‘Managing is an exercise that strives to create rationality in order to make common sense in organizations.’ Discuss and critically evaluate what you think are the key tensions and issues that such a view of management illuminates.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Model answer
A model answer would include:
• Definitions of managing, organizations and sensemaking
• Reference to organizational rationality that encompasses discussion of both the division of labour and the bounded rationality – sometimes contested – to which this can give rise
• Detailed discussion of the ways in which sensemaking can act to create multiple, sometimes conflicting rationalities
• A realization that managing always takes place in an organizational world subject to many changing contextual factors and a discussion of what are taken to be the most important of these, and justification for why they are important
• A clear statement that the task of managing is to manage these conflicting rationalities in the overall interests of the organization, and that this entails a subtle balance of political, technical and creative skills