El colombiano: el gran “Otro”

THE SOCIOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK1

T h is c h a p te r i s c o n c ern e d w ith d e v e lo p in g a t h e o r e t i c a l fram ew ork w ith in 'which to e x p li c a t e th e p a r t i c u l a r f e a t u r e s w hich seem ed to c a p tu r e so m eth in g o f th e e sse n c e o f b e in g a M anager i n th e

o r g a n is a tio n s c o n c e rn e d . T h ere a r e o f c o u rse v a s t d i f f e r e n c e s betw een th e o r g a n i s a ti o n s , and some o f th e s e d i f f e r e n c e s w i l l be d is c u s s e d , how ever, th e a c t u a l fo c u s of t h i s s o c i a l e n q u iry w i l l be upon th e f a c t o r s w hich s tr u c k th e w r i t e r a s b e in g s i m i l a r (o r

am enable t o s im i la r d e s c r i p t i o n and a n a l y s i s ) .

V a rio u s o c c u rre n c e s and a c c o u n ts g iv e n t o me (e g . th e p la c in g o f a p e n c il on a f i l e i n a d raw er i n o r d e r to d e te c t th e in c id e n c e o f i n f i l t r a t i o n i n t o su p p o se d ly p r iv a t e p3.aces - r e l a t e d i n c h a p te r one) •led me to t u r n to t h e o r i e s o f power a s a p o t e n t i a l m eans o f u n d e r­

s ta n d in g . The f a c t t h a t su ch t h e o r i e s a s propounded i n th e l i t e r a t u r e d id n o t seem to a l i g n , o r be to o r e l e v a n t t o my e x p e r ie n c e , e v e n tu a lly gave r i s e to t h i s t h e s i s . The ’c h o o s in g 1 o f pow er, h o w ev er, a s a t h e o r e t i c a l fram ew ork f o r e x p li c a t i n g th e way o f l i f e o f b e in g a

M anager, m ere ly u n d e r lin e s th e id e a t h a t any a tte m p t t o u n d e rta k e su ch a t a s k c an o n ly co m p rise a p e rs u a s iv e a c c o u n t s in c e i t i s n o t o n ly th e way o f d o in g and p r e s e n tin g th e a n a ly s i s w hich i s p e r s u a s iv e , b u t a l s o th e s u b s ta n tiv e c o n te n t (a s c h o s e n ). I t w ould have b een p o s s ib le t o c o n s tr u c t a n a c c o u n t ( o f a c c o u n ts ) c o n c e n tr a tin g , f o r i n s t a n c e , u p o n s t r e s s a s a m eans o f c a p tu r in g th e way o f l i f e .

The c o n c e n tr a tio n upon power th e n , i s sim p ly one way o f a p p ro a c h in g th e way o f l i f e , and th e f o u n d a tio n s o f su ch a p e rs u a s iv e a c c o u n t a r e l a i d i n t h i s c h a p te r i n a re v ie w o f th e tre a tm e n t o f pow er i n th e l i t e r a t u r e .

Power i n O r g a n is a tio n s

The c o n s id e r a b le a t t e n t i o n g iv e n to power i n th e s tu d y o f o r g a n is a tio n s i s i n d i c a t i v e o f th e im p o rta n c e a tta c h e d t o th e c o n c e p t. Y /hether se e n a s a d e s ir e to u n d e rs ta n d (a s th o u g h t h i s w ere a n e u t r a l , v a lu e f r e e p r o c e s s ) o r more a c t i v e l y a s a need t o c o n t r o l , and w h e th e r exam ined e x p l i c i t l y a s i n much o f th e s o c io l o g ic a l l i t e r a t u r e , o r i m p l i c i t l y a s i n much o f th e m anagem ent l i t e r a t u r e ( f o r exam ple i n t h e o r i e s o f - l e a d e r s h i p and m o tiv a tio n ) th e a t t e n t i o n g iv e n h a s r e s u l t e d i n a

m u ltitu d e o f a p p ro a c h e s . D e s p ite t h i s w id e sp re a d a t t e n t i o n , th e n o tio n o f power i s s t i l l re g a rd e d by m any, a s a n e lu s iv e and opaque te rm . T h is p e rc e iv e d e lu s iv e n e s s d e r iv e s from a num ber o f c r u c i a l a s s u m p tio n s , in h e r e n t i n so many o f th e s tu d i e s o f pow er i n

o r g a n i s a ti o n s .

A good d e a l o f th e work done on power i m p l i c i t l y a d o p ts a t h e o r e t i c a l in d if f e r e n c e to w ard s c o n te x tu a l f e a t u r e s , th u s n e g le c tin g su ch i s s u e s a s how p e o p le come t o be i n a p o s i t i o n t o e x e r c is e pow er, and ta k in g

2

f o r g r a n te d th e im p act o f h i s t o r i c a l and s o c i e t a l f a c t o r s . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e r e i s a g r e a t d e a l o f c o n fu s io n s u rro u n d in g th e u sa g e

o f term s l i k e pow er, a u t h o r i t y , c o n tr o l and i n f l u e n c e . T h is a r i s e s l a r g e ly fro m th e th e o r y o f m eaning s u b s c r ib e d t o , w hich i n t u r n d e r iv e s from th e p a r t i c u l a r u n d e rly in g c o n c e p tio n o f s o c i a l a n a l y s i s ( o r

s c ie n c e , s i c ) . B ro a d ly t h i s may be s a id t o r e l a t e t o w h e th e r i t i s h e ld t h a t a c o n c e p t, l i k e pow er, c an b e d e fin e d a s p e r t a i n i n g t o a n

o b je c t w hich c an be m easu red , o r , a s o b ta in in g i t s m eaning from i t s c o n te x t o r u s e . The f i r s t a p p ro a c h (ec h o in g a more p o s i t i v i s t

c o n c e p tio n ) h a s le d t o a synonym ic view (synonym ic i n th e s e n s e t h a t d i f f e r e n t w ords come to have th e same m eaning) su ch t h a t te rm s l i k e c o n t r o l , pow er, i n f l u e n c e , e t c . become a lm o st in te r c h a n g e a b le . I t h a s in v o lv e d a c o n c e rn w ith e s t a b l i s h i n g s i m i l a r i t i e s betw een th e s e te rm s and a t t r i b u t i n g th o s e s i m i l a r i t i e s a s m a n if e s ta tio n s o r ev en p r o p e r t ie s o f pow er. I f , h ow ever, th e m eaning o f a c o n c e p t i s ta k e n t o be d ep en d en t on i t s u se an d c o n te x t (e c h o in g a more p h en o m en o lo g ical c o n c e p tio n ) th e n th e q u e s tio n becom es one o f e s t a b l i s h i n g a t t r i b u t e d m eanings o f th e te r m s , th e re b y c o n c e n tr a tin g on d i f f e r e n c e s i n

a d d i t i o n t o s i m i l a r i t i e s i n d e s c r ib in g s i t u a t i o n s and phenom ena.

T h is i s e s s e n t i a l l y a homonymic view (homonymic i n th e s e n se t h a t th e same word may come to have d i f f e r e n t m eanings).*^

F u rth e rm o re , th e a t t r i b u t i o n o f p o s it i v e o r n e g a tiv e v a lu e s , d e p e n d in g upon such f a c t o r s a s , a n i n d i v i d u a l s p o s i t i o n and o r i e n t a t i o n , and th e p r e v a i li n g id e a s and d e f i n i t i o n s , i s p ro b le m a tic t o th e s tu d y o f c o n c e p ts su ch a s pow er. One i l l u m i n a ti n g exam ple o f t h i s i s th e way i n w hich n e g a tiv e v a lu e s a r e a t t r i b u t e d to th e term i n f l u e n c e , and

i n a c c o rd a n c e w ith th e synonym ic view th e term i s o f te n a s s o c i a te d w ith . (and som etim es r e p la c e d by) th e te rm , m a n ip u la tio n . .

The re v ie w u n d e rta k e n h e re i s a p p ro ach ed from a homonymic s ta n c e , ex am in in g th e m y riad m eanings a t t r i b u t e d t o th r e e te rm s w h ich a p p e a r r e p e a te d ly i n th e l i t e r a t u r e - pcw er, c o n tr o l an d d o m in a tio n .

Power

b u i l t , was l a i d by Weber# He p ro v id e d a d e f i n i t i o n w hich h a s been u s e d , and m isu se d , in te rm in a b ly # •Power i s th e p r o b a b i l i t y t h a t one a c to r w i t h in a s o c i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p w i l l be i n a p o s i t i o n t o