| Author: | Chan, Fung-yi |
| Title: | To understand the dilemma of an administrator in organizational conflicts |
| Degree: | M.A. |
| Year: | 1999 |
| Subject: | Social work administration -- China -- Hong Kong -- Case studies Conflict management -- China -- Hong Kong -- Case studies Organizational behavior -- China -- Hong Kong -- Case studies Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Department of Applied Social Studies |
| Pages: | 164 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | This is a qualitative research on the subjectivity of an administrator to interpret the intense conflicts in his organization. The organization has played a pioneer role in community advocacy since 1970's. The case clearly illustrates the growing antagonism between the frontline workers and the executive committee members which has finally resulted in its dissolution. The focal point in this academic inquiry is to understand how the administrator, occupying a difficult position in-between the conflicting parties in the management structure, experiences the dilemma in the organizational crisis and articulates his value reflection. The dynamic issues of management are discussed in greater depth when the frame of the actor is put into the context of the contemporary Hong Kong society. In this study, life history methodology is used to explore the administrator's subjective accounts for his actions in the social world. Deep interviewing has been conducted with a demonstration of the mutually constructing process of understanding between the researcher and the researched. The organization's documentation and the workers' publications in the 90's are also anlysed to illuminate the rich meaning of the narratives. Developed from Y.Y. Li's optimal state of Harmony (1988), the cultural concept of "Balance" is further employed to examine the administrator's dilemma in three inter-related domains, namely the Individual Level, the Interpersonal Level and the Societal (Natural) Level. The research starts with his "taken-for-granted" assumption of a natural existence of a mutually trusting equilibrium among the members and the representation of a practicable ideal of an organizational "Circle". The interviewing process lively documents his insightful thoughts on the value stand of a community work practitioner, the proactive moves of an organization to counter-balance the overwhelming waves in the new context, and his restoration of a sense of balance in his administrative role. The attempt tries to redefine the explanatory power of "Balance" to understand radical changes and autonomous practice in the framing process. The value choice, with its historical constitution, in face of the polarities of relationship has significant implication on the management of social services. It reveals deeply how the turbulent changes in the environment exert great impact on the social actors and their explanation of the complicated meanings of organizational survival. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b14897052.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 4.88 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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