Crozier On Actors As Well As Organizations

I ran across a mass past times Michel Crozier in addition to Erhard Friedberg I hadn't read earlier inwards a Dijon bookstore, L'...

I ran across a mass past times Michel Crozier in addition to Erhard Friedberg I hadn't read earlier inwards a Dijon bookstore, L'acteur et le système: Les contraintes de l'action collective (French Edition).  (Yes, inwards French Republic they however stimulate got corking academic bookstores!) It was the book's championship that caught my oculus -- "actor in addition to system". Crozier in addition to Friedberg's premise is that actors inside organizations stimulate got substantially to a greater extent than agency in addition to liberty than they are by in addition to large afforded past times orthodox arrangement theory, in addition to nosotros tin best sympathise the workings in addition to evolution of the arrangement as (partially) the final result of the strategic actions of the participants (instead of agreement the comport of the participants as a component division of the rules of the organization).

In fact, they look to expect at organizations as solutions to collective activity problems -- tasks or performances that allow attainment of a destination that is of involvement to a wide public, but for which at that topographic point are no antecedent private incentives for cooperation. Organized solutions to collective problems -- of which organizations are primal examples -- do non emerge spontaneously; instead, "they consist of goose egg other than solutions, ever specific, that relatively autonomous actors stimulate got created, invented, established, amongst their item resources in addition to capacities, to solve these challenges for collective action" (15). And they emphasize the inherent contingency of these item solutions; at that topographic point are ever choice solutions, neither ameliorate nor worse.

This is an appealing indicate of persuasion to me for several reasons. First, it is consistent amongst the persuasion I've advocated for at diverse points well-nigh the plasticity of institutions (link). Second, it seems to friction match really good amongst the ideas associated amongst methodological localism (link): Crozier in addition to Freidberg seem to add together back upwards to the persuasion that nosotros tin best sympathise a hit of extended social phenomena as the final result of the actions in addition to thoughts of the socially situated in addition to socially constituted actors who brand upwards its diverse locales. Finally, though, the score of liberty the authors attribute to actors seems to contradict roughly other facial expression of organizational theory that I've incorporated into my ain thinking: the thought that at that topographic point are inwards fact rigid microfoundations for the workings of the regulative framework of an organization. On my occupation organisation human relationship these microfoundations take away the shape of internally realized enforcement mechanisms similar auditors, supervisors, in addition to plain of report administrators. The liberty of the actors is reduced past times the mechanisms of enforcement through which their performance of their roles is overseen.

The authors job the thought of the "narrowing the plain of play" ("champs d'interaction aménagés") oft to depict the workings of an organization. Essentially this seems to imply that an arrangement unremarkably succeeds inwards ruling out certainly strategies for the participants land leaving opened upwards others. And mayhap this converges amongst the indicate but mentioned: organizations succeed inwards limiting the liberty of selection of participants, though non downwardly to a singleton set. For example: a junior faculty somebody may select a strategy of flattering the subdivision chair to increase the likelihood of receiving tenure; but he/she cannot threaten the chair amongst bodily impairment unless back upwards is provided.

So the framework in addition to theory that Crozier in addition to Freidberg offering seems to supply a practiced illustration of several insights into the nature of the social that stimulate got emerged from my ain efforts to formulate a ameliorate approach to the philosophy of social science.  This is, of course, a somewhat personal argue for favoring a theory, but it gives me a motive to locomote through the mass to a greater extent than carefully.

Here are a few passages that capture roughly of the unique perspective they offer.

Bref, ce way de raisonnement ne vise pas tant les organisations, comme objet social spécifique, que l'action organisée des hommes. Celle-là constitue la véritable sujet de ce livre. (10)

"In short, this method is non therefore much aimed at organizations as a specific form of social thing, as at the organized actions of people. This is the truthful dependent of this book."

"This essay is ultimately a reflection on the relationships of thespian in addition to system. It is inwards lawsuit concerning the existence of these 2 opposing poles that determines the method nosotros follow. The thespian does non be wholly exterior of the scheme which defines his liberty in addition to the rationality that he tin job inwards his actions. But every bit the scheme does non be except through the thespian who sustains it in addition to gives it life, in addition to who lonely tin alter it. It is the juxtaposition of these 2 logics which gives nascence to the constraints on organized activity that our method reveals."

"The reader should non misconstrue the significance of this theoretical bet. We stimulate got non sought to formulate a ready of full general laws concerning the substance, the properties in addition to the stages of evolution of organizations in addition to systems. We do non stimulate got the payoff of existence able to furnish normative precepts similar those offered past times administration specialists who ever believe they tin elaborate a model of "good organization" in addition to acquaint a guide to the agency in addition to measures necessary to realize it. We acquaint of serial of uncomplicated propositions on the problems raised past times the existence of these complex but integrated ensembles that nosotros telephone telephone organizations, in addition to on the agency in addition to instruments that people stimulate got invented to surmount these problems; that is to say, to assure in addition to develop their cooperation inwards persuasion of the mutual goals." (11)

There are resonances inwards this text of other voices on the theme of the ability of organizations. Foucault is mentioned solely 4 times, in addition to and then solely inwards footnotes; but the authoritarianism that Foucault attributes to modern institutions seems to live really much the indicate of persuasion that Crozier in addition to Friedberg desire to refute. The mass to which they refer is Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison, a locomote that emphasizes the total command to which modern organizations aspire. Crozier in addition to Friedberg refuse this persuasion inwards favor of i that emphasizes the agency in addition to freedoms of the actors situated inside the organization. And they take away this to live an empirical fact, non a normative one.

The other vox that seems to live inwards the background inwards this declaration is that of Bourdieu, who is mentioned non at all. Here the human relationship is to a greater extent than ambiguous. The emphasis on agency inside constraints that Crozier in addition to Friedberg insist upon seems resonant amongst Bourdieu's theory of do inwards Outline of a Theory of Practice (1972). But Bourdieu likewise advocates for roughly of the themes of domination in addition to command that Foucault highlights; in addition to to this facial expression C&F are every bit opposed.

This isn't to say that C&F deny the facts of ability in addition to exploitation that are therefore of import to Marxist theory as good as Foucault in addition to Bourdieu; inwards fact, chapter 2 is dedicated to an analysis of power.

So they don't refuse the facts of ability in addition to constraint. Rather, they refuse the thought that these social systems of ability locomote out actors amongst no choice choices. In this honour I would set C&F inwards league amongst the seat taken past times James Scott inwards Domination in addition to the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts. Agents are capable of forming their ain perceptions of the social relations inwards which they detect themselves; in addition to they are capable of acting strategically inwards trying to gain payoff inside those relations.

The terminal human relationship that seems both of import in addition to somewhat invisible inwards the text is to Raymond Boudon, i of the master copy advocates of rational selection theory inwards French sociology. C&T are interested inwards strategic activity on the component division of deliberative agents, in addition to this brings their theorizing into a score of alignment amongst game theory in addition to the locomote of Boudon. This is non to say that they uncritically stimulate got the premises of formal game theory. In fact they offering their ain interpretation of the prisoners' dilemma, amongst a summary determination that it is an fault to expect at actors as socially disconnected individuals lacking ties to each other that would facilitate cooperation. But the wide framework suggests the importance of reasoning well-nigh the choices private actors make, which leads to a score of parallel amongst enlightened versions of rational selection theory.

In short, this is a highly stimulating mass amongst complex relationships to other strands of contemporary French sociology. And its insights however seem of import to a greater extent than than twoscore years afterwards publication.