Enactment
Enactment describes the process by which a certain reality is socially constructed. Structures and incidents thatmake upan organization are only created through action.
Societies and organizations are in a constant process of regenerating themselves through communication . For Niklas Luhmann , every form of sociality (including society and organization) is explained with the term emergence and a special elaboration of the term communication . A society or an organization therefore only exists as long as communication continues.
This communication takes place through writing, speaking or being silent, in short: through the action (and non-action) of the actors involved. A society or an organization is formed as the current result of interlocking individual constructions of the actors involved in action and non-action. According to Eisenberg (1986), this form arises in two ways, on the one hand through action cycles ( interaction ) and on the other hand through the establishment of rules. A consultant describes this more drastically, but more understandably: Enactment emphasizes that "managers" construct, rearrange, separate and demolish many features of their objective environment. Enactment makes the environment, the culture, the strategy or the organization appear. After creation, there is hardly any difference between reality and creation. In the original:
" Enactment emphasizes that" managers "construct, rearrange, single out and demolish many objective features of their surroundings. Enactment makes the environment, the culture, the strategy, or the organization appear. After the creation, there is little difference between the reality and the creation (Weick, 1979). "
This description indicates that the environment of an organization, a culture or a strategy differs from the process of environment, organization and strategy generation in that they are also generated by the activities in the process. Every actor who takes an action or non-action that relates to the organization has a different influence on what is understood by this organization and how it is experienced.
Wikipedia is created through the activities of many volunteers who have often never met, neither know nor know each other. Nevertheless, Wikipedia has a form that can be described because the actions of many create a writable form that lasts as long as the actions continue (writing, changing, deleting, etc.) articles.
After the American organization psychologist Karl E. Weick has the "prescribed" ( enacted are) environmental interpreted after their generation. In order to arrive at an interpretation, however, the meaning of the situation must first be determined. Enactment precedes sensemaking . The determined meaning can then be interpreted .
Thought story
Enactment was described by William Isaac Thomas as early as 1928, without using the term .
“ When people define situations as real, their consequences are real.
If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences "
This statement, known as Thomas' theorem, describes the basic sociological law that human actions are real, even if their reasons may be wrong. Thomas does not go into the effect of this action.
Representation through examples
The “creation of reality through action” can be illustrated using the example of a pantomime . His actions suggest invisible objects. The pantomime makes this clear through his actions by behaving as if the object were present. He will lean on the apparent object, walk around it, etc. An observer does not see an object, but derives existence from the behavior of the pantomime. One could also say that the object exists as long as the mime behaves as if the object were real.
Social realities contain many such invisible "objects". In contrast to the mimes acting alone, the realities here are created by the collective “pretend-pretend”. Reality in this sense is not something that takes place outside of the self , but rather the active construction of the "outside". As this constructed reality coincides with the constructed reality of other people, the society or organization arises through action. The Queen of England rarely wears a crown. Nevertheless, she is treated with the respect that the respective counterpart deems appropriate. A traveler who does not know her would probably adapt his behavior to the behavior of others whom he observes when dealing with her. In their behavior these people create the reality "Queen of England".
literature
- Karl E. Weick: The process of organizing. (= Paperback science. 1194). Suhrkamp, 2007, ISBN 978-3-518-28794-1 .
Individual evidence
- ^ J. Helms Mills, AJ Mills: Sensemaking and the Gendering of Organizational Culture. In: David Wicks (Ed.): Proceedings of the Women in Management Division of the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada, Annual Conference. July 2000, pp. 12-21.
- ↑ a b Enactment Theory , accessed October 10, 2012
- ^ Niklas Luhmann: The society of society. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt 1997, ISBN 3-518-28960-8 .
- ↑ a b Gina Hinrichs Enactment: Sensemaking and Social Agreement: An interpretive model of implementing High Performance Work Systems. Submitted to the Midwest Academy of Management Meetings, 2002; OD division.
- ^ A b c Karl E. Weick: The process of organizing. (= Paperback science. 1194). Suhrkamp, 2007, ISBN 978-3-518-28794-1 .
- ^ William Isaac Thomas: The Methodology of Behavior Study. Chapter 13 In: The Child in America: Behavior Problems and Programs. Alfred A. Knopf, New York 1928, pp. 553-576. (on-line)