Compare and contrast the four paradigms of organization theory.
1. rationalist 2. interactionist 3. conflict 4. functionalist
What do you see as the main points of differentiation between them?
Consider which phenomena each paradigm tends to make most visible and which phenomena each paradigm tends to overlook.
2. Which of these paradigms are most compatible with each other? Which are most contradictory? Why?
3. Which of the paradigms reflects most closely your experiences in organizations?
4. Are there any combinations among two or more of these paradigms that you find particularly compelling as a way to understand organizations?
2. What are the key differences between the bureaucratic and relational organizational forms?
4. What is the natural systems model of organizational relations?
5. What are the strengths of the bureaucratic organizational form? What are its
weaknesses?
3. What is reciprocal interrelating? What is relational coordination?
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of coordinating work through reciprocal relationships?
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of coordinating work through bureaucracy?
A) Outline (diagram) and explain the Stress Response process linking stressors to health.
1. Diagram the model linking social relationships and health.
2. How are social ties related to the common cold?
B) Discuss three insights from application of the network approach to understanding social support/relationships and health.
C) Define and compare the four prototypes of social networks. Contrast core,extended, and peripheral networks.
D) What are core discussion networks? How did the size and composition of American’s core networks change between 1985 and 2004? What changes were found in network density and range? What demographic variations in networks were significant? What were the explanations for these changes? Do you think this change was real – why or why not?
E) What do Small, et al (2015) suggest about the stability of the core network? Describe their four hypotheses? Which of these were supported by their findings? Do you agree with their conclusions – why or why not?
F) In the social networks and health review (2008), what are the major findings of investigations assessing supradyadic effects? Discuss the authors’ two main policy implications.
G) In the 2015 review of sociocentric network studies in low- and middle-income countries, what are the main findings for the effects of network composition, centrality, and structure? What are the authors’ three main assertions about the benefits of using network data?
H) Outline Song’s (2010) conceptual model linking social capital to psychological distress. How do the results support this theory of social capital as network resources?
