I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Perspectives

Essential Question:

How can you use the knowledge of the history of organizational theory to develop a successful oraga

Bridge:

Organizational Metaphors

Content:

History of Organizational Theory

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective:

Activity: Participants describe their organizations using three different metaphors: 1)as an animal; 2)a sitcom, story or drawing; and 3)as a form of transportation.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective:

Activity: Share metaphors in small groups, identifying the different kinds of information that each metaphor revealed about the organization.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective:

Activity: Participants choose their preferred metaphor and draw their ideal version of their organization (as animal, story, transport)

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective:

Activity: Having established that people do have a preferred way of seeing things, talk abou the concept of paradigms, using the classic ‘old woman, young girl’ picture and referring to excerpts from Covey and Handy in their learning materials.

Move into lecture format and present a brief history of organizational theory in terms of changing paradigms, with diagrams to illustrate the interrelationships and with references to their management text.

Color code cards to distinguish between the assumptions underlying each theory (how the world is), what people notice and judge (diagnosis) and what they would do to improve things (strategies/techniques). Connect this to the idea of using theory as a tool.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective:

Activity: Talk in pairs about experiences and try ‘shifting lens’.

Small groups are given a set of cards, upon which were written some key words. The task is to sort he cards into the four main organizational theories: scientific, bureaucratic, behavioral and systems.

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective:

Activity: Participants then self select into four different ‘consultancy’ teams, each restricted to one organizational theory. Their task is to:
-develop a logo and name for their group
-develop a number of questions, congruent with their particular theory, to obtain pertinent information about an organization
-ask a particular manager these questions
-make recommendations to the manager, again within the parameters of the theoretical approach they were taking.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Refer to Extend Quadrant....

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: To undertstand the effect of different paradigms on people’s perceptions and hence on their behavior.

Activity: The final stage is a general discussion about the implications of what has been learned.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: