The title of the article is “managing the multiple meanings of organizational culture in interdisciplinary collaboration and consulting,” and its author is Maria A. Dixon. In the article, Kuhn claims that researchers who collaborate in different disciplines may refer to a similar situation by using same words in description but if the findings of the meanings of their words is carried out, their meanings may emerge very different. It is true to say that, our visions and perceptions are influenced by what we have been trained on. In the article, Kuhn states that the individuals who may have gone in different institutions but work together will always find themselves at loggerheads (Maria & Debbie 2009).
When this concepts are applied in the field of consultation, it is evident that the same words maybe be used but will aim at delivering very different messages. The existing differences will have an impact to the process of consultation inclusive of the expectations of the clients. These differences may interfere with the confidence of the clients to accept the advice and recommendations that are given by the consultants. The article looks at the experiences of authors when they take part in cultural assessment of a Student Affairs Department in the Midwestern University.
The article goes further to explain on our consulting experiences that emerges when we fail to manage the multiple meanings within our organizational culture in success. The organizational culture theory seeks to identify the uniqueness of life that lies within different organization. The ignorance displayed in such settings interferes with the way clients interact with their consultants and mostly, they do not adhere to the recommendations given (Maria & Debbie 2009).In the experiment conducted to the three different departments in the university, we learned that clients believed that the organizational culture affected their interaction with different institutions. Despite this stand, the researchers did not realize that use of similar words may be having a very different meaning.
The communication between the staffs was in conflict because of the different view of understanding situations. This is what made the clients not to heed the approvals that were given by the consultants. The clients found no reason to listen to the assessments that they were exposed to. Similar institutions may hold theoretical components with the same explanations but this does not mean that their organizational culture will be the same.
The divergence and differences that exists due to the understanding of the organizational culture within two disciplines is shaped by the conceptual conflict within academic disciples associated with the study of culture in organizations. The different school of thoughts will always present a very unique view in their understanding of organizational culture (Maria & Debbie 2009).
The organizational culture theory is a good fit for the article. This is due to the fact that it is easily applied in higher institutions of learning. The organization theory enables the researchers to conduct an experiment that involved students of Midwestern University where the pattern of their behavior is studied. The theory fits well in the article because its findings can be applied to different institutions to study how cultures of an organization affect the relation with clients. Researchers have found the theory practical and very useful to various employees and their clients. In the article, the theory is a good fit because it demonstrates a logical arrangement that helps ideas to remain consistent.
In my opinion, the organizational culture theory is a good fit for the article because it enables the researchers to clearly state the way the issue arises in different settings. The experiments that were conducted in the Midwestern University brought clearly the different opinions that lie within organizational (Maria & Debbie 2009). From the article, we learn that organizational culture is fully dependent on the school of thought that an individual attended. The theory fits well because of its procedural explanations of the facts within different disciplines as used in the article. The implications of the theory include its ability to be utilized for educational purposes and also used in the review of existing literature by researchers and scholars. The criticism that affects the theory in the article is that its dependent on organizational members and it cannot stand on its own. The attitudes and opinions linked to certain organization determine how the theory is applied.
References
Maria A. D., & Debbie S. D., (2009). Managing the multiple meanings of organizational culture in interdisciplinary collaboration and consulting. Journal of Business Communication 2010 47: 3 originally published online 30 November. 2009. DOI: 10.1177/0021943609355790
