Prof.

Dr Bashir Ahmad
Depatment of Management Sciences

Philosophies of Administrative Sciences

Week-10
Postmodernism and System Theory

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 Discussion Scope
1. What is postmodernism and what is its historical
perspective?

2. How do postmodernists view system theory? Can we

actually create postmodern theory of organizations?

3. What latent ideologies and postmodern theories wish

to uncover? What are conflicts between critical and
postmodern approaches?

4. Will postmodern approaches improve the theory of

organization or are they simply destructive?

5. Discussion on assignment-4.
 Discussion
Modernism:

1. Term used to indicate time period of 100 years up to

and slightly over World War-II.

2. It related to basically literature, poetry and music.

3. People preferred to develop bigger cities, move to

urban areas, cafes, restaurants, theatres and other

such places, conventions at larger levels.

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 Discussion
Industrialization:

1. Started in 1760 1840.

2. It employed enhanced use of water power, steam power

and machine tools more and more mechanization.

3. Revolution took place progressively in late 19th century.

4. Followed by colonization, spreading culture.

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 Discussion
Pre-modern Era:

1. 1840 1880.

2. Expanding business and colonization.

3. Spreading of market.

4. Effects on ethics, morals, literature and poetry.

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 Discussion
Modern Era:

1. 1880 1980.

2. Expanding business and competitions.

3. Spreading of market.

4. World faced two catastrophic wars.

5. UN created, world divided into two blocks

6. Decolonization and creation of independent states

based on religion and cultures

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 Discussion
Postmodernism:

1. Divergence of two blocks created rifts on the basis of

economics, geography and culture.

2. Bipolarity went into indirect clashes, exhausted

economies and culminated into unipolar world.

3. USA as sole dominating factor with new world order.

4. Affected philosophy, literature, ethics and cultures.

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 Discussion
Where Are We Now?:

1. 1990, postmodernism has gone out of fashion.

2. 1995, post postmodernism, urbanization.

3. Postmodernity by Russian scholars.

4. 2000, Eric Gans, post millennialism.

5. 2006, Pseudo-modernism by Alan Kirby, based his

argument on use of internet.

6. 2010, meta-modernism, Timotheus.

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 Discussion

Does time reverts or moves ahead in terms of

developments?

(an open ended and individual perception based

question for thinking / brainstorming, there is no
fixed solution for it)

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 Discussion

Connecting postmodernism with system theory.

Discussion on assignments.

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 Discussion

Student Led Discussions:

1. How are we related to time and how it works?
2. What is the future of work and organizations?
3. How personal egos and politics work in organizations?
4. What is the future of HRM?
5. How human beings look at ethics and morality in the
business of today and times to come?
6. Advertisements: Ethical Views and Business.

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