Stefan Kühl – författare

Using Marxist and systems theory as guides, this book offers an entry point to the current debate on the role of economy in modern society, the change in work organizations and the effect of the economy on the individual. It explores the concepts of ‘work society’, ‘industrial society’ and ‘capitalist society’ to explain the conditions of society as a whole, and not just the conditions of businesses, making particular use of the category of ‘work’. The first systematic theoretical comparison of Marxism and systems theory, it provides a brief overview of the central debates concerning work society and the controversies surrounding organizations in capitalism. As such, it will appeal to social scientists and social theorists with interests in the sociology of work, industry and organizations.

Using Marxist and systems theory as guides, this book offers an entry point to the current debate on the role of economy in modern society, the change in work organizations and the effect of the economy on the individual. It explores the concepts of ‘work society’, ‘industrial society’ and ‘capitalist society’ to explain the conditions of society as a whole, and not just the conditions of businesses, making particular use of the category of ‘work’. The first systematic theoretical comparison of Marxism and systems theory, it provides a brief overview of the central debates concerning work society and the controversies surrounding organizations in capitalism. As such, it will appeal to social scientists and social theorists with interests in the sociology of work, industry and organizations.

Hardly any other management concept is as overused as strategy, yet at the same time hardly any other concept is as vaguely defined. As a means of escaping the conceptual jumble, this monograph suggests a systems-theoretical definition which makes it possible to sort out the various threads of the strategy discussion. Strategies are “search programs” used for finding the means to achieve previously defined goals. With these, we let classical ideas about strategy confront modern organizational theory, and demonstrate how strategy development in organizations can look beyond purpose-rational constraints.

Organizations construct their environments themselves. From the bewildering, chaotic array of impressions, they take those bits of information that enable them to produce such a view of the environment – one that makes it possible for them to operate in the environment with relative confidence. Thus, contrary to what traditional market research suggests, organizations do not respond objectively to existing environmental conditions, but invent, construct and create their realities themselves. The goal of exploring the environment – or, more specifically, exploring markets – is to influence this construction process through re-framing, de-generalization and hypothesis formation and thus to allow organizations to discover unusual things.

In organizations, there are always situations that can’t be fixed with top-down directives. Often the only thing left to do is to craft cooperative relationships through understanding, power, or trust. The concept of lateral leadership – leading to the side – brings together ideas about how we can create processes of understanding, construct arenas of power, and build trusting (or mistrusting) relationships.

The linear, goal-oriented approach to projects that is so popular in management literature is only appropriate if you are dealing with well-defined problems. For projects that address poorly defined problems, however, the principles of classic project management don’t work; project managers attempt in vain to maintain a linear approach, even if targets, people affected and framework conditions cannot be determined precisely. We propose a fundamentally different approach based on current organizational theory: to start out with experiments, without predetermined conclusions. Projects are not evaluated by comparing the current status to the target, but rather by assessing whether stagnation has been overcome, conflicts put aside, and shared understanding about new opportunities has been created. Project groups and steering committees are not set up at all. Power “games” are harnessed and put to use, rather than prohibited.

When (re-)designing organizations, one must first be clear about what is meant by the structures of an organization and what can be done in order to change them. In this book, we present communication channels, programs and personnel as central structures. We also unfold the aspects that come to the forefront when one focuses on either the formal, the informal or the display side of an organization. At the core, we elaborate on how structures cause blind spots, and how these can be utilized for processes of change.When (re-)designing organizations, one must first be clear about what is meant by the structures of an organization and what can be done in order to change them. In this book, we present communication channels, programs and personnel as central structures. We also unfold the aspects that come to the forefront when one focuses on either the formal, the informal or the display side of an organization. At the core, we elaborate on how structures cause blind spots, and how these can be utilized for processes of change.

Companies are no longer the only organizations that develop mission statements; administrations, hospitals, universities, schools and associations are following. After a phase of euphoria in which true miracles were expected, mission statements have come under increasing critique for their moralizing overtones. By applying new approaches from organizational research, this book shows how the  development and dissemination of mission statements can be arranged in such a way that two seemingly contradicting goals are achieved. On the one hand the management of the organization’s “display side” to the outside world can be supported, on the other hand new room can be created for the analysis of the unavoidable structural conflicts that emerge in organizations.

In the management discourse few words are thrown about more carelessly than ‘organizational culture’. While the term is usually defined too broadly—including such phenomena as assumptions, values, traditions, articles of faith, myths and artifacts—this book applies a far more narrow concept. Organizational culture, or the informal structure of an organization, is a term used to describe the behavioral expectations in an organization that have not been decided on in a formal way but that evolved by means of repetition and imitation. This book shows how this narrow definition makes it possible to more precisely observe and understand an organization’s culture and its changes. Management’s only way for influencing organizational culture—and this may sound paradoxical at first—is to change the organization’s formal structure as for example its incentive schemes, goal-setting processes, strategic directions or hierarchy.

On the one hand, employees are supposed to compete with one another as “intrapreneurs,” on the other, cooperation among employees is a top priority. The motto is: we are all pulling together but only the best will prevail. On the one hand, “intrapreneurs” are supposed to break the rules that have been handed down from above, yet at the same time they are supposed to respect the structures the company has created. The motto is: do the right thing, but be sure not to break any written or unwritten laws. On the one hand, there needs to be enough room for flexible and creative lateral thinkers to maneuver, while on the other the organization’s resources should be used as effectively as possible. The motto is: be unorthodox, just don’t interfere with the standardization process which is taking place in the name of efficiency.

This book explains why attempting to reconcile these contradictions is futile. The often praised Holy Grail of organization, the perfectly functioning company, will never be found. Drawing on central management topics such as hierarchy, markets, group work, quality, mission statements, and reorganization, Stefan Kühl elaborates the paradoxes of modern management and points out the undesirable side effects that arise as a result of striving to achieve optimal organizational structure. Sisyphus in Management shows that organizational realities often form—as if by an invisible hand—that lie beyond the intentions of management. Nevertheless, this does not mean that management is acting arbitrarily. On the contrary, the potential and limitations of managerial action can only be demonstrated through an understanding of organizations that goes beyond recipe books and PowerPoint presentations.