Session 03: Social Construction Processes

Topics

The classical work underlying how people construct meaning to their lives is symbolic interactionism, which Scott and Davis classify as a natural view of organizations. This week we build on this view by examining sensemaking, enactment, and structuration perspectives of organizing.

• Prof. Van de Ven’s class slides

• Social consruction class discussion slides by Jing and Linhoff

Required Readings

• Berger & Luckmann (1966) The Social Construction of Reality, NY: Doubleday, pp. 47- 128.

• Weick (1995) Sensemaking in Organizations, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, Chpts. 1&2, pp. 1-62.

• Weick (1993) "The Collapse of Sensemaking in Organizations: The Mann Gulch Disaster," ASQ, 38: 628-652.

• Barley & Tolbert (1997) “Institutionalization and Structuration: Studying the links between action and institution,” Organization Studies, 18, 1: 93-117.

• Garud & Rappa (2004) A socio-cognitive model of technology evolution: The case of cochlear implants. OS5:344-362.

Supplementary Readings

• • Giddens (1979) Central Problems in Social Theory, UC Press, Chpt. 2, pp. 49-95.

  • Weick (1979) The Social Psychology of Organizing, Reading, MA: Addison Wesley, especially ch. 6.

  • Stryker & Statham (1985) “Symbolic Interaction and Role Theory,” Chapter 6 in Lindsey & Aronson (Eds.) Handbook of Social Psychology, Vol. 1, Third Edition, NY: Random House, pp. 311-378

  • Barley (1986) “Technology as an occasion for structuring,” ASQ, 31: 78-108.

  • Weick & Roberts (1993) "Collective Mind in Organizations: Heedful Interrelating on Flight Decks," ASQ, 38: 357-81.

  • DeSanctis & Poole (1994), “Capturing and complexity in advanced technology use: Adaptive structuration theory,”

  • OS, 5: 121-147.

  • Zbaracki (1998) “The Rhetororic and Reality of Total Quality Management,” ASQ, 43: 602

  • Porac, Thomas, Wilson, Paton, & Kanfer (1995) Rivalry and the industry model of Scottish knotwear produces, ASQ, 40: 203-227.

  • Weick, Sutcliffe & Obstfeld (2005) “Organizing and the Process of Sensemaking,” Org. Sci. 16, 4: 409-421.

  • Fiss & Zajac (2006) The symbolic management of strategic change: Sensegiving via framing and decoupling, AMJ 49: 1173-1193.