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CHAPTER 15: Structuration Theory - Coggle Diagram
CHAPTER 15: Structuration Theory
Structuration allows people to understand their patterns of behavior
System
refers to the group or organization itself and the behaviors and practices that the group engages in to pursue its goals
Structure
refers to the rules and resources members use to create and sustain the system, as well as to guide individual behaviors related to suck behaviors/practices
What does Dennis Mumby notes?
He notes that communication not only reflects organizational reality, but also "creates and maintains the meanings that guide organized life and motivate particular actions"
Structuration
is described as "the process by which systems are produced and reproduced through members' use of rules and resources"
Assumptions of Structuration Theory
(1): groups and organizations are produced and reproduced through actions and behaviors.
(2): Communication rules serve as both the medium for, and an outcome of interactions.
(3): Power structures are present in organizations and guide the decision making process.
Fresh act
something new developed from action or behavior
Each of the action or behaviors in which a group or organization engages is influenced and affected by the past
power
imposition of personal will on others
Central Concepts of Structuration Theory
Agency and Reflexivity
Agency is defined as the specific behaviors or activities that humans engage in, guided by the rules and contexts in which interactions take place.
Reflexivity refers to the actors’ ability to monitor their actions and behaviors.
discursive consciousness - a person’s ability to articulate personal goals or behaviors
practical consciousness - a person’s inability to articulate personal goals or behaviors
Duality of Structure
duality of structure - rules and resources used to guide
organizational decisions about behaviors or actions
rules - general routines that the organization or group follows in accomplishing goals
resources - attributes or material goods that can be used to exert power in an organization
allocative resources - material assistance used to help groups accomplish their goals
reward power - perception that another person has the ability to provide positive outcomes
coercive power - perception that another person has the ability to punish you
referent power - perception that another person has the ability to achieve compliance because of established personal relationships
legitimate power - perception that another person has the ability to exert influence because of title or position
expert power - perception that another person has the ability to exert influence because of special knowledge or expertise
Social Integration
reciprocity of communication behaviors in interaction
Application of Time and Space
Structuration theorists believe that all social interaction in an organization is composed of temporal (time) and spatial (space) dimensions.
This time–space distanciation is an important feature of the
theory.
The actual communication or interaction that takes place in the organization
can be examined as existing in real time and as taking place in real locations (space).
Integration, Critique, and Closing
Integration
Communication Tradition
Cybernetic, Socio-Cultural
Communication
Context
Small Group, Organizational
Approach
to Knowing
Positivistic/Empirical, Interpretive/Hermeneutic
Critique
Scope
Parsimony