Week 4 - Blog 3

Ch. 8 Teams and Networks: Collaboration in the Workplace – Blog 3

I was really intrigued by Stohl and Cheney’s explanation of pragmatic paradoxes on p. 231. In previous chapters, inclusivity amongst employees is significantly stressed. I found myself agreeing with the notion that all members of an organization should be involved in decision making processes, and I assumed all members would be eager to participate. I didn’t consider the “pragmatic paradox” which suggests that organizational members may view this inclusive approach negatively, looking at it as more of a burden than an opportunity. I think this concept is very important for managers and team leaders to grasp. It will help them to communicate the importance of collective decision making, but also be mindful of other members’ time and priorities at work and at home.

On p. 235, our text describes our modern team-based organizational structure as being one where “every employee is seen as possessing valuable knowledge that must be widely shared for the benefit of the whole.” An organization that truly values each individual will be better able to entice people to voluntarily join teams and thus limit the existence of the pragmatic paradox.