Talking About Organizations Podcast

Kicking off the final part of our discussion of the Functions of The Executive (1938) by Chester Barnard, we talk about the executive functions and the executive process. Barnard delivers an excellent discussion on both of these, mentioning things such as communication, trust and organizational personality in the process.

In part 2 of 4 we spend quite a bit of time discussing Barnard's understanding of authority and decision-making. Because parts 1 and 2 are, basically, one separated recording, please listen to part 1 before this or it will make very little sense!

Second episode on The Functions of The Executive (1938) by Chester Barnard. This time we spent quite a bit of time talking about why people decide to cooperate and what is authority. Did you know that authority is a form of communication infused with ritual? Or, that Barnard has four criteria which need to be satisfied in order for something to qualify as a command? And that employees are free to ignore what their superiors tell them if those criteria are not met? To find out more join us as we finish discussing this grand management book!You will notice that we split this episode into 4 parts, instead of the usual 2. This is because of how long the recordings were due to the sheer amount of ideas contained in this work. Accordingly, we will be posting Episode 8 in 4 parts.

Conclusion of Episode 7 but only half-way point in the Functions of the Executive by Chester Barnard. In the second part of this episode we take a closer look at the antecedents of organized labour, as proposed in the book. If you want to learn how individuals become phases of cooperation or what are the conditions for healthy organizational functioning, among other fascinating things, listen to this part of our conversation.

On The Functions of The Executive (1938) by Chester Barnard. Join us for this two-episode (four-part) conversation about one of the most influential management and organization texts of... well, ever!In Part 1 of Episode 7 we talk about Parts I and II of the book, concerning Barnard's theory of what humans are and how they (we) are motivated; as well as fundamental principles of cooperation and coordination. Have you ever thought of yourself as a 'phase of cooperation' while at work? No? Well, tune in to learn why Barnard did and why it makes a degree of sense to do so!

A summary of our discussion in Episode 6 with some bonus examples and an outline of the reading. During the main episode we discussed topics such as: rules, what is bureaucracy for, and who is bureaucracy for, among many other (smaller) ones.Listen to this summary if you would like a quick abstract of the episode, if you are interested in teaching/learning about Weberian bureaucracy, or simply to refresh you knowledge of this timeless classic.

In the concluding part of our discussion of Max Weber's bureaucracy we pay closer attention to his views on rules, the rational-legal authority principle, and to how bureaucracy works in more contemporary, horizontal forms of organization. Also, Ralph tells us about how nuclear reactors work and what is the one thing you should never do to them!

Bureaucracy. What is it? Who is it for? How does it work and what are the limits of it? Join us for this episode as we explore Max Weber's ideal-type bureaucracy and attempt to make sense of its, sometimes peculiar, implications.In order to do so we have read two Chapters from his magnum opus - Economy and Society. Chapter 3 on Three Forms of Legitimate Domination, where he outlines his view on bureaucracy for the first time; and Chapter 11 on Bureaucracy, where he goes into more detail on how bureaucracy ought to work, why it is superior to preceding forms of organization and what are the characteristics of it.

In Part 2, we conclude our discussion of the Giving of Orders by Mary Parker Follett. Most significantly we finally arrived at an understanding of what a situation is and how it manifests itself in Follett's understanding of management. We also went in more depth on such topics as normative control, organizational and individual learning, and historical and theoretical context within which this work is situated. This has been a very enjoyable reading and a thought-provoking discussion and we urge you to join us and learn about one of the founding thinkers of management and her alternative take on how to achieve efficiency.

How to issue orders? When is it right to do so? Are you going to hurt the feelings of your employees? Does it matter? These and many other questions are at the centre of 'The Giving of Orders' (1926) by Mary Parker Follett. This seminal work written at the height of Scientific Management dares to compete with the establishment and, in doing so, contributes so much to our current understanding of business and organization. Easy to read and simple to follow, this text is a lecture given by Mary Parker Follett at a scientific management conference where she outlined a part of her scholarship - all in all, an excellent overview of something as central to management as the giving of orders.