Exam 4: The Systems Perspective on Organizations and Communication

Part of Weick's theory of retrospective sense making suggests that sufficient information and plausibility take precedence over

Which of the following concepts is found in both Weick's basic model of organizing and his theory of retrospective sense making?

Which of the following is not a concept in systems theory?

If distributed intelligence is important to an organization, how should managers and employees use this concept?

The concept of feedback is particularly important to systems theory. Explain how feedback operates in a systems approach, paying particular attention to deviation-counteracting versus deviation-amplifying feedback.

Loosely coupled systems are always superior to tightly coupled systems.

Which of the following concepts from the systems approach shows us that average employees could be strong leaders in their community outside of work?

Which of the following theories changed the way that we look at the universe, thereby giving rise to the systems approach?

Which of the following approaches claims that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts?

The concept of distributed intelligence recognizes that all members of a system-be they people or cells-are important.

Coopetition works only for nonprofit organizations.

An underlying assumption of Weick's model is that decision making is largely retrospective sense making. What does this mean?

Explain Weick's quotation, "How can I know what I think until I see what I say?" Moreover, use his model of retrospective sense making to explain how Weick's approach has shifted to a more relationally based quotation, "How can we know what we think until we see what we say?"

Karl Weick said, "How can I know what I think until I see what I say?" This statement best represents which of the following concepts?

According to Karl Weick, loosely coupled systems are not able to withstand jolts from the environment.

Peter Senge draws a distinction between

Learning organizations that use "double-loop learning" rely on which of the following concepts?

Describe each part of Weick's model of organizing.

Which of the following is the key factor that turns a group into a system?

According to the systems approach, which of the following concepts connects communication and action?