Quality sorting and social stability
Citation: Human Systems Management, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 107-108, 1980
A logic for strategic management
Authors: Mitroff, Ian I. | Mason, Richard O.
Abstract: Organizations, in our view, are epistemological systems, bodies of knowledge which are the accumulation of past debates with regard to goals, purposes, and beliefs. Policies, plans and strategies are current dialogues intended to change that corpus of knowledge. Consequently, a theory of argumentation is a requisite paradign for studying organizations and for solving their problems. This paper explores this point of view. The question, "How can we uncover policy arguments and assess their structure, strengths and weaknesses?" is posed and, drawing on recent developments in logical theory, some preliminary answers are provided. In summary, we see stakeholders as the …basic logical entities of organizations. Assumptions are made about the status and behavior of these entities and these assumptions are treated as claims in an argument. The support for a claim is provided by data and warrents which are either stated explicitly or derived through the logical process of retroduction. The resulting collection of claims, data and warrants generally contain inconsistencies which may, in turn, be studied by means of plausibility analysis. The paper develops a logic adequate to carry out this perspective and identifies a series of research questions. The outcome is a new approach to policy and planning. Show more
Technology and social change: fundamental changes in knowledge, technology and society
Authors: Deutsch, Karl W.
Keywords: Technology, social change, knowledge, Marx, comprehension, Weber, Dilthey, memory, innovation, progress, capital, information, power, class, nationalism, politics
When is applied urban research 'policy relevant?'
Authors: Rosenthal, Stephen R.
Abstract: The type of research presented in this paper requires unusual support and guidance from others. The survey of NSF/RANN funding in the field of urban management and public service delivery could not have been accomplished without encouragement and facilitation of L. Vaughn Blankenship, Director of the Division of Applied Research, The National Science Foundation. The case study called "Managing Vandalism" relied on the goodwill, honesty and perceptiveness of Robert Fichter and Alvin Scott, two extraordinary City employees who took risks in conducting this project and then in reflecting on it. Tribute is also due to the 30 public servants around …the country who responded sincerely and thoughtfully to an extensive telephone interview on that project, all 'in the cause of science'. The case study called "Property Tax Policy" depended on about twenty key informants. Of this group, Robert Weinberg of Boston University, Alexander Ganz of the City of Boston, and Michael Schneider of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development were absolutely essential, as allies and subjects who helped me to search through the many strands of this complex project. Our nation's quest for 'high quality, policy-relevant social research' has grown considerably during the past decade. Typically, ventures of this type are jointly pursued by three partners: sponsors, users and researchers. The first provides financial support. The second ultimately makes decisions which are informed by the research findings. And the third has primary responsibility for producing new knowledge. This kind of partnership is unnatural: it brings together a set of people who tend to have different goals, styles, traditions, and institutional affiliations. The resulting process of knowledge production is clearly different from that of basic science. And its criteria of relevance vary in important respects from applied research in the engineering or natural sciences. This paper views that tripartite venture as a unique kind of social system. It asks the question: When is applied social research 'policy-relevant'? Answers to this question are proposed for a particular class of applied social research projects, ones for which the Federal government is the sponsor, and decision-makers in State or local government are the intended users. Trends in policy for Federally-supported R&D, the nature of the applied social research community, the needs of State and local government, and even the training of public managers and administrators all point to the growing significance of this locus of inquiry. The paper generally draws on over five years experience by the National Science Foundation in supporting research relating to the performance of various non-Federal government activities. A more detailed set of findings is presented from two in-depth case studies of this kind of research project. The subject of the first is the management of vandalism in public parks and recreational facilities, while the second deals with property tax policy. These two case studies provide methodological approaches and empirical insights for future investigations of this class of applied research activity. They also suggest certain strategies for those who find themselves in one of the several key roles in such joint ventures. Show more
Keywords: Research management, urban research, temporary organizations, public management, knowledge utilization, science policy
Preferred organizational designs and problems solving styles: interesting companions
Authors: Hellriegel, Don | Slocum, Jr., John W.
Abstract: The activities of managers range from using specific analytical techniques to employing broad intuitive judgments to dealing with sensitive human problems. All of these activities have one thing in common: they reflect managers' problem-solving styles. In all these activities, a manager's problem-solving style will be apparent to others. Sometimes, a manager will consciously be aware of his/her problem-solving style, and other times this recognition will be only intuitively recognized. This article introduces a new and systematic way of thinking about how managers make decisions. The ways managers gather and evaluate information determines their problem-solving styles. Unless managers are careful, …their observations about others and decisions will tell much more about themselves than the people or problems on the job. The more in touch we are with our predispositions in problem-solving, the more capable we are of making effective decisions and of understanding others. Problem-solving is viewed in terms of the dual premise that consistent modes of thought develop through training and experience, and that these modes can be classified along two dimensions, information gathering and information evaluation. The authors conclude that there is no one best problem-solving style. A manager needs to recognize the strengths and limitations of his own preferred problem-solving style and the circumstances that may require a 'tempering' or change from this preferred style. Managers need to recognize that others may have different styles and, thus, different ways of coping with the 'same' problem. Show more
Keywords: Problem solving styles, organizational design
Practice of industry – mismanagement of people
Authors: Sandkull, Bengt
Abstract: This article highlights recent research on the impact of technical and organizational changes on workers in industry. Based on an analysis of changes in management-control principles and practices accompanying automation, the article presents one case of a number of in-depth studies. The case demonstrates the impotence of workers when, despite formal participative rights, management introduces technical changes derived from models void of human values. When computers enter into the critical operations of a labor process, the workers' abilities to understand and contest management decisions are sharply reduced. Loyalty disappears and productivity goes down.
Keywords: Capital accumulation, hierarchy, industrial organization, labor, labor process, loyalty, management control, power, regulation, social control, taylorism, technical changes
Is there a philosopher in the house?
Authors: Hammond, Kenneth R.
Article Type: Short Communication
Abstract: Our technological choices are at the mercy of incoherent social value systems, fact and value are often confused, and our technological expertise is squandered and discredited in fruitless and bitter dispute. That is because technical competence abounds, but philosophical competence is absent from public policy formation.
Keywords: Social values, scientific fact, social policy, philosophy
Ellipsoid algorithms in mathematical programming
Abstract: Newly proposed ellipsoid algorithms provide considerable hope for advancing the relevance of mathematical programming applications. They are extremely suitalbe for multiobjective programming, goal programming and interactive programming methodologies. More intimate cooperation between the decision maker and a model of his problem is likely to be enhanced. In this short article the basic ideas of ellipsoid algorithms and views of their potential applicability are communicated.
Keywords: Khachiyan, Shor, ellipsoid algorithm, polynomial time, exponential time, simplex method, satisfactory solutions
Strategic management within Human Systems Management