《组织社会心理学》学习笔记 014
《组织社会心理学》学习笔记 014
接上期:《组织社会心理学》学习笔记 013
Organizing: The Emergence of "Majority Rule”原文:Piet Hein's aphoristic poem (or grook) entitled "Majority Rule" tells us a great deal about how organizing occurs:参考译文:皮亚特·海恩(Piet Hein)这首名为《多数原则》(Majority Rule)的格言诗(或称“格鲁克诗”,grook),深刻地揭示了“组织化”是如何发生的:原文:His party was the Brotherhood of Brothers, andthere were more of them than of the others.That is, they constituted that minoritywhich formed the greater part of the majority.Within the party, he was of the factionthat was supported by the greater fraction.And in each group, within each group, he soughtthe group that could command the most support.The final group had finally electeda triumvirate whom they all respected.Now of these three, two had the final word,because the two could overrule the third.One of these two was relatively weak,so one alone stood at the final peak.He was THE GREATER NUMBER of the pairwhich formed the most part of the three that wereelected by the most of those whose boastit was to represent the most of mostof most of most of the entire state —or of the most of it at any rate.He never gave himself a moment's slumberbut sought the welfare of the greatest number.And all the people, everywhere they wentknew to their cost exactly what it meantto be dictated to by the majority.But that meant nothing —they were the minority.
原文:One way to understand the events portrayed in this poem is to transform them into an organizational chart (Stieglitz 1975). It is common practice to depict organizations graphically and to regard the lines in the chart as indicating such things as communication relationships, lines of authority, chain of command, levels within the organization, superior-subordinate relationships, etc. A simplified organization chart for "Majority Rule" is found in Fig. 1.2. The numbers attached to each level are arbitrary, and the labels at each level correspond to the labels used in the poem with three additions. "Other parties," those forming the lesser part of the majority, have been dubbed Sisterhood of Sisters (SOS), Sisterhood of Brothers (SOB), and Brotherhood of Sisters (BOS).
参考译文:理解这首诗所描绘事件的一种方式,是将其转化为一张组织结构图(Stieglitz 1975)。通常的做法是用图形来描绘组织,并将图中的连线视为沟通关系、职权线、指挥链、组织层级以及上下级关系等的象征。图1.2展示了一张简化的《多数原则》组织结构图。附在每一层级上的数字是任意设定的,而每一层级的标签则与诗中使用的称谓相对应,并额外增加了三项:那些构成’多数派’中较小部分的‘其他党派’,被戏称为姐妹会(SOS)、兄弟姐妹会(SOB)以及姐妹兄弟会(BOS)。Weick在这里通过将诗歌“结构化”,展示了组织研究中一个重要的思维方法:- 诗歌描述的是动态的政治操弄过程,但管理者和研究者习惯于用静态的图表来捕捉它。Weick通过这个练习提醒读者:图表其实是对流动互动的“瞬间定格”。
- 他为这些党派起了些略带恶搞的缩写(如SOB在英语中常指粗俗的骂人话),这延续了Weick一贯的幽默感,同时也暗示了:组织中的层级和标签往往具有虚构性和操纵性。
- 通过这张图,Weick展示了组织是如何通过“层层过滤”来运作的。成千上万人的意志,通过层层“多数原则”的筛选,最后汇聚到一个人的决策上。这就是组织化如何把庞大且混乱的“歧义”浓缩为单一行动的物理过程。
总结:如果你只看图表,你看到的是“权力的等级”;但如果你结合这首诗看,你看到的是“意义是如何被层层剥离和篡改的”。
原文:If we look at the chart, we can see several interesting features. For example, note the direction of the arrows. In most charts they would point from the top to the bottom, yet in this case they point in the reverse direction.This is partly because we are discussing the process of organizing and how organization emerges. Our discussion is consistent with the sizable literature (e.g., Partridge 1978) that talks about the emergence of leadership and demonstrates that this emergence is viewed as more or less legitimate — depending on the extent to which members participate in selecting the leader. The arrows in the chart, however, make an even more important point. They imply that subordinates ultimately determine the amount of influence exerted by those who lead. This is a prominent theme in organization theory (e.g., Mechanic 1964). The argument is presented in perhaps the clearest form by Barnard:参考译文:如果我们观察这张图表,可以发现几个有趣的特征。例如,请注意箭头的方向。在大多数图表中,箭头通常从顶部指向底部,但在本例中,它们的指向却恰恰相反。这部分是因为我们正在讨论的是‘组织化’的过程以及组织是如何‘浮现’的。我们的讨论与大量的相关文献(例如 Partridge 1978)是一致的,这些文献探讨了领导权的产生,并证明了这种产生是否被视为合法,很大程度上取决于成员参与选拔领导者的程度。然而,图中的箭头还揭示了一个更重要的观点:它们暗示了部下最终决定了领导者所能施加的影响力大小。这是组织理论中的一个重要主题(例如 Mechanic 1964)。切斯特·巴纳德或许以最清晰的形式阐述了这一论点:Weick在这里通过“反转箭头”,完成了一次管理思维的“反转”:- 传统的组织图(向上级负责)关注的是结果,而Weick的图(箭头向上)关注的是过程。他认为,如果没有底层成员的互动、推举和对规则的默认,顶层的领导者根本不会存在。组织化是一个不断向上“涌现”的过程。
- 权力不在于发布命令的人,而在于接受命令的人。 如果底下的“多数派”不再玩这套游戏,不再参与“联动行为”,顶层的那个“唯一领导”就瞬间丧失了所有法力。这呼应了巴纳德著名的“权威接受论”。
- 诗中提到的层层选举,其实是组织在进行共识验证。哪怕这种选拔是操纵性的,只要成员参与了(箭头向上移动),他们就在心理上“入法”了这个组织现实,从而赋予了领导者合法的地位。
- 组织的实质是人与人之间的相互依赖。领导者依赖于被领导者的追随,这种依赖关系是流动的。如果底层的人改变了他们的“感官机制”或“共识”,整个组织的权力结构就会重组。
原文:If a directive communication is accepted by one to whom it is addressed, its authority for him is confirmed or established. it is admitted as the basis of action. Disobedience of such a communication is a denial of its authority for him. Therefore, under this definition the decision as to whether an order has authority or not lies with the persons to whom it is addressed, and does not reside in "persons of authority" or those who issue orders. In the last analysis the authority fails because the individuals in sufficient numbers regard the burden involved in accepting necessary order as changing the balance of advantage against their interest, and they withdraw or withhold the indispensable contributions (1938, pp. 163-65).参考译文:如果一项指示性沟通被受令者接受,那么这项权力对他而言便得到了确认或建立。它被承认作为行动的基础。对这种沟通的违抗,实质上是对其权力的否定。因此,根据这一语境,决定一项命令是否具有权威,其决定权在于受令者,而非在于‘权威人士’或发布命令的人。归根结底,权力的失效是因为有足够数量的个体认为,接受必要的命令所带来的负担打破了利益平衡,转而对其不利,于是他们撤回或扣留了那些不可或缺的贡献。(1938年,第 163-165 页)- 巴纳德和Weick都认为,权力不是长在领导者肩膀上的肩章,而是存在于下属的认可中。如果下属说“我不听”,那个命令在组织现实中就变成了无效的“噪音”。这呼应了Weick的共识验证——只有大家共同承认这套语法,组织才能运转。
- 组织化的实质是相互依赖的行动序列。下属向组织提供“贡献”(听指挥、干活),换取“利益”(薪水、意义、地位)。一旦下属认定这个买卖不划算(负担过重),他们就会“扣留”贡献。当这种撤回达到“足够数量”时,顶层的权力就成了空中楼阁。
- 在Weick的框架里,组织化不是一劳永逸的结构,而是每一分每一秒都在进行的重新确认。每一次命令的下达和执行,都是一次微型的“组织化过程”。如果这种互动断裂了,组织就解体了。
- 这解释了诗中那个站在巅峰的人为什么要拼命寻求“最多数人的福利”。因为他深知自己的权力是下面层层向上递送的,如果底层的“少数派”联合起来撤回贡献,他的“多数派”神话就会瞬间破灭。
总结:管理者最危险的错觉就是以为自己拥有权力。真正的权力潜伏在每一个下属选择“接受”或“拒绝”的瞬间。你是否觉得,这种观点解释了为什么有些“强势”的领导在面临全体消极怠工时,会突然显得如此无力?
原书书名:The Social Psychology of Organizing (Second Edition) 出版信息: ADDISON-WESLEY PUBLISHING COMPANY,1979
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