SOC300H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Walnut Street Prison, Colonial Williamsburg, Isomorphism
Document Summary
Lecture 6: new systems approaches: open system theories. Rational vs natural system closed systems. Rational systems: organizations are different rational tools, normative structure: goal attainment, formal structures, efficiency. Natural systems: organizations are similar organic social systems, behavioural structure: formal v. informal goals, informal structure, survival. Progression over time in org of thought- rational systems-natural systems-open systems. They combine: natural systems lessons about individual organizations seeking survival, a concern with the larger environment- stuff beyond individual organization (open systems) Organizational population : collection of similar organizations, organizations sharing the same general from ex. Organizational set : one focal org and its exchange partners, eg. Firm and its clients and the businesses it buys from: see resource dependent theory. Organizational field: all org involved in a particular area of life, organizations, their clients, their funders, their regulators, see neo-institutional theory. Taking rational theory as a starting point and saying you guys are stupid. Challenges the one best way" thesis assumes static environment.
