Talking About Organizations Podcast

Our discussion of “The Garbage Can Model of Organizational Choice” by Cohen, March, & Olsen, continues as the podcasters discuss the technical aspects of the model and its implications for modern practice. Also from the Carnegie-Mellon School series: Episode 4 on Organizational Routines, Episode 19 on Organizational Learning, Episode 29 on Business School Design,and our Series Introduction.

Please join us for the fourth episode in our series of podcasts focused on works from the Carnegie-Mellon School. For this episode, the podcasters tackle “The Garbage Can Model of Organizational Choice” by Michael Cohen, James March, and Johan Olsen, published in Adninistrative Science Quarterly in 1972. The article was a radical departure from conventional thinking about choice and decision making at the time, where leaders identified problems and applied solutions rationally. Instead, the authors asserted that an organization was “a collection of choices looking for problems, issues and feelings looking for decision situations in which they might be aired, solutions looking for issues to which they might be the answer, and decision makers looking for work.”Also see: Episode 4 on Organizational Routines, Episode 19 on Organizational Learning, Episode 29 on Business School Design, and our Series Introduction.

Our discussion of John Van Maanen's "Police Socialization" concludes with a more in-depth look at his methodology and use of 'covert' methods. As a participant-observer, Van Maanen's study included his participation in police training and joining patrols. Covert research challenges the principle of informed consent but may be necessary for conduct research on populations that are otherwise difficult to access. Through a very recent article by Thomas Roulet, et al. in Organizational Research Methods, the podcasters discuss the pros and cons of such methods and the ethical questions raised. You won't want to miss it!

Please join us as we continue talking about John Van Maanen's article, "Police Socialization: A Longitudinal Examination of Job Attitudes in an Urban Police Department." For Part 2, we look to other, more contemporary settings where similar socialization activities occur. How has our growing understanding of socialization shaped organizational life since 1975 when this article was written? How has ethnographic research evolved? Find out here!

Please join us as TAOP returns in 2018 to open a New Year with a discussion of John Van Maanen's classic work from 1975, "Police Socialization: A Longitudinal Examination of Job Attitudes in an Urban Police Department." In Part 1, Pedro, Dmitrijs, Tom and Miranda introduce the article - what Van Maanen tried to accomplish and, more importantly, how. The result was a major step forward in ethnographic research!

Please join us as we welcome Professor Peter Adamson of the LMU in Munich and the amazing History of Philosophy without any Gaps Podcast to discuss Xenophon's Oeconomicus. The book conveys an Ancient Greek dialogue between Socrates and a young wealthy man named Critobulus who seeks to expand his wealth. Part 1 presents the background of the book and the main ideas it espouses. What was Xenophon trying to say through the characters; how do we begin to relate such an ancient text to modern understandings of organization; and, most importantly, why are we reading this archaic work on a podcast about management and organization studies? Tune in to find out!

Now that Peter Fleming has made his points, where do we go from here? That is the subject of Part 3 on "The Human Capital Hoax." The podcasters synthesize the text and offer ideas for future research and practice. An exciting debate you will not want to miss!

In part 2 we continue to discuss “The Human Capital Hoax: Work, Debt, and Insecurity in the Era of Uberization,” by Peter Fleming. The article raised a number of pressing issues, such as the nature and character of modern workplace resistance and the implications of Fleming's thesis on managers and leaders.

Please join us as the podcasters engage on a timely and relevant article, “The Human Capital Hoax: Work, Debt, and Insecurity in the Era of Uberization,” by Peter Fleming. The article is a treatise and pointed critique of the emergence, development, implementation, and negative effects of Human Capital theory, which Fleming presents as having created numerous professional, economic, and social problems in the workforce. Part 1 focuses on the arguments in the article: Why did the author write it, and what are the key points?

Episode 35 concludes with the podcasters presenting their takeaways and possible areas of further research. What did they learn from the readings and dialogue? Where directions might theory and practice follow now, thirty-plus years later?