Post modernism rejects this notion of rationality because unlike modernism postmodernism does not accept a rational process that can be seen as reasonable, logical to achieve some sort of chosen means of doing things. This rejection of rationality has opposes the approach that modernism took to rationality through scientific approaches/study. Because postmodernism believes is in diversity that their individuals have their own identities, which means that individuals do have various ways of viewing things in different ways. For example in an organisation there may be a situation where one employee may react or behave differently to another employee. The responses from both employees will vary.
This leads to there not being no universal truth that everybody should accept as there is no one best way, as people can never be objective, because individuals can never know what we know is true. And there should be no generalizations due to the belief that it is has been constructed by people as a means of generalizing people in terms of their actions and by management within organisations to obtain some control and stability. For example in a business organisation people may be lead to be behave and control their behavior in terms of what is deemed rational, and not what may be seem as irrational, for a employee.
In comparison modernism accepts rationality. Rationality does play a part in classical and scientific management for basis for organisations in terms of their behavior and their operations. Rationality is seen as objective and been based on scientific logic, this is because industrialization came into place organisations were being established and moving away from previous approaches towards scientific logic. Knowing about things, people were seen through rationality and that is the only objective form.
Unlike postmodernism, modernism was geared towards science as the basis for rationality, for the management of businesses. Scientific management is one of the approaches under modernism theory where Fredrick Taylor developed scientific management principles were to provide rationality for management. Also to provide control, and decision-making away from the workers on how to do the job. (Article from huczynski). For example Taylor principles of management contained scientific approaches on how to carry out the job for example by job design this was through the introduction of division of work. And scientifically calculating pay in accordance of an employee out put.
Scientific management unlike postmodernism created principles to accept a one best way a universal truth for organisations through the use of scientific approaches. This lead to rationality in terms of the reasonable, logical means of practicing work and for management to practice and for employees within an organisation to work/behave in accordance with these principles.
Post modernism rejects the notion of order in terms of there being one integrated way and the way things are organised. Order is closely linked to control within a organisation, however post modernism does not reject control there is a belief that control is achieved through the idea of their being one universal truth. Unlike modernism theory post modernism rejects the idea of organizing through specialization, division of labour as decreasing efficiency rather than increasing efficiency. Order can create alienation and demotivate the employee from their work and organisation, which can decreases efficiency.
Postmodernism rejects the notion of order as post modernism rejects fixed factors that are to be followed, because postmodernism accepts diversity as being a strength, and do not make claims to their being a one best way or integrated, in terms of order in society or in organisation. As there is no best way that and person can accept for example in organisational behavior cannot be explained because not one explanation to categorize or order behavior based on diversity of individuals. And that order leads to rationality which postmodernism rejects.
Sarbjit Baines remember the idea of fragmentation on hatch page
However modernism does try to look for scientific explanations for employee’s behavior in the workplace through the use of experiments used by the human relations approach, which were the Hawthorne experiments, and for scientific management by Taylor. In the human relations approach the behavior was linked to influences of groups.
In comparison modernism accepts order. This is linked to rationality, as modernism belief is that order does not create chaos and there is stability within an organisation. Order helps the organisation to function more rationally and help to create a one integrated way of doing things, so uncertainty is removed. The classical approach used principles of management to be adopted by management to better organise the work in an organisation and create order. Fayol created 14 principles of management for example the scalar chain, order and authority meant that was order in terms of the way things take place in, from management or supervisors to employees, authority was held with management. The focus was on organisational structure to achieve efficiency from the organisation.
The classical approach is where Weber used to the concept of order in an organisation for example there were rules/procedures in place to create efficiency and order. This was also enabling there to not be uncertainty, this bureaucracy lead to control of behavior and this lead to impersonality for employees. Webers work introduced a routine or sequence for organisations to follow, and standardization of practices to a one integrated way of doing things.
Another modernism approach the systems approach concept of order where the organisation functions are organized into separate into independent parts for example the accounting department managers may organise or control their own activities and then the organisation has interdependent parts through activities of purchasing influencing sales department.
Postmodernism rejects the notion of intellectual progress, progress in terms of planning to be told where we are going, doing, technology, knowledge in general. Postmodernism rejects planning because the belief that planning leads to disorder and to confusion. This is confusion and disorder for people within an organisation for example planning for a change can lead employees in disorder or confused on how the change will affect their job role, uncertainties for example if planning for an a technological change.
Postmodernism is a farsighted, rather than modernism where lead to tell employees what to do and where to go. There are no perceptions for planning or the need for progressing, because progress will not lead to some form of perfection for the society or for all organisations, due to the diversity of individuals and organisations whom view progress in different ways.
