Unit 2

1. Unit 2 Social Issues and Organisational Relevance

2. Unit 2 • Introduction • Social Issues • Paradigms Shift • Work Organization • Social Structure • Dependency Syndrome • Cultural Dimensions • Managing Diversity • Gender Issues • Knowledge Workers

3. Unit 2 • Changes in Social Institutions • Changes in Family • Changes in community • Changes in Education

4. Unit 2 • Organizational Relevance • Employability • Changeability • Social Tension • Democratisation of Work Process • Empowerment • Service Orientation • Changing Expectations of Stakeholders

5. Unit 2 The-End

6. Introduction A major transformation in environment necessitates a shift in individual and collective paradigm as the old ways of explaining reality tend to become dysfunctional.

7. Social Issues • The new history, beginning from 1947 was started with the euphoria of regaining freedom, this released a great deal of energy and fervour towards nation building. • In order to accelerate the processes of nation building, the country chose to industrialise itself as rapidly as possible and Western models were emulated on a large scale.

8. Paradigm Shift • Paradigm refers to fixed mental states or metaphors, including a set of beliefs, values and assumptions through which we construct as our personal reality. • Societies develop their own respective collective paradigm which provides the basic framework by which they explain the nature of reality, enact their external environ-ments and define their-relationship with external world.

9. Paradigm Shift The agrarian society was characterised by mind-set which included, • Permanent settlement • Joint and extended family • Religion as the main social control mechanism • Teamwork and collaborative orientation • Self sufficiency through symbiotic relationship • Distinct roles of men and women • Ascribed status based on caste hierarchy • Consumption based production for meeting

10. Paradigm Shift The industrial paradigm emphasised, • Large scale migration due to urbanisation • Nuclear family • Special purpose social institutions (legal/administrative) as social control mechanisms • Individualism and competition • Increased dependence on trade and commerce

11. Paradigm Shift The industrial paradigm emphasised, • Converging role of men and women • Achieved status based on careers in organisation • Profit maximisation

12. Paradigm Shift It was around mid sixties that saw the emergence of post industrial paradigm with focus on, • Borderless global village • Live in arrangements single parent families • Self direction and self control reinforced by belief in spiritual values • Dynamic flexible networking • E-commerce

13. Paradigm Shift It was around mid sixties that saw the emergence of post industrial paradigm with focus on, • Exploration of identities and roles of men and women • Achieved status based on expertise • Management of intangibles - latent power

14. Paradigm Shift Work Organisations • In India, work was performed as social obligation and caste system symbolised differences in occupations. • Work organisations are embedded in social system and cultural values. • Majority of people even now work in agrarian sector central to the social system which sustains the traditional social system.

15. Paradigm Shift Social Structure • The Indian psyche is dominated by legitimacy that it provides to social hierarchy. • Thus, they feel secured in the framework of superior subordinate relationships. • The hierarchical framework is so pervasive that the Indian child internalises the process of hierarchical structuring of persons and relationships.

16. Paradigm Shift Social Structure • The same notion is extended to organisations as well where subordinates expect their superiors to be protective, caring, affectionate and nurturant in their relationship with them.

17. Paradigm Shift Dependency Syndrome • The socialisation process right from infancy places emphasis on efficacy of dependency relationship with superiors subsequently reinforced by other formal social institutions.

18. Paradigm Shift Cultural Dimensions • Collectivism • Power Distance • Uncertainty Avoidance • Masculinity • Long term Orientation

19. Paradigm Shift Managing Diversity • India represents a composite culture of diversity and plurality of ethnic groups, languages, religious faith and regions with distinct local traditions. • The workforce in India is becoming increasingly diverse in terms of gender, age, education, ethnicity, social cultural background, physical ability (disability) and family status such as dual career relationship.

20. Paradigm Shift Gender Issues • In male dominated organisations, gender bias based on conventional ascribed role of women will need to be removed by providing female employees space and treating them with dignity and equality as partners. • The number of women entering the corpo-rate world is on the rise.

21. Paradigm Shift Knowledge Workers • Linked to advances in information technology, is the emergence of knowledge workers who are replacing the manual workers. In recent years, a number of old jobs have been eliminated rendering the skills associated with those jobs redundant.

22. Changes in Social Institutions • Man's relationship with himself is heavily influenced by his relationships with the core social institutions within which he lives. • Then social institutions help generate in each individual, values, ethics, the capacity for action, willing application of effort and the meanings he gives to his experiences. • The core institutions are the family, the community of belonging and education.

23. Changes in Social Institutions Changes in Family • In agrarian society, the technology of living involved a complex and large network of roles. This network provided a great deal of stability, permanence and continuity. • The, industrial society on the other hand demands the setting up of much smaller families living in a community in which blood ties do not determine the strength of relatedness.

24. Changes in Social Institutions Changes in Community • In agrarian society, the framework of community provide security, strength, belonging and a significant element of the identity of the individual. • Part of this is reflected even today. • In India soon after knowing a person's name, he is asked where do you come from in order to assess what community profile does the individual represent.

25. Changes in Social Institutions Changes in Education • The third social institution which is experiencing the turbulence emerging from transition is the education process. • Formal education in India in its present form was established by the colonial rulers in order to train manpower for their own use. • Very few changes have been possible in the basic process of education since the early days of its establishment in the country.

26. Organisational Relevance Employability • The capacity of an organisation in generating knowledge from within and outside the organisation, sharing it with appropriate stakeholders and utilising it to bring about continuous improvement in product, processes, services, approach and perspective will become imperative for gaining leading edge in the competitive environment.

27. Organisational Relevance Changeability • In an era witnessing unprecedented pace of discontinuous and unpredictable change in practically all dimensions of environment, coping with change will increasingly become problematic for individuals as also for organisations.

28. Organisational Relevance Changeability • Sustained growth of organisations in such a situation will necessitate creating a state of preparedness in the organisations to be responsive to changes. occurring from within or outside the system.

29. Organisational Relevance Social Tension • Compliance and identification as motives for change will have inherent limitations in the absence of a clear picture of the probable future. Incorporating the value of change in the cognitive and emotive framework of individuals will become imperative. • Employees have to learn to operate in an environment characterised by uncertainty and chaos.

30. Organisational Relevance Democratisation of Work Process • Management through command and control would need to be replaced by consensus and commitment. • In systems designed on the basis of business processes and optimal task groups, the need for exercising external control and coordination is minimised.

31. Organisational Relevance Empowerment • As employees are accorded the status of business partners, thus becoming internal stakeholders, organisations capacity in meeting their expectations, as also aspirations , will play a decisive role in determining their survival.

32. Organisational Relevance Service Orientation • Retention and enlargement of customer base will yet be another challenge for organisations as the customers have ever increasing access to information on products and services available across the globe resulting in greater freedom of choice.

33. Organisational Relevance Service Orientation • Customer relationship will have to be redefined not only in terms of quality and speed of service to customers but also in terms of their long-term commitment as a strategic business partner.

34. Organisational Relevance Changing Expectations of Stakeholders • As the organisation owes its existence to the support it is able to mobilise from various components of the environment: socio-cultural; politico-legal; economic; and ecological. Various constituents of the environment whose contribution is required by the organisation and inducements that the constituents expect are called stakeholders.

35. Organisational Relevance Changing Expectations of Stakeholders • Various constituents of the environment whose contribution is required by the organisation and inducements that the constituents expect are called stakeholders. Stakeholders can be internal to the organisation such as organisation members, the unions and the top management which draws its authority from the Board of Directors.

36. Organisational Relevance