1. Improving Managerial and Leadership Practice
MPA 8002
The Structure and Theory of Human Organization
Richard M. Jacobs, OSA, Ph.D.

2. For Cuban (1992)...
managing and leading organizations successfully requires differentiating...
problems
and
dilemmas

3. Problems...
those recurring and frustrating “glitches” and “snafus” impeding smooth organizational functioning
that hinder the process of achieving the organization’s goals

4. problems make managing and leading organizations a matter of...
…identifying and selecting the technique(s) promising to solve problem(s) in the most efficient and effective manner
…developing expertise in problem solving

5. managers and leaders solve problems in practice episodes by using...
 structural theories of practice
 human resource theories of practice
 political theories of practice
 symbolic/cultural theories of practice

6. managers and leaders also solve problems in practice episodes by using images of organization...
 machines
 politics
 organisms
 psychic prisons
 brains
 flux
 cultures
 domination

7. unfortunately...
…the same or similar problems recur in future practice episodes
…forcing managers and leaders to deal with these problems yet another time

8. while these managers and leaders are successful in ameliorating the symptoms of the problem(s)...
…these managers and leaders are providing only temporary palliatives for organizational dysfunction

9. with the result being frustration...
…as the organization does not change
…and as managers and leaders point the finger of blame at other members of the organization
…and followers accuse managers and leaders for this quandary

10. Dilemmas...
those conflicts of values embedded in and motivating recurring organizational problems

11. dilemmas make managing and leading organizations a matter of...
…recognizing the disease(s) manifest in the symptom(s) of organizational dysfunction
…challenging oneself and others to probe into and beyond the problems for the deeper issue they manifest

12. managers and leaders resolve these fundamental issues by...
 focusing on organizational purpose and shared values
 engaging in self change
 inculcating virtuous behavior
 modeling ethical and principled decision making

13. to solve problems is not resolve an issue...
…solutions are one-time, definitive actions intended to repair problems
…resolutions require a personal commitment to deal over the long term with the value conflicts implicit in organizational problems

14. managers and leaders ameliorate the issues embedded in organizational problem(s)...
…by building management and leadership density within and throughout the organization

15. with the result being normative compliance (Etzioni, 1975)...
…as the organization gradually changes
…as its members accept their managerial and leadership responsibilities
…and solve problems ethically

16. Management/leadership analogies...: :
problems
solutions
symptoms as : :
dilemmas
resolutions
diseases

17. : : as : : solutions techniques expertise resolutions virtues
character

18. Managing and leading ...
involves reframing, but not in the sense advocated by Bolman & Deal (1997)...
problems as
dilemmas
solutions as
resolutions

19. while possessing a primary concern for...
virtues
not
techniques
character
not
expertise

20. and endeavoring to foster...
management and leadership density
subservient and acquiescent functionaries
not

21. where organizations become...
vibrant and purposive communities characterized by shared values and genuine human relationships
demoralizing workplaces characterized by impersonal rules and functional relationships
not

22. whose members exude...
courage
not
fear

23. because they are...
authentic characters
artificial clones
not

24. standing for everything
stand for something
rather than
standing for everything

25. McWhinney (1992) maintains that...
dealing with the dilemmas embedded in practice episodes...
…requires envisioning a pathway through a minefield of competing and conflicting values
This pathway necessitates self change as managers and leaders confront the antecedents to their intentions and actions.

26. Envision a five-tier game of chess...
where...
…any move on a superordinate board
…impacts further moves on subordinate boards

27. managing and leading human organizations, then, is a matter of dealing with the dilemmas embedded in practice episodes...
…by engaging in self change at superordinate levels rather than trying to change others at subordinate levels

28. action the organization’s foundation...  where problems arise
 structural problems
 human resources problems
 political problems
 symbolic/cultural problems

29. power overshadowing this foundation at a superordinate level...
 how problems are dealt with
 coercive
 remunerative
 normative

30. The action-power interaction...
This dynamic depicts how hierarchical superordinates deal with most organizational problems and conflict.
action

31. inherent in the exercise of power, thereby exerting superordinate normative authority are...
norms
 guidelines for action
 personal dispositions
 learned behaviors
 theories of practice

32. Norms exert authority... norms power action
This interaction expands the exercise of power beyond a person or office by referencing authoritative guidelines. It provides insight into the normative dimensions of politics in organizations.
norms
power
action

33. worldview implicit in normative authority is a...
 a milieu defining perspectives
 educational background
 social background
 religious background
 economic background
 historical background

34. A worldview frames expectations...
This dynamic offers insight into the origins of the dilemmas manifesting themselves in organizations. Conflict is a contest of values implicit in each worldview.
norms
power
action

35. truth at the foundation of authority are perceptions about...
 ideas about the good
 philosophical/ethical ideas
 religious/moral ideas

36. truth worldview norms power action
 ideas about good
worldview
 a milieu defining perspectives
norms
 guidelines for action
power
 how problems are dealt with
action
 where problems arise

37. What’s in an individuals “point of view”...
This dynamic exemplifies the intransigent position people in organizations oftentimes adopt. It also highlights the nature of substantive organizational change, namely, the courage to engage in self change through reflective practice.
truth
worldview
norms
power
action

38. Organizational change involves...
truth
worldview
self change...
…confronting one’s antecedents
norms
…considering alternative views
power
…probing beyond one’s comfortable status quo
action

39. truth worldview norms power action
in order that...
norms
power
action

40. The challenge for managers and leaders…
…to probe one’s experience to discern what’s transpiring within oneself as well as within the organization

41. …the process of self change at the heart of organizational change can be likened to an onion...
 peeling away the outer skins and layers (actions, power, norms, worldview, truth)
 to reveal the inner core (character)
 to change as necessary (maturity)

42. requires...
character

43. Especially a character who...
confronts the diseases afflicting the organization...
…not simply ameliorating the symptoms
The “moral art” (Barnard, 1938), evident in one’s abiding commitment to organizational purpose...

44. anticipates conflict...
…and bears responsibility for the forces unleashed by one’s plan for organizational change
...while remaining flexible in terms of the strategy for organizational change.

45. allows chance, surprise, and serendipity...
…to challenge one’s thinking
In much the same way that people with divergent truths can be looked upon as “interesting” rather than as “foes” to be conquered through organizational warfare and the clever use of power.

46. Reflective practice (Sergiovanni, 1989)...
is constructed on the reality that professional knowledge is different from scientific knowledge
and accounts for the fact that there are no unitary theories or skills to manage and lead human organizations successfully
In contrast, improving management and leadership practice requires personal knowledge and a willingness to develop the maturity necessary for one to make virtuous decisions and to do right things.

47. References
Barnard, C. I. (1938/1968). The functions of the executive. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (1997). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice and leadership (2nd edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Cuban, L. (1992). Managing dilemmas while building professional communities. Educational Researcher, 21(1), 4-11.
Etzioni, A. (1975). A comparative analysis of complex organizations. New York: Free Press.
McWhinney, W. (1992). Paths of change: Strategic choices for organizations and society. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Sergiovanni, T. J. (1989). Informing professional practice in educational administration. Journal of Educational Administration, 27(2), p. 186.