Organization Theory IBA 1.2
Participation Assignment #1 (Week 1)
The Participation Assignment of Course Week 1 consists of three parts.
Part 1: General preparation
To start well on this course, please do the following:
(a) Read the Organization Theory course manual. Among other things, it positions
Participation Assignments (see sections 12.5, 13.7).
Part 2: Preparation for Lectures 2 + 3 and Tutorial 2
(a) “Surface-read” chapters 1 and 2 in the coursebook so that, within one or two
hours, you have a broad idea about their contents. (NB: You do need to study
these chapters carefully in preparation for the Mid-Term Exam.)
(b) Watch the short author videos for chapter 1 and chapter 2; section 12.2 in
the course manual explains why this exercise is useful.
(c) Carefully study chapter 8, Managing Power, Politics, and Decision-Making
in Organizations, in the coursebook.
(d) Watch the short author video for chapter 8.
(e) Include a single quote from chapter 8 that, in your view, captures a core
message. Draw on your Academic Skills (from Period 1) knowledge to use
academic referencing (APA style, including the page number of your quote).
(f) Write a summary of chapter 8’s overall argument in your own, original words
(i.e., through paraphrasing and summarizing); write between 200 and 400 words
in your summary. N.B.: This is an individual assignment.
(g) Formulate a question about Chapter 8 and add it to the bottom of your summary.
(h) Please bring a (digital) copy of this Participation Assignment to Tutorial 2.
Part 3: Submission before deadline
• Submit only Parts 2 (e) + (f) + (g) in a PDF to Participation Assignment #1
on Canvas before Thursday 4th November @ 11:30 a.m. Amsterdam
time.
, − Please note section 13.1 in the course manual regarding submissions.
Good luck with your Organization Theory course work!
How does the eighth chapter illustrate the role and the extension of power in managing
and organizations?
Single quote: “Being a good manager means knowing how and when to use the kinds of
power wisely” (Clegg et al. (2019))
The 8th chapter of the book follows can be qualified as an in-depth continuation of what the
first and second chapters already introduced: namely, managing and organizations, but
focusing this time on power, politics and decision-making as its title says. After presenting
the learning objectives and a quote of a young consultant, the whole chapter explains (with
definitions of some terms at the left and right side, tables, real life examples and questions
in order to help the reader the most efficiently possible) how ubiquitous are organization
politics (networks between people in and around organizations that entail power relations
(Pettigrew is being “cited” while explaining what these arise from)) and how power domains
the managing and organizations fields. The authors link multiple terms, throughout the
chapter, to power, such as authority, legitimacy (which will be contrasted with illegitimacy),
uncertainty and so on. The chapter also introduces and develops terms such as resistance,
obedience, soft domination dialectics. We also get to learn more about empowerment,
which represents the “transfer of power to the individual by promoting self-regulating and
self-motivating behavior through self-managing work teams, enhanced individual
autonomy, and so on”, but also about concertive control, teamwork and self-managing. We
are then given some seven suggestions to use power and to be ethical at the same time and
ultimately, we get to know more about decision-making, followed by a short summary, an
exercise, a case study and additional resources.
Reference (of the single quote):
Clegg, S. R., Kornberger, M., Pitsis, T. S., & Mount, M. (2019). Managing and Organizations: An
Introduction to Theory and Practice (5th ed.), p.274. SAGE Publications Ltd.
Organization Theory IBA 1.2
Participation Assignment #2 (Week 2)
The Participation Assignment of Week 2 consists of three parts.
Part 1: General preparation
