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Communication In Norma Rae At The Textile Mill

Decent Essays

“The use of machines has radically transformed the nature of productive activity and has left its mark on the imagination, thoughts, and feelings of humans throughout the ages.” An organization as a machine is the first theoretical metaphor that believes that organizations operate as fully functioning machines. According to Morgan, an organization taking the mechanistic approach would be clearly defined as “…a pattern of precisely defined jobs organized in a hierarchical manner through precisely defined lines of command or communication.” Essentially, the mechanistic approach is all about maximizing efficiency and maintaining control. The concept that organizations can run like machines is one that is most easily identified with the factory work that is shown in Norma Rae. This metaphor describes communication in organizations as having three factors: instrumentality, hierarchy, and codification. While codification isn’t really shown, instrumentality and hierarchy are eminent throughout the film at the OP Henley textile mill. In Norma Rae, instrumentality and hierarchy work hand in hand. At the textile mill, there is a hierarchical line of communication …show more content…

Unfortunately, the only reason she was promoted was “to shut her up” due to the fact that Norma Rae is the only one asking for more smoking time and longer breaks. The top management there doesn’t want a subordinate worker that is constantly voicing opinions and making herself be heard by others. They don’t want the other workers to get any sort of ideas from Norma Rae. Therefore, in exchange for compliance from her, top management decides to promote her to cut off communication between her and the other workers. Even before she accepted the promotion, she knew that the position wouldn’t make her any friends. But because she accepted it, Norma had become part of the

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