Michael K. Moch

First-Order, Second-Order, and Third-Order Change and Organization Development Interventions: A Cognitive Approach

This article discusses how recent developments in the cognitive sciences, especialy the concept of schemata (organizing frameworks for understanding events), can illumine the practice of organization development. On the basis of a cognitive perspective, the authors discuss the relationship between organizational change and schemata, describing the following orders of change that might result from OD: first-order change, or incremental changes occurring within particular schemata already shared by members of a client system, second-order change, or modifications in the shared schemata themselves; and third-order change, or the development of the capacity of the client system to change the schemata as events require. To show how understanding the differences among orders of change can help clarify problems and solutions from an intervention, the authors discuss how a paternalism schema affected a particular quality of working life intervention. They conclude by suggesting implications of the cognitive perspective for OD practice and research

Size, Centralization and Organizational Adoption of Innovations

This study concerns attributes of organizations likely to facilitate or inhibit the adoption of innovations by organizations. First, it offers an interpretation of the often-found relationship between size and adoption frequency. Second, it investigates relationships between structural attributes-specialization, functional differentiation and centralization-and adoption and it develops a model which specifies interactions between these attributes and the type of innovation adopted. An interaction between size and centralization is also posited, and the model is tested using data gathered from a sample of U.S. hospitals. The findings on the whole are consistent with the hypothesis that adoption of innovations compatible with the interests or perspectives of lower-level decision-makers occurs more frequently in large, specialized, functionally-differentiated and decentralized hospitals. Centralization and the interaction between size and centralization do not appear to affect adoption of innovations which are not compatible with the interests of lower-level decision-makers. Contrary to expectations, the data indicate that functional differentiation facilitates adoption of this type of innovation. A revised model of adoption behavior is suggested, and its implications for a general theory of organizational adoption behavior are explored.

Third‐order Organizational Change and the Western Mystical Tradition

Third‐order change in organizations refers to attempts to help organizational members to transcend their shared schemata. It has not previously been explored in depth. Uses mystical experience as a model of how the third‐order change process may occur. Discusses several characteristics of mystical experience, focusing in particular on the central characteristic of transconceptual understanding. Presents an example of Teresa of Avila, a Spanish woman from the sixteenth century whose mystical life was reflected in her organizing activities. Suggests how mystical experience can inform understanding of the third‐order organizational change process and presents a preliminary model of ways in which the third‐order change capacity might be developed.

Employee absenteeism: A multivariate analysis with replication

Most empirical work on the correlates of employee absenteeism considers few predictors simultaneously or fails to distinguish among different types of, or reasons for, absences. In addition there have been few attempts to assess the stability of findings over time. The current study assesses a multivariate model of absence behavior generated from the literature and distinguishes among excused and unexcused absences and absences attributed to illness. It also assesses the model at two different points in time. Results indicate that predictors are associated differently with different absence types. While there are consistencies, there also is a discomforting lack of stability in the results over time. Although some of the instability may have been due to changes in economic conditions over time, it is concluded that other factors must be taken into account if we are to develop a stable model of absence behavior.

Power enactment through language and ritual

Abstract Organization designers give too little attention to how structures emerge through processes of social interaction. They often implicitly presume that what is designed can be implemented through imposition or “organizational development.” Power relationships can emerge, in part, through statements and rituals which effectively create subordination. Rituals and speech events which can enact this relationship may provide supervisors with access to power when other avenues such as expertise and legitimatized social expectations fail. When effectively executed, language based rituals can also help thwart the intentions of system designers and others who seek to implement significant organizational change.

Hospital Costs and Quality of Care: An Organizational Perspective

Based on survey data gathered from 388 government non-federal and voluntary general service hospitals, this study examines the impact of several dimensions of organizational structure on indicators of hospital efficiency and level of adoption of new medical technology. Attention is focused on the degree to which resource allocation decision making is centralized and levels of visibility of medical and economic consequences. The evidence presented suggests that, in terms of efficiency, organizational structure is an important factor in determining whether gains in effectiveness outweigh expenses associated with the adoption of new medical technology. Within a predictive framework this paper will deal with the relationships among several dimensions of organizational structure and performance and their impact upon the quality and cost of care provided by hospitals. An assumption often made is that modern

Using Computer-Based and Electronic Library Materials in the Classroom

SUMMARY From the perspective of a professor who wants to take full advantage of the new technology in the classroom, the frustrations of integrating disparate components are exacerbated because of the lack of coordination among those responsible for the various elements of the technology.

Managing the Shop Floor: Subjectivity, Masculinity and Workplace CultureManaging the Shop Floor: Subjectivity, Masculinity and Workplace Culture, by CollinsonDavid L.. New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1992, 255 pp.,

The article presents a review of the book “Managing the Shop Floor: Subjectivity, Masculinity and Workplace Culture,” by David L. Collinson.

54.95, cloth.

Some of Lou Pondy′s closest colleagues were invited to submit letters and articles, as a starting point for this special issue. Many letters were received from leading scholars at some of the most respected institutions in the world, capturing Lou′s human qualities and his unique analytic style. A selection of these letters are included here.