The Changing paradigms:
Thomas Clarke and
Stewart clegg
Book presentation
B.V.L.Narayana
SPTM/RSC BRC
Structure of presentation
•
•
•
•
Introduction
Definitions and concepts
Why paradigms
Nature and organization of scientific
knowledge—Thomas Kuhn
• Trends in changes in business environment
• Changing paradigms in 21st century
• Conclusion
Introduction
• Book on
– Critical shifts in management science
– Fast changing business environmentnecessitating collation and synthesizing of
knowledge on management
– Projection of likely shifts in 21st century
– Uses PARADIGMS as the central concept
• Authors
– Stewart clegg-Director –CforM, UTSsociologist
– Thomas Clarke-Prof OF Mgmt ,UTS
Definitions
• Paradigm
– Linguistics- pattern, exemplar, class of objects
with similarities
– Philosophical or theoretical framework
• Directs how knowledge is to be generated
– Kuhn (1992-1996)
• Set of practices that define a scientific discipline—
generate a body of knowledge
• This defines the understanding of nature of world and
nature of processes in it
• Is not clearly definable—but examples can be shown;
learning by doing
Paradigm
• Is an organizing principle-based on beliefs which
are non verifiable—a-priori accepted
• Helps answer questions of
– What is truth—epistemology
– What is reality –ontology
– Determines methodology –to generate knowledge
• Debates generated
– knowledge –true—belief-justification—mental states
•
•
•
•
•
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Evidentialism vs. Reliabilism
Internal vs external
Relativism vs objectivity--reality
Constructivism vs Positivism—methods
Apriori vs posterior
Synthesis vs analysis
Paradigms
• Kuhn –The structure of scientific
revolutions (1962)
– Three phases in paradigms generation and shift
• Pre paradigm phase
• Normal science
• Paradigm wars and shift
– Incommensurability of paradigms
– Scientific knowledge growth is episodic
– Driven by exemplar books, ideas
• Eg newtonian mechanics– wave theory of matter
• Certainty in business environment –ranging
uncertainty—determinism – indeterminism
• Collectivism – individualism—rise of Protestantism
• local to global to global local
Debates
• Are multiple paradigms
– Necessary
– Are they constructive
– Can they coexist
• Is there a paradigm shift occurring?
– New debates
• Domination vs voice
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–
–
–
–
–
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ideas –critical theory
Gender –feminism
Time –modernism—post modernism
Practice-Prescription vs description
Technology –Content vs process
Research methods – variance vs processual
Pioneers vs first followers
Paradigms
Characteristic
Positivism
Interpretivism
Belief/values
Truth is objective
Truth is subjective
Disposition
Avoid uncertainty
Tolerate uncertainty
Knowledge
creation
Prove or disprove apriori Construct knowledge out of
hypotheses
shared meanings
Methods
Inductive , quantitative
Deductive , qualitative
Contexts
Large , global
Small, local
Strategies
Competitive
Collaborative
Tools , methods
Surveys, variance
analysis
Cases, causal analysis
Decision making
Synaptic, rational
Incremental, political
Theories in
management
Industrial economics,
competitive strategy,
strategic groups, TCE
Behavioral economics, RBV,
Resource dependency
Control systems
Markets , impersonal
Hierarchies, clans, emotional
Practice
orientation
Prediction, prescriptive
Understanding, reason,
descriptive
Changing paradigms
• Paradigm
– Means of understanding the world—basis for informed
action
– Shift from accepted beliefs to frames of reference—
lenses
– From perceptions to changing realities
– Implications
• Multiple competing paradigms
• Multiple suggested solutions and concepts
• Appearance of Fads—fragmentation of knowledge—
confusing practioners
• Requires synthesizing– to facilitate practice
Identifiable trends
• Business environment
– arrival of the knowledge based information
economy,
– Presence of constant innovation,
– Unpredictable and discontinuous change,
– Rapid loss and demise of organizations unable
to adapt,
– Globalization and global connections,
– Ability to sustain organizational capabilities
and
– Need for developing network and reciprocity of
relationships.
Projected shifts
CHARACTERISTIC
FROM
TO
EMERGING THEMES
PARADIGMS
Classical, neoclassicalorthodoxy
Multiple changing
paradigms
Capital –knowledge, fixed to flexible, short
term to long term, centralization to
decentralization, Representation to
participation, national to global,
institutional help to self help, hierarchy
to networking, competition to
collaboration, all in one to one in all;
directioning to cooption
GLOBALIZATION--context
Local/national international
Globalization
Convergence of markets, adaptation to local
contexts—global thinking acting locally
DIGITALISATION—
technological drivers
Manual, analogue,
stand alone
Electronic, digital
networks
Personal to work group computing, islands to
integrated systems, internal to interenterprise
STRATEGY—creative plans
Strategic planning,
rational
strategy
Strategic thinking,
innovation,
core
competency
Disintermediation—all in one, disintegration—
virtual structure, convergence, multi
dimensionality, heterogeneity—across
contexts
ORGANISATION—design
and practices
Hierarchy,
Taylorism
Intelligent ,
networked
rationality
Flat, virtual, markets, collaborations, interlinkages, flexibility and speed of decision
making, process orientation; Flexible
working systems
STAKE HOLDERS—interests
and indicators
Share holders,
financial
indicators
Stake holders, non
financial
parameters
Multiple, changing and balancing of multiple
interests
SUSTAINABILITY-future
outlook
Profit, growth,
control
Sustainable
enterprise
Survival, adaptation and sustainable-internally
and externally
Implications
• Indian railways
– What is our role in the government?
– What business are we in?—customers
requirements vs capabilities
• Railway staff college
– What is our role with respect to IR’s role
– What is our core activity?
PRACTICE
BELIEFS
VALUES
THANK YOU
ANY QUESTIONS
DISCIPLINE—
BODY OF
KNOWLEDGE
PARADIGM
IDEAS
APPLICATION