was written?

Have you silenced the lizard brain?

<The Post-Bureaucratic

Organisation?>

Outsourcing

Independent Teams

Virtual

Marketization

Marketization of the Firm

• Teams have their own P&Ls’, revenue targets and even acquire businesses i.e. they’re a “business within a business”

• Teams can reject the offerings of other departments

• Teams encouraged to compete with each other (for business) in the department

• Teams seek outside sources of revenue