Organisational Theory

Part A
Introduction
This part of the literature will focus on Symbolic-interpretive and Modern perspective which result in different ways to analyse and understand organisations and organisation behaviour. Theory affects the ways organisations organise their concepts and understanding and provide multiple ways of seeing the world which is the reason why different organisation behave differently. Different perspectives result in conflict and disagreement between people over what is the true truth. The purpose of this essay is understand the two different theories in organisation which in turn causes different behaviour in terms of power, control and conflict in organisation and the organisation structure and culture. The symbolic-interpretive sees knowledge is only valid for the knower and can only be understood by the individual while modernist focus on the reality of the knowledge based on concepts and theories gathered by their five senses. Different perspectives generate different views and knowledge therefore different perspectives generate their own theories and concepts. The following will compare the difference between modernism and symbolic-interpretivism on their philosophical ontology, epistemology, theory and methods.

Modernist Perspective Organisations using modernist perspective are objectivist and belief that certain things exist independently based on knowledge and takes a positivist epistemology approach to generate knowledge from theorisation and conceptualisation by gathering and analysing data and testing them based on their five senses. Modernist believe the world exist independently from themselves. Modern organisation depends heavily on organisation structure as they view their organisation as an independent objective entity, modernist organisations are well-managed and designed, and their action and decision are driven by norms or rationality. Modernist organisation theories focus on ways to increase efficiency and effectiveness