[23], Wanda Orlikowski applied the duality of structure to technology: "The duality of technology identifies prior views of technology as either objective force or as socially constructed productas a false dichotomy. The duality of structure emphasizes that they are different sides to the same central question of how social order is created. Giddens, A. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. To be human is to be an agent (not all agents are human). Anthony Giddens' theory of structuration is a theory of social action, which claims that society should be understood in terms of action and structure; a duality rather than two separate entities. Structuration proposes that structures (i.e., norms, rules, roles) interaction with agency (i.e., free will) to reproduce in groups, teams, and organizations. Falkheimer, J. "It can be understood as the fitful yet routinized occurrence of encounters, fading away in time and space, yet constantly reconstituted within different areas of time-space. Structuration thus recognizes a social cycle. "[24]:13 She compared this to previous models (the technological imperative, strategic choice, and technology as a trigger) and considered the importance of meaning, power, norms, and interpretive flexibility. Hitherto, social structures or models were either taken to be beyond the realm of human controlthe positivistic approachor posit that action creates themthe interpretivist approach. Giddens wrote that structuration theory "establishes the internal logical coherence of concepts within a theoretical network. Falkheimer, J. "[15]:28 In this orientation, dualism shows the distance between agents and structures. (2002). Giddens, A. "[1] Giddens divides memory traces (structures-within-knowledgeability[2]) into three types: When an agent uses these structures for social interactions, they are called modalities and present themselves in the forms of facility (domination), interpretive scheme/communication (signification) and norms/sanctions (legitimation). Examples of abstraction. [16] Equally, Robert Archer developed and applied analytical dualism in his critical analysis of the impact of New Managerialism on education policy in England and Wales during the 1990s[17] and organization theory.[18]. Cambridge: Polity Press. ), Public relations and social theory: Key figures and concepts (pp.103-119). Earlier version at the URIhttp://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/2300. (1989). The theory ofstructurationis asocial theory of the creation and reproduction of social systems that is based in the analysis of both social structures and agency, without giving primacy to either. The structuration of group decisions.
(PDF) Applying Adaptive Structuration Theory to the - ResearchGate Thus, even the smallest social actions contribute to the alteration or reproduction of social systems. It was inspired by Anthony Gidden's concept of structuration. "[19]:165. Physical presence: Are other actors physically nearby. I. 7.CRITICISM John B. Thompson (said that Structuration theory needed to be more specific and more consistent both internally and with conventional social structure theory. These properties make it possible for similar social practices to exist across time and space and that lend them "systemic" form. Sewell, Jr., W. H. (1992). Structure enters simultaneously into the constitution of the agent and social practices, and 'exists' in the generating moments of this constitution. Thus, Giddens conceives of the duality of structure as being: the essential recursiveness of social life, as constituted in social practices: structure is both medium and outcome of reproduction of practices. "[31]:103 Falkheimer portrayed PR as a method of communication and action whereby social systems emerge and reproduce. (2000). He argued that Giddens' concept of rule was too broad. Conceptualising constraint: Mouzelis, Archer, and the concept of social structure. Sociology, 613(4), pp.613-635. In particular, they chose Giddens notion of modalities to consider how technology is used with respect to its spirit. Explain thoroughly using real-life instances. Social stability and order is not permanent; agents always possess a dialectic of control (discussed below) which allows them to break away from normative actions. Researchers must empirically demonstrate the recursivity of action and structure, examine how structures stabilize and change over time due to group communication, and may want to integrate argumentation research. First, with respect to sub-fields in communication, structuration theory will remain an attractive perspective for those working in organizational, small group, and mass communication because of its broad and inclusive position on structure, and its detailed explanations relating individual action to collective structure. (1981). Stage 3. Kaspersen, L. B.
The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare - Western Michigan University The article examines the relationship between CEOs behavior and a companys cross-border acquisition. Thompson theorized that these traits were not rules in the sense that a manager could draw upon a "rule" to fire a tardy employee; rather, they were elements which "limit the kinds of rules which are possible and which thereby delimit the scope for institutional variation. Discursive consciousness is the ability to verbally express knowledge. In D. Held & J. There are now many forms of structural realism and an extensive literature about them. B. Thompson (Eds.). How we were raised and what we were raised to believe affect how we . With its conceptual- Monitoring is an essential characteristic of agency. Realist social theory: The morphogenetic approach. The theory of structuration is a social theory of the creation and reproduction of social systems that is based on the analysis of both structure and agents (see structure and agency), without giving primacy to either. There are two distinct theories to choose from here: the Path-Goal Theory and the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory. Giddens, A.
Appropriationsare the immediate, visible actions that reveal deeper structuration processes and are enacted with moves. Giddens divides these reproducing mental modelsinto three types: When an agent uses structures for social interactions, they are calledmodalities. Structuration Theory by Cameron W. Piercy, Ph.D. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Stage 4: The social group develops a negative view of the behavior. Kaspersen (2000) explained Giddens conceptualization of monitoring as what occurs as a result of routinized activity. The author concludes in the relationship between the audience and the TV shows producers, audiences behavior has higher-order patterns. . Many theorists supported Thompson's argument that an analysis "based on structuration's ontology of structures as norms, interpretative schemes and power resources radically limits itself if it does not frame and locate itself within a more broadly conceived notion of social structures. Through action, agents produce structures; through reflexive monitoring and rationalization, they transform them. Furthermore, in structuration theory, neither micro - nor macro-focused analysis alone is sufficient. However, structure and agency are mutually influential. Desanctis, G. & Poole, M. S. (1994). "[19]:160 It is necessary to outline the broader social system to be able to analyze agents, actors, and rules within that system. New directions for functional, symbolic convergence, structuration, and bona fide group perspectives of group communication. Sewell (1992) argues Societies are based on practices that derived from many distinct structures, which exist at different levels, operate in different modalities, and are themselves based on widely varying types and quantities of resources. "Frames" are "clusters of rules which help to constitute and regulate activities, defining them as activities of a certain sort and as subject to a given range of sanctions. Structures are the rules and resources embedded in agents mental models. Alongside practical and discursive consciousness, Giddens recognizes actors as having reflexive, contextual knowledge, and that habitual, widespread use of knowledgeability makes structures become institutionalized. Social systems have patterns of social relation that change over time; the changing nature of space and time determines the interaction of social relations and therefore structure. In C.G.A. The concept of abstraction is key to making computers work. He wrote that "Societies are based on practices that derived from many distinct structures, which exist at different levels, operate in different modalities, and are themselves based on widely varying types and quantities of resources. This theory was adapted and augmented by researchers interested in the relationship betweentechnologyand social structures, such asinformation technology in organizations. (1992). Structuration theory seeks to overcome what it sees as the failings of earlier social theory, avoiding both its 'objectivist' and 'subjectivist' extremes by forging new terminology to describe how people both create and are created by social reproduction and transformation. In L.R. This paper introduces some of the central characteristics of structuration theory, presenting a conceptual framework that helps to explore how people . 2. Understandings of Technology in Community-Based Organisations: A Structurational Analysis. In C.G.A. To address this, the sparse empirical literature suggests the use of lively in-class experiences and worked examples as alternatives to traditional teaching methods. Healy, K. (1998). [25] While Orlikowski's work focused on corporations, it is equally applicable to the technology cultures that have emerged in smaller community-based organizations, and can be adapted through the gender sensitivity lens in approaches to technology governance.[26]. These structural features of the language are the medium whereby I generate the utterance. All humans engage in this process, and expect the same from others. Unlike the philosophy of action and other forms of interpretative sociology, structuration focuses on structure rather than production exclusively. B. Thompson (Eds. During conditioning - CS (bell) and UCS (food) are paired. Social Learning Theory Examples. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Thus her analysis considered embedded "structural conditions, emergent causal powers and properties, social interactions between agents, and subsequent structural changes or reproductions arising from the latter. Imagine that in a high school chemistry class, the teacher asks her students for the best way to define water. Knowledgeability refers to what agents know about what they do, and why they do it. "Appropriations" are the immediate, visible actions that reveal deeper structuration processes and are enacted with "moves". Agents may modify schemas even though their use does not predictably accumulate resources.
An overview of structuration theory and its usefulness for nursing But in producing a syntactically correct utterance I simultaneously contribute to the reproduction of the language as a whole. 17. The structure versus agency debate may be understood as an issue of . Structural-Functional Approach and Theory. "[2]:26, Trust and tact are essential for the existence of a "basic security system, the sustaining (in praxis) of a sense of ontological security, and [thus] the routine nature of social reproduction which agents skilfully organize. Routine interactions become institutionalized features of social systems via tradition, custom and/or habit, but this is no easy societal task and it is a major error to suppose that these phenomena need no explanation. [29], Falkheimer claimed that integrating structuration theory into public relations (PR) strategies could result in a less agency-driven business, return theoretical focus to the role of power structures in PR, and reject massive PR campaigns in favor of a more "holistic understanding of how PR may be used in local contexts both as a reproductive and [transformational] social instrument. (2009). Thus, he distinguishes between overall "structures-within-knowledgeability" and the more limited and task-specific "modalities" on which these agents subsequently draw when they interact. CMC. Through action, agents produce structures; through reflexive monitoring and rationalization, they transform them. 3. Agents call upon their mental models on which they are knowledgeable to perform social actions. According to Giddens (1984),reflexivity is comprised discursive consciousness (i.e., that which is said) and practical consciousness (i.e., the activity, or what is done).
Adaptive Structuration Theory - University of Kentucky Psychology and the Social Construction of Reality ISBN9780415464338. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Structuration theory - Wikipedia Structures are the "rules and resources" embedded in agents' memory traces. Structure refers generally to rules and resources and more specifically to the structuring properties allowing the binding of time-space in social systems. McLennan, G. (1997/2000/2001).
Structuralism vs Functionalism in Psychology - Study.com "If, in so doing, the institutions continue to satisfy certain structural conditions, both in the sense of conditions which delimit the scope for institutional variation and the conditions which underlie the operation of structural differentiation, then the agents may be said to reproduce social structure. When I utter a sentence I draw upon various syntactical rules (sedimented in my practical consciousness of the language) in order to do so. Structuration theory takes the position that social action cannot be fully explained by the structure or agency theories alone. [2] Though the theory has received much criticism, it remains a pillar of contemporary sociological theory.[3]. Capturing the complexity in advanced technology use: adaptive structuration theory. There is a distinction between Path-Goal Theory and Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory. Zanin, A. C., & Piercy, C. W. (2019). (see. Using technology and constituting structures: a practice lens for studying technology in organizations. The relation between moment and totality for social theory [involves] a dialectic of presence and absence which ties the most minor or trivial forms of social action to structural properties of the overall society, and to the coalescence of institutions over long stretches of historical time. ), New directions in group communication(pp.3-25). "[22]:17. After analyzing four countries framework, Oliver and his research team concluded All our case studies show a number of competing information sources from traditional media and official websites to various social media platforms used by both the government and the general public that complicate the information landscape in which we all try to navigate what we know, and what we do not yet know, about the pandemic., In the research of interpreting how remote work environment change during COVID-19 in South Africa, Walter (2020)[33] applied structuration theory because it addresses the relationship between actors (or persons) and social structures and how these social structures ultimately realign and conform to the actions of actors Plus, these social structures from Giddens's structuration theory assist people to navigate through everyday life., Zvokuomba (2021)[34] also used Giddens' theory of structuration to reflect at the various levels of fragilities within the context of COVID-19 lockdown measures. One example in the research is that theory of structuration and agency point to situations when individuals and groups of people either in compliance or defiance of community norms and rules of survival adopt certain practices. And during pandemic, researched pointed out reverting to the traditional midwifery became a pragmatic approach to a problem. One example to support this point is that As medical centers were partly closed, with no basic medication and health staff, the only alternative was seek traditional medical services. (1986). In M. Warkentin (Ed. She contributed an article on Structuration Theory to SAGE Publications'. [1]:24. I take it to be one of the main features of structuration theory that the extension and 'closure' of societies across space and time is regarded as problematic. which guide behavior in a given situation, The ability of agents to intervene in the world or to refrain from such intervention, with the effect of influencing a specific process or state of affairs, agents' ability to monitor their actions and those actions' settings and contexts, the ability to verbally express knowledge, The factors that can enable or constrain an agent, as well as how an agent uses structures, learned dispositions, skills and ways of acting, Mental models which can applied to a wide and not fully predictable range of cases outside the context in which they were initially learned. However, actions are constrained by agents' inherent capabilities and their understandings of available actions and external limitations. ), "The Structuration of Community-Based Mental Health Care: A Duality Analysis of a Volunteer Group's Local Agency", "Contextualising rural entrepreneurship A strong structuration perspective on gendered-local agency", "The Place of Culture in Organization Theory: Introducing the Morphogenetic Approach", "Organizational Theory, Organizational Communication, Organizational Knowledge, and Problematic Integration", "Societal Information Cultures: Insights from the COVID-19 Pandemic", "The changing work landscape as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic: insights from remote workers life situations in South Africa", "Surviving on the margins: Volunteers' agency to survive poverty and vulnerability in Zimbabwe", "Toward an Integrative Theoretical Perspective on Organizational Membership Negotiations: Socialization, Assimilation, and the Duality of Structure", "Internationalization process, impact of slack resources, and role of the CEO: The duality of structure and agency in evolution of cross-border acquisition decisions", "The Duality of Structure in China's National Television Market: A Network Analysis of Audience Behavior", Anthony Giddens: The theory of structuration - Theory.org.uk, Relationship between religion and science, Fourth Great Debate in international relations, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Structuration_theory&oldid=1138703738, Short description is different from Wikidata, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from May 2012, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from May 2012, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2012, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0.