This chapter focuses on organizational change, its control and regulation, from the standpoint of a non-dualistic conception of the relationship between individuals and organizations, rooted in the social theory of Norbert Elias, in a theory of organizational learning (Fabbri, 2003), and in a conception of action research (Albano, 2010) in support of organizational learning (Albano & Fabbri, 2010), which are consistent with each other. The combination of those theoretical and methodological references allows an original interpretation of organizational change and the identification of some prior rules for organized collective actions helpful at guiding change accordingly to organizational members’ needs. The chapter shows that conflicts may arise in the regulation of empirical organizational processes, due to the incongruence between the existing structure of interdependencies and human needs. Under such circumstances and to the extent that empirical organizational processes are allowed to develop according to those conflicts, organizational learning becomes an actual cause of structural change. However, the chances to overcome conflicts and to identify more satisfying structural choices will be greater if the individuals involved in the analysis of organizational structure, can rely not only on the knowledge drawn from their everyday practice of work, but also on theoretical and methodological knowledge provided by organization theory. A peculiar conception of action research may support the re-composition of the two forms of organizational knowledge, which, to its turn, nurtures organizational learning, thereby positively affecting the relative position of the process/organization with respect to other natural or social processes/organizations.

Organizational Learning and Action Research: the Organization of Individuals

ALBANO, Roberto;
2012-01-01

Abstract

This chapter focuses on organizational change, its control and regulation, from the standpoint of a non-dualistic conception of the relationship between individuals and organizations, rooted in the social theory of Norbert Elias, in a theory of organizational learning (Fabbri, 2003), and in a conception of action research (Albano, 2010) in support of organizational learning (Albano & Fabbri, 2010), which are consistent with each other. The combination of those theoretical and methodological references allows an original interpretation of organizational change and the identification of some prior rules for organized collective actions helpful at guiding change accordingly to organizational members’ needs. The chapter shows that conflicts may arise in the regulation of empirical organizational processes, due to the incongruence between the existing structure of interdependencies and human needs. Under such circumstances and to the extent that empirical organizational processes are allowed to develop according to those conflicts, organizational learning becomes an actual cause of structural change. However, the chances to overcome conflicts and to identify more satisfying structural choices will be greater if the individuals involved in the analysis of organizational structure, can rely not only on the knowledge drawn from their everyday practice of work, but also on theoretical and methodological knowledge provided by organization theory. A peculiar conception of action research may support the re-composition of the two forms of organizational knowledge, which, to its turn, nurtures organizational learning, thereby positively affecting the relative position of the process/organization with respect to other natural or social processes/organizations.
2012
Phenomenology, Organizational Politics and IT Design: The Social Study of Information Systems
IGI Global
324
342
9781466603035
http://www.igi-global.com/
action research; organizational learning; bounded rationality
R. ALBANO; T.M. FABBRI; Y. CURZI
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2318/101382
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 1
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact