Reorienting Research on Categories Stretching

Question: Discuss about the Reorienting Research on Categories Stretching. Answer: Introduction: The Milgrams experiment, conducted by Stanley Milgram, measured the extent to which participants from different backgrounds have the will to obey the commands of the authority figure who gave the instructions for carrying out acts that have a conflict with personal conscience. The research indicated that around 65% of common people would inflict pain on others if such is the direction and command of the authority figure. The conclusion drawn from the experiment was that individuals have a natural tendency to obey to commands and instructions (Milgram's Obedience to Authority Experiment 2016). Opponents have raised many questions regarding the research ethics involved, and the reliability of the conclusions drawn from the experiment is doubtful. The process by which the experiment was done was not appropriate and generalised for the common population. The experiment is not justified against the present day ethical boundary (Abbott 2016). Research indicated that the participants of the Milgrams experiment had been doubly misled. The first factors were the idea that Milgram had proven something and the second being the experimental conditions that the laboratory had in which the experiments were conducted (Abc.net.au 2016). I would not be capable of inflicting the real pain of any form, wither mental, physical or emotional, on another individual. This thought process remains same even if I am given commands by any authority figure. I do not have the willingness to inflict pain on others to an extreme extent as it is morally wrong. Solomon Asch and Group Conformity The aim of the Group Conformity experiment conducted by Solomon Asch was to explore the influence of social pressure on a persons decision to conform to an idea. The results showed that on an average, around 32% of the participants conformed to the majority though they were clearly incorrect. 75% of the participants were found to be conforming at least once, and 25% never conformed. The reasons for such actions of individuals were thought to be that people have the desire to fit in with the majority of the population and that people believe that a group is always more informed. Such influences are known to be the normative influence and informational influence respectively (Myers 2013). The strength of the normative influence is the experiment also established through a modified version of the experimental design. Participants had a fear of being ridiculed and thought of being considered peculiar by the other participants also acted as a contributing factor towards conformation (Asch Conformity Experiment 2016). My own personal decision-making does not always reflect an objective process. The desire to be accepted as a part of a group makes one susceptible to conform to a groups norms. This tendency is found among the majority section of the general population. However, I do not exhibit this tendency, and my decision making process is not influenced by the decisions taken up by the group in my vicinity. The situational factors that make a group to exert pressure for changing the behaviour and attitude of a member are multi-faced. The most common factor is an authority figure that compels the group to resort to such actions (Vohs et al. 2014). Yves Morieux explains why the organisation is considered as the main component of competitive advantage. According to him, the strategy of the organisation is to focus on the behaviour of the people. The best strategy that an organisation can have for competitive advantage is to leverage the intelligence of the people in the organisation. The main challenge that an organisation faces is how to translate the strategies into processes and structures of the organisation. The structure may be thought to be the next important aspect in line after strategy. Most of the companies lag behind in having a robust plan for building up the structure unless there is a transparent idea of the generic strategy that is to be followed by the organisation (Organization Design: BCG's Yves Morieux on organization and competitive advantage 2016). Though Yves Morieux claims that structure follows strategy, this is not always the case. The reason for this is that there are certain organisations that lack a strategy prior to taking decisions regarding the structure. Often, these organisations have the focused aim of distributing power within the organisation and arranging them in different levels. This is a good approach that is made by putting more emphasis on structure rather than strategy (Wilden et al. 2013). However, this idea may backfire at certain instances as there may be a need to bring about changes in the structure after significant changes have been brought about in the strategy (Durand and Paolella 2013). Zappos CEO has announced the company to witness a transition towards holaracy by the year 2014. Whether the unconventional management strategy would work became the topic of debate. Holacracy refers to the management of an organisation by the committee having thee focus on experimentation. The authority of the CEO is relinquished, and reorganisation is done to assign all members of the organisation with own goals and roles. Holacracy is a broader trend where decisions are taken without any managers (Ferenstein 2016). My idea of holacracy is that the sole driving factor behind it is the power that freedom and ideas have. On the contrary, bureaucracy and hierarchy are found to be driven extensively by the power that rules and individuals possess. Employees may under certain circumstances consider doing peripheral jobs not included in their respective job description for either gaining a foothold in the company or pleasing thee superiors. However, holacracy permits individuals to have a distinct definition of what they need to do and the related accountabilities and roles. This imparts a fostered sense of responsibility for each employee (Robertson 2015). The contingency factors of organisational design that are working for Zappos are strategy, environment, and technology. The company follows the rule that structure follows strategy. The company has a predictable environment, making the transformation easier. Advanced technology is being used for converting the resources adequately to the outputs. I nnovative culture is related to an agile organisational structure by a distinct way. Culture is the key point of discussion regarding innovation as culture manifests priorities, processes, and resources. Organizations need to understand that new advancements must fit in the existing culture context for embracing innovation (Bernstein et al. 2016). References Abbott, A., 2016. Modern Milgram experiment sheds light on power of authority.Nature,530(7591), pp.394-395. Abc.net.au. 2016.7.30 - ABC. [online] Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2012/s3489852.htm [Accessed 31 Dec. 2016]. Bernstein, E., Bunch, J., Canner, N., and Lee, M. 2016. Beyond the Holacracy Hype.Harvard Business Review. Durand, R. and Paolella, L., 2013. Category stretching: Reorienting research on categories in strategy, entrepreneurship, and organization theory.Journal of Management Studies,50(6), pp.1100-1123. Ferenstein, G. 2016.Zappos just abolished bosses. Here's why.. [online] Vox. Available at: https://www.vox.com/2014/7/11/5876235/silicon-valleys-latest-management-craze-holacracy-explained [Accessed 31 Dec. 2016]. Myers, C.S., 2013.A text-book of Experimental Psychology. Cambridge University Press. Robertson, B.J., 2015.Holacracy: The new management system for a rapidly changing world. Macmillan. Vohs, K.D., Baumeister, R.F., Schmeichel, B.J., Twenge, J.M., Nelson, N.M. and Tice, D.M., 2014. Making choices impairs subsequent self-control: a limited-resource account of decision making, self-regulation, and active initiative. Wilden, R., Gudergan, S.P., Nielsen, B.B. and Lings, I., 2013. Dynamic capabilities and performance: strategy, structure and environment.Long Range Planning,46(1), pp.72-96. YouTube. 2016.Asch Conformity Experiment. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyDDyT1lDhA; [Accessed 31 Dec. 2016]. YouTube. 2016.Milgram's Obedience to Authority Experiment 2009 1/3. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcvSNg0HZwk [Accessed 31 Dec. 2016]. YouTube. 2016.Organization Design: BCG's Yves Morieux on organization and competitive advantage. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm7d1dzOKmw [Accessed 31 Dec. 2016].