Interesting presentation, Brenda. I am glad you are finding VoiceThread useful. How do you think companies like Enron could misapply the theories we learned about this week? For example, what types of unethical actions could be potentially justified under these theories?
Have you seen the movie Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room? Last year I showed it to my Organizational Communication class and it gives an in-depth look at the scandal. Very interesting.
Something I should have included in my presentation. There are certainly multiple ways that the theories we learned about could be misapplied. For example, Weber's bureaucracy provides no system of checks and balances for the controls that are being put into place. Human nature, at times, may lead to controls being put into place that are unnecessary or specifically aimed at a single employee.
For Fayol, it isn't hard to see an organization focusing only on the leaders, whose managerial abilities may be more valued, and less on the regular employee/laborer. In addition, Fayol's principle of subordination of individual interests could lead to cultist group thought - doing whatever is best for the company at any cost. This is certainly the easiest mutation to grasp - we must do something that is immoral/unethical because it is what is in the best interest of the company.
I have not seen that movie, but I'll definitely have to see if I can Netflix it. After my reading, I think I would be quite interested!
Interesting presentation, Brenda. I am glad you are finding VoiceThread useful. How do you think companies like Enron could misapply the theories we learned about this week? For example, what types of unethical actions could be potentially justified under these theories?
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the movie Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room? Last year I showed it to my Organizational Communication class and it gives an in-depth look at the scandal. Very interesting.
Something I should have included in my presentation. There are certainly multiple ways that the theories we learned about could be misapplied. For example, Weber's bureaucracy provides no system of checks and balances for the controls that are being put into place. Human nature, at times, may lead to controls being put into place that are unnecessary or specifically aimed at a single employee.
ReplyDeleteFor Fayol, it isn't hard to see an organization focusing only on the leaders, whose managerial abilities may be more valued, and less on the regular employee/laborer. In addition, Fayol's principle of subordination of individual interests could lead to cultist group thought - doing whatever is best for the company at any cost. This is certainly the easiest mutation to grasp - we must do something that is immoral/unethical because it is what is in the best interest of the company.
I have not seen that movie, but I'll definitely have to see if I can Netflix it. After my reading, I think I would be quite interested!