Daft+and+Weick

__ THE THEORISTS __ Argyris and Schön Daft and Weick Fiol and Lyles Levitt and March

**DAFT AND WEICK**


 * = //Summary of Theory// || //Examples// ||
 * Daft and Weick (1984) call organizations **"interpretation systems"** and examine "how organization systems make sense of their environments" (p. 21). Daft and Weick define interpretation as "the process through which information is given meaning and actions are chosen." I understand this as the steps that precede a decision that needs to be made. According to the authors, Daft and Weick seem to think that there is one best solution for each problem much like a final answer to a game of //20 Questions//. Interpretation is the link between the data that is gathered and that final choice.

 The **three major steps** this theory uses are collect data (scan), give data meaning (interpret), and take action (learn). Through these steps there is feedback which allows application for learning. Daft and Weick believe that there are four different ways that organizations can interpret the data they gather.
 * 1) Undirected viewing - the environment is unanalyzable (need to use clues) and passive (take time to make right decision)
 * 2) Conditioned viewing - the environment is analyzable (no clues needed) and passive (take time to make right decision)
 * 3) Enacting -the environment is unanalyzable (need to use clues) and active (more 'guess and check' experimentation)
 * 4) Discovering - the environment is analyzable (no clues needed) and active (more 'guess and check' experimentation)

 Daft and Weick conclude that past experiences of members to an organization can influence what way they interpret the data and thus change how they go about taking action. They also say that individual members make up the organization yet interpretation "is more than the sum of what occurs individually" (p. 23). The "distinctive" feature of an organization is how everything is shared between its members. This allows for "convergence" on the best type of action. || * Here is a humorous example of the game 20 questions. This shows how data can be gathered to make a final choice. media type="youtube" key="o1OA_ZMfmOs" height="333" width="405"


 * An example that may be seen in schools is with test scores. Many schools use test scores as the only interpretation for a weakness at the school (like math, for example). By only viewing these scores schools have made decisions to change the entire math curriculum. These schools follow the three major steps, but do not collect enough data to make the best choice.

THE CORE ASSUMPTIONS SIX CONDITIONS BACK TO HOME
 * Here is another example of Daft and Weick's theory looking at innovation
 * From [] ||