Chapter 10
Terms
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- Peter principle
- a bureaucratic "law" according to which the members of an organization are promoted for good work until they reach their level of incompetence, the level at which they can no longer do good work
- humanizing a work setting
- organizing a workplace in such a way that it develops rather than impedes human potential
- quality circles
- refer to the involvement of rank-and-file workers in detecting and correcting defects and inefficiencies in products and services
- rationalization of society
- a widespread acceptance of rationality and a social organization largely built around this idea
- just-in-time (JIT) strategy
- Japanese way of organizing production that minimizes inventory and storage at the production site-components are produced and moved between plants on a just-in-time basis
- traditional orientation
- the idea-characteristic of tribal, peasant, and feudal societies-that the past is the best guide for the present
- McDonaldization
- A term denoting the increasing rationalization of the routine tasks of everyday life.
- virtual organizations
- Companies "without walls," often transcending time, space, and culture.
- bureaucracy
- a formal organization with a hierarchy of authority; a clear division of labour; emphasis on written rules, communications, and records; and impersonality of positions
- rationality
- the acceptance of rules, efficiency, and practical results as the right way to approach human affairs
- capitalism
- an economic system characterized by the private ownership of the means of production, the pursuit of profit, and market competition; the investment of capital with the goal of producing profits
- principles of scientific management
- also referred to as Taylorism, scientific management sought to reduce waste and inefficiency in production by measuring every movement and regulating every step of the work process
- sweating
- historically, the term used in reference to exploitative working conditions in the garment industry, with its detailed division of labour separating the craft process (design, cutting, and marketing) from the labour-intensive tasks of sewing and finishing
- alienation
- Marx's term for workers' lack of connection to the product of their labour; caused by their being assigned repetitive tasks on a small part of a product
- corporate culture
- the orientation that characterizes a corporate work setting
- goal displacement
- replacement of one goal by another; in this context, the adoption of new goals by an organization; also known as goal replacemen
- kaizen
- continuous improvement-production techniques are continuously evaluated in search of more efficient and improved methods
- iron law of oligarchy:
- obert Michels' phrase for the tendency of formal organizations to be dominated by a small, self-perpetuating elite
- Walmartization
- A term referring to profound transformations in regional and global economies through the sheer size, influence, and power of the big-box department store Wal-Mart.
- assimilation
- the process whereby a minority group is absorbed into the mainstream culture