Organizations and unusual routines
Subtitle: a systems analysis of dysfunctional feedback processes
By: Ronald E. Rice, Stephen D. Cooper
Contributors: Cooper, Stephen D, 1950-
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 383
ISBN-13: 9780521768641
Description: "Everyone working in and with organizations will, from time to time, experience frustrations and problems when trying to accomplish tasks that are a required part of their role. This is an unusual routine - a recurrent interaction pattern in which someone encounters a problem when trying to accomplish normal activities by following standard organizational procedures and then becomes enmeshed in wasteful and even harmful subroutines while trying to resolve the initial problem. They are unusual because they are not intended or beneficial, and because they are generally pervasive but individually infrequent. They are routines because they become systematic as well as embedded in ordinary functions. Using a wide range of case studies and interdisciplinary research, this book provides researchers and practitioners with a new vocabulary for identifying, understanding, and dealing with this pervasive organizational phenomenon, in order to improve worker and customer satisfaction as well as organizational performance"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: List of figures; List of tables; Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Crazy systems, Kafka circuits and unusual routines; 2. Causes, symptoms, and subroutines of unusual routines in six computer information/communication systems; 3. Getting personal - unusual routines at the customer service interface; 4. A multi-theoretical foundation for understanding unusual routines; 5. A detailed case study of unusual routines; 6. Summary and discussion of the case study results; 7. Individual and organizational challenges to feedback; 8. A multi-level and cross-disciplinary summary of concepts related to unusual routines; 9. Recommendations for resolving and mitigating unusual routines and related phenomena; 10. summary and a tentative integrated model of unusual routines; References; Index.