Questions and Answers
What does the systems perspective emphasize?
What does open systems theory encourage?
Mindfulness of the overall health of their industry environment.
How do organizations survive today?
By engaging in environmental scanning.
Who are boundary spanners?
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What does interdependence refer to?
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How are interdependent relationships established?
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What can division of labor do?
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What is feedback in a system?
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What role does cybernetic feedback serve?
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What is Contingency Theory based on?
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Who does Systems Theory appeal to?
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What are the key claims of systems thinking?
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What does personal mastery mean?
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What do flexible mental models allow members to do?
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What is a shared vision in an organization?
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What is the emphasis of team learning?
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What does Weick's Sense Making Model explain?
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What are the seven properties of sense making?
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What does Weick state about organizations?
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What does the systems approach emphasize?
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What is a key concept of open-systems theory?
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Study Notes
Systems Perspective
- The systems perspective distinguishes between disconnected parts and those that work together to form a functional whole.
Open Systems Theory
- Promotes awareness of the overall health of the industry environment for individuals, departments, and organizations.
Organizational Survival
- Organizations must conduct environmental scanning to avoid unforeseen disruptions.
Boundary Spanners
- Individuals who facilitate environmental scanning by interacting regularly with external parties.
Interdependence
- Emphasizes the integral connections within the system and between individuals and their environment.
Establishing Interdependent Relationships
- Communication is essential for building interdependent relationships within a system.
Division of Labor
- Can lead to misconceptions about the interconnected nature of tasks and roles.
Feedback Mechanisms
- Operate as "loops" linking communication with action, allowing for continuous improvement.
Cybernetic Feedback
- Aids in restoring the original goals of the system by providing necessary adjustments.
Contingency Theory
- Centers on "equifinality," acknowledging various paths to the same goal and the absence of a single best organizational method.
Appeal of Systems Theory
- Attracts those studying organizational communication, highlighting the complexity of communication in organizing.
Systems Thinking
- Integrates holism and interdependence, asserting that success is collective among members.
Personal Mastery
- Focuses on individual commitment to personal growth and self-reflection within organizations.
Flexible Mental Models
- Encourages self-reflection and adaptation of mental frameworks that influence thought processes.
Shared Vision
- Promotes "concertive control," where members align actions toward a common organizational goal without tight hierarchy.
Team Learning
- Stresses the role of dialogue in facilitating communication leading to informed team decisions.
Weick's Sense Making Model
- Describes how members shape their environments through actions and focus.
Seven Properties of Sense Making
- Includes identity construction, retrospection, enactment, socialization, continuation, extracted cues, and plausibility.
Complexity of Environments
- Organizations function within highly intricate and unpredictable contexts.
Systems Approach
- Reiterates the importance of collective functioning over mere assembly of parts.
Importance of Ecosystem Health
- Highlights the significance of members’ awareness regarding the overall ecosystem of their industry.
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Description
Explore the concepts of the systems perspective through these flashcards. Learn key terms such as open systems theory and how organizations thrive within their environments. Ideal for students and professionals looking to deepen their understanding of systems thinking.
