ASSIGNMENT PREPARATION

To briefly go over what you are required to do for the assignment:

You are asked to analyse an organization of your choice. For part-time

students, this means your own organization, for full-time students you need to
identify an organization that you have knowledge of, or that you have worked
in. Whilst it is permissible to use case studies, as you have already been told,
case studies from text books do not provide you with sufficient in-depth
organisational analysis for you to do a comprehensive assignment. If this is
all you can do, however, then you must check with your tutor about the
appropriateness of the case study BEFORE you start to do any work on it.

In terms of analysing the organization, if your organization is a large one, then

you can narrow it down to your department. Select one or two topics, that are
of interest to you, or are relevant issues within your organization. Remember
that certain topics do go together very well, e.g. structure and culture, power
and culture, gender and power, ethics and gender, technology and structure.
I know that it is difficult to confine yourself to one or two topics as you read
and study about one topic, then naturally others come in thats the nature of
organization theory, but you need to remain focused.

Perhaps the most daunting aspect of this assignment to you is that of how you
integrate your paradigmatic perspective into your analysis. In class you were
asked to look at the paradigms of Burrell and Morgan. However, if after your
reading, you are more comfortable with other paradigmatic approaches then
please use these. For example, you were given the article by Meyerson and
Martin, who identify three paradigms of culture and change. You could take
one of these paradigms if you were looking at these topics. The text by Mary
Jo Hatch called Organization Theory, assesses literature from 3 other
perspectives the modernist, postmodernist and symbolic interpretivist.
Jackson and Carter in Rethinking Organizational Behaviour have different
perspectives such as the post-structuralist. The important thing to remember
however is that whatever your approach, you need to always maintain this
approach throughout your work . Introduce your paradigm at the beginning
and consistently refer to it throughout your assignment.

Your analysis must use theories, concepts, opinions etc that are appropriate
for your approach. For example, if you are a radical humanist you cannot say
that management theories on how to manage culture, control people are
necessary, relevant and effective. You are anti-management you have to
see organisations as modes of domination, preventing people from reaching
their full potential etc. As interpretivists you are exploring symbol and
meaning trying to understand what is happening and being experienced so
that you can interpret behaviour. As functionalists you fundamentally believe
in the structure of organisations and their necessity, seeking solutions to
problems. As radical structuralists, you dont really like organisations at all
other than as showing further evidence of the dominant discourse of
capitalism!
There is no getting away from it you will have to read the relevant chapter in
Burrell and Morgans text to fully understand the implications of your
paradigm. It is not sufficient to use the slides that have been given to you.

When we talk about analysis, we are talking about the synthesis of theory and
practice. You must underpin your observations and argument at all times with
the relevant theory. But please remember that we do not need huge chunks
of theory, followed by a description of how your organization has this theory,
or fits this theory or uses this theory! You need to pick relevant points out of
the theories in order to critique what is going on. For example, if you are a
functionalist and you are using the theories of Mintzberg, how does what he
has to say - for example about the professional bureaucracy - relate to your
organization? Dont just describe your organization as a professional
bureaucracy! Your tutor will be able to discuss this with you further in future
sessions.

The structure of the assignment can be as follows. Remember that it is not a

report it is an academic assignment, although you can use sub-headings.
For example:

Introduction:
What you are analysing , what is your paradigm, what are the implications of
this in terms of your data collection (objective or subjective) and analysis.

Brief background to your organisation

Very brief description of its sector, size, and function

Analysis/critique
Relevant theories and concepts synthesized with practical examples from
your organization to demonstrate understanding and argument.

Conclusions
A summary drawing together your key points

Recommendations (but only when a functionalist)

Other paradigms could consider implications of your analysis.

Gillian Forster & John Fenwick.