4. Rationalisation in contemporary organisations Flashcards
Daniel Bell
Suggested that the economy was moving away from manufacturing towards a post industrial society
George Ritzer
Examined the hyper-rationalised techniques of the fast food restaurant, using the term ‘McDonaldization’
Michael Foucault
Used the prison metaphor of the Panopticon to examine how power is exerted through surveillance methods
Rationalization
Methods for increasing efficiency of work, drawing on techniques of bureaucracy
Post industrialism
Organisations are moving away from rationalisation to more flexible forms of managing and organising
McDonaldisation
Continued use of rationalisation in contemporary organisations
Panopticon
A metaphor for the levels of control and surveillance in contemporary rationalised organisations
Contingency theory
The best structure for an organisation is determined by factors such as environmental uncertainty, the organisations size and technology
Post-bureaucracy
A trend away from rigid bureaucratic rules towards more flexible and less hierarchical rule driven organisations
Matrix structure
Structure that combines a traditional hierarchy with separately managed project teams
Post fordism
A move away from Fordism and towards management techniques which use the skill of workers, emphasising communication rather than control
Neo- fordism
Combines fordist efficiency and control with the ability of computer technology to introduce flexibility
Just in time management
Trying to promote efficiency by reducing the amount of stock held and just ordering components when needed
No- frills rationalisation
Cost reduction by charging customers for anything extra to the basic product
Dataveillance
Surveillance brought about by examining electronic data which is held about individuals
