Example Of Essay On Weber’s Concept Of Instrumental Rationality

Weber’s Concept of Instrumental Rationality useful today?

Organizational behavior refers to the examination of the people’s behavior in organizations to establish how well they relate to the different surroundings. Therefore, organizational behavior is essential to understand it because it helps the management to understand well their employees and to address the issues appropriately. As a result, several disciplines have played a part in the establishment of the organizational behavior in firms, for instance, sociology, psychology, social psychology and anthropology (WILLMOTT, 2007, p. 250). Therefore, the management evaluates all the disciplines before establishing a solid route to take in the administration. Organizational behavior helps the employers realize t potential leaders through their behaviors and attitudes. However, sociologists came up with different theories to explain the organizational behavior.
Nonetheless, Marx Weber developed the theories of rationality, where he tried to explain the people’s behavior in the communities. There are different motivators that people use in performance of their daily activities, and they range from one person to the other. Therefore, the people use their characters, values and customs as motivators. As a result, Marx Weber came up with four types of rationality and aimed at distinguishing the different character of society members. However, the four types differed in their purpose, and the direction taken.
First, the value-belief oriented, determined the people’s character based on their beliefs and values. For this reason, people would never commit an action that would go against their beliefs. Therefore, this type of rationality differed among the people because the beliefs differed in the different communities. Some community members would view a certain belief from a different community as unacceptable in their own (NOZICK, 1993, p. 198). Therefore, it would become possible to find an acceptable and common behavior in one community but find that another community opposes the same behavior leading to the different behaviors of the communities. Therefore, the type of rationality explains the reason for finding a common behavior prevalent in one community but prohibited and condemned in another. In most cases, the citizenry ethics, religions, and the cultures determined the people’s different beliefs.
Consequently, Marx classified the other type of rationality as affectual. Therefore, the emotions or feelings determined the people’s behavior. As a result, the behaviors were bound to change depending on the circumstances and the environment one lives (SCHECTER, 2010, p. 164). Therefore, if happiness prevailed, then people would expect the behavior of the person to portray the happiness and vice versa. Different environments change people’s moods and feelings leading to the alteration of the actions. For instance, one could receive bad news, and it would lead to change of behavior and reaction like crying, and retracting from the others. The rationality is evident enough as most people witness such cases of a sudden change of behavior.
The third rationality used by Weber was the traditional approach, where the people’s actions depended on the inbuilt adaptation of the people. Therefore, different people had different approaches to behavior depending on what they were used to. As a result, if one community considered crying in front of the people as a taboo, then one would never show the tears in public. For this reason, the traditions dictated to the people on the ways they needed to take when confronted with a task and how to react to it. Therefore, the reactions to the different events depended on the frequency in the communities because establish different means to react and to handle to the different events and occurrences.
Lastly, the purposive/ instrumental rationality shaped the people’s behavior in terms of the results expected. Therefore, the outcomes of one’s behavior determined how one would react, for instance if one expected positive results, and then there was the need to act positively and work towards achieving the positive results (MIYAHARA, 1986, p. 321). Therefore, the end results in motivated people to a particular direction. For instance, if one wanted to pass the exams, this rationality requires one to work hard to achieve the aspired grades. Alternatively, if a firm wished to generate more revenues, they had to engage to increase the company sales in massive advertisement.
Nevertheless, the instrumental rationality has significantly helped many firms in achieving the goals and objectives set. This rationality has led to an upsurge in the motivation levels in the production firms. As a result, the rationality dictates that the values must produce and sell more to increase the profitability levels in the company. Therefore, the profits act as motivators of the actions undertaken by the company managements (WILLMOTT, 2007, p. 133). Nevertheless, the managements should motivate the employees in return to help in the achievements of the goals. For instance, the employers could motivate the employees through, increased salaries, pay leave days, merit promotions and enforcing team building and addressing the employee’s grievances appropriately and on time. Consequently, the employers and the management employ this rationality before embarking on promotional activities.
Additionally, if the employees want to get promotions in the workplaces, they have to portray their hard-work through an individual’s output level. Therefore, in most cases, the employees promote competition among themselves with an aim to increase their productivity levels. The employees with the leadership skills also use them to convince their employers that they have the ability to head the company. Furthermore, such employees embrace the long working hour’s schedule and work overtime without pay to meet the deadlines set (WAY, 2008, p. 174). As a result, the management recognizes such employees leading to their promotions in the organizations. However, it could serve as a disadvantage to the company when the employees get their aspiration because in most cases, they tend to relax after getting what they wanted. Therefore, if not well monitored, it could lead to massive financial losses. Therefore, even after the promotions, the employers should keep the employees on their toes to deliver their best.
Nevertheless, in the today’s world everyone wants better living standards thereby the ability to meet the basic needs. As a result, the rationality forces people to search for employment rather than staying idle. As a result, one earns the money to sustain oneself. Additionally, it brings a sense of satisfaction thereby motivating the individual to work harder to receive enough money for consumption (NOZICK, 1993, p.249). On the other hand, those with the financial ability, diverse the business opportunities in the country with an aim of increasing their equity and resources and to increase their purchasing power. As a result, they lead to an upsurge in the economic growth in the country. Moreover, they provide employment opportunities to the citizenry thereby reducing the social evils. The reductions of the social evils increase the investment levels in return because investors require security and stability for investments.
Saving incentive among the people has increased, and it motivated the people to indulge in more income generating activities. Therefore, the need to save has prompted people in opening and diversifying the ideas in the business world to get the extra coin. Nevertheless, it is essential to save to hedge one against the uncertainties and calamities that befall people. As a result, the result, which is saving motivates the people to go an extra mile in search of the adequate finances to finances the daily activities and to save.
Consequently, people have increased their educational levels with a motive to attain a competitive advantage in the job market (MIYAHARA, 1986, p. 106). The urge to secure well-paying job requires qualifications from certified learning institutions. Additionally, people also attend classes to eradicate illiteracy. Therefore, in this case, the eradication of the illiteracy and securing a well-paying job determine one’s actions to study. On the other, the thirst for education, led to an increase in learning institutions to satisfy the people’s demand for the services. Therefore, it leads to the development of the nation in terms of the skilled manpower thereby increasing the productivity levels of the organizations.
The instrumental rationalization has also led to the development in the countries. For instance, if the government wishes to achieve both economic and political stability, they should construct the avenues for achievement. Therefore, economic stability requires proper infrastructure, security, provision of subsidies to farmers to increase and promote agriculture, and enhancement of economic ties with the neighboring countries for export purposes (SCHECTER, 2010, p. 213). To achieve political stability, the voters should vote for the best and transparent leaders who would propel the country forward. Additionally, the leaders need also to engage in dialogs and work together, to avoid differences and wrangles that emerge in the corridors of power. They also avoid dividing the citizens along the political lines.
In organizations, the bureaucratic mode of government is most prevalent in most organizations because it stipulates and divided the powers among the leaders. Therefore, the clear guidelines on what the employer expects from the employee enhance a peaceful coexistence among the people. It also reduces the conflicts of interests. However, in a bureaucracy, the management appears in hierarchical orders, and this divides the powers leading to a free flow of activities and separation of powers. Therefore, the need to avoid the internal wrangles results to organizations forming the bureaucracies.
Conversely, the need to achieve something could lead to social evils. For instance, one would consider stealing or engaging in corruption activities for them to acquire anything. Therefore, in this case, the result, which is to acquire a good or service could lead one into temptations of engaging in any activity irrespective of the morality of the actions (VERBEEK, 2002, p. 258). Therefore, it leads to loss of moral values because it disregards the paths and avenues the people take in reaching the goals.
In summation, the instrumental rationality has both negative and positive impacts on the societies. Therefore, people must evaluate its effects before embarking on the process of acquisition. Additionally, critics argued that the rationality promoted immoral behaviors among the population because it only considered the result. Therefore, the laws and regulations should prevail to help in streamlining the people’s behavior thereby protecting the society from harm in the societies. Additionally, people should take it upon themselves to observe the values and beliefs of the communities avoid negative actions. On the other hand, organizations should also formulate the company ethics that guide the employees in their behavior.

References

KNIGHTS, D., & WILLMOTT, H. (2007). Introducing organizational behaviour and
management. London, Thomson Learning.
NOZICK, R. (1993). The nature of rationality. Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press.
http://site.ebrary.com/id/10035800.
MIYAHARA, K. (1986). Beyond instrumental rationality: Weber's typology of rationality and a
critical sociology of values.
SCHECTER, D. (2010). The critique of instrumental reason from Weber to Habermas. New
York, Continuum International Pub. Group.
WAY, J. M. (2008). Reasons, rationality and the wide-scope approach to instrumental reason.
[Santa Barbara, Calif.], University of California, Santa Barbara.
http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:334
2057.
VERBEEK, B. (2002). Instrumental rationality and moral philosophy: an essay on the virtues of
cooperation. Dordrecht [u.a.], Kluwer Academic Publ.