Report

Introduction about the book of R. Richard Ritti & Steven Levy, its main theory and important
points, target audience and application, and critique about the book.

MGT 6681 Organization Development and Change

Instructor: Professor Alan Wright

6/14/2011 TROY UNIVERSITY HO THI NGOC HUYEN 1318958

A. INTRODUCTION The Ropes to Skip and the Ropes to Know consists of a series of short illustrative stories about the operations at a mythical company. All of those stories are based on real-life incidents or composites of incidents in the workplace. The Ropes deals with issues of a kind that are central to life in an organization, issues of how the culture of an organization functions. (Ritti, R. R. (2007). The Ropes to skip and the Ropes to know. 7e. Page V). It exposes those important issues which are usually unspoken but admitted as rules of organization. It also reveals the psychological processes and social mores at work in a company. The Ropes is all about: how people interpret symbols, about ritual events, about how people put meaning into events. It is about socialization and perception, about communication and power. These things do not change as the fundamental concerns of human organization. The authors, R. Richard Ritti and Steve Levy produced a nonacademic look at the world of business, featuring lively writing and epigram. That resulted from their own experiences at companies such as Alcoa, IBM, and Western Electric as well as their students' experiences. The authors aim is to show how and explain why the situations or events commonly occur in the workplace from an organizational behaviorists point of view. Also, the collection of stories is designed to teach organizational theory for students. After the first edition, The Ropes has received many positive feedbacks from readers. Students actually like it. They found that it was interesting and very useful for them to understand the concepts and apply lessons at work. Up to now, it has been the fuel that keeps the authors working hard for eight editions of the book for more than thirty years.
REPORT Page 1

B. MAIN THEORY AND IMPORTANT POINTS Ritti and Levy mainly used organizational behavior theory throughout the stories as a part of his journey of study and work. The authors thesis is that organizations can be viewed in either of two ways: from a technical/rational viewpoint or a cultural/interpretive one. They emphasized on the latter, based on the notion that any business is a closed culture, a society unto itself. They then introduced a cast of individuals who play archetypal roles in a firm, The Company: Stanley, the main character, an universal subordinate, who makes a progress as he learns the ropes; a CEO; a staff manager and a line manager whose characteristics differ from each other; an executive assistant; an administrative assistant; a black professional employee on the way up career ladder; a consultant; and some other characters. There are several noticeable points from Rittis book: 1) SOCIALIZATION AND PERCEPTION This is where social perception comes in, shaping the interpretation of behavior and events within this cultural framework. The writers marked that people as a whole tend to like predictability and have a stronger dislike for what is not so predictable: We like to know what to expect. Another point is that, much of our personal perception is heavily influenced by our environment and limited to our own experiences; therefore it is often thinking-as-usual, Many of our everyday behaviors are routine. Socially, we dress the parts we wish to play because in large part we are what we see. We think, If it is not broke, why fix it.

REPORT

Page 2

2) SOCIALIZATION AND ATTRIBUTION The fact is that: the attribution a persons status influences the way we perceive that individual. Ascribed status often causes us to treat people according to common stereotypes. Generally, success meets with far less criticism than does failure. We can accept status levels of others so long as we see a way to achieve the same status. Likely, people anticipate achievement, they also expect promotion. 3) MOTIVATION and MANAGEMENT Motivation is goal oriented. Thus, managers need to have a strategy in order to achieve managerial goals by motivating employees. The book reveals several art of managing, such as reciprocation (this tool is to make workers feel an obligation to return a favor), consistency (in directing future actions to set expectations), and sense of scarcity (to produce an increased desire). It is also explained the managers importance of consistently rewarding individuals for their performance. Psychological well-being is a driving force for effective behaviors. All in all, motivation and management are related. That is, punishment and reward are complementary and are not substituted. Managers cannot build by punishing. He cannot directly correct undesired elements with rewards. 4) INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION Ritti notices that, communication is crucial. To be an effective communicator, one must master the art of active listening. A large part of effective communication is achieved by focusing on the receiver and truly listening. Importantly, the receiver can understand the communication process and have an appropriate response to questions and

REPORT

Page 3

concerns. In The Ropes, the manager- Ted Shelby understands the effectiveness of communication while many of the other characters lack this skill. 5) POWER Throughout eight sections of the book, our characters reveal their five basic powers: Referent Power, Expert Power, Legitimate Power, Reward Power, Coercive Power.

Eight Political Tactics are used for positive outcomes:

1, Attacking/ Blaming others. 2, Using Information as a political tool. 3, Creating a Favorable Image. 4, Developing a base of support. 5, Praising others ingratiation. 6, Forming power coalitions with strong allies. 7, Associating with Influential People. 8, Creating obligations- reciprocity.

C. TARGET AUDIENCE & APPLICATION: The Ropes can be valuable for students at either an undergraduate or MBA level. According to Steve Levy, for experienced students, there are many aha moments: Now I understand why [such and such happened]. For inexperienced students, the text provides a virtual tour of the corporate environment. It includes many examples of behaviors and decisions that can enhance or impede careers yet to be played out, whose consequences will be real and not virtual. For the whole, the book includes central to life issues in an organization and in a way that its readers can easily analyze, interpret, and understand. Its lessons can be applied to various aspects of work. Through this book, one who is a new-comer in the business world would have a preparation to overcome all challenges and later succeed on career

REPORT

Page 4

ladder. Since its sixth edition, the book has expanded geographically. It was translated into other language and widely used in Europe. D. CRITIQUE Overall, the book is uniquely valuable for helping to bridge the gap between theory and practice. It reflects Rittis thinking about what the organization is alike and immerses readers in the "real-world" workplace as no other text does, and provides just enough theory to make sense of it. The narrative is lively and interesting with collective proverbs as titles, like De gustibus non disputandum est (In matters of taste there is no dispute), Better the Devil you know, Ghosting for Gain, and Haste makes Wates. The readers are lured by the way the writer led the stories. It starts with an explanation for which of its characters have only last names in The Company. The causal tone of voice is inviting and satisfying the readers, drawing them into the sequences of stories. This is a relevant book of reference for studying the OD textbook. It mentions organizational history- MBO (1950s), reengineering (1990s); and the results of downsizing the fact of lean and mean globally competitive environment; motivation, communications programs, leadership and how they influence the organization. Race and sexual orientation diversity implies that it is difficult to attain the leadership positions for females and minorities. The authors view is Equal Employment opportunity regulations are crucial to bringing about changes. Besides, the author agrees that psychological wellness is the driving force for effective employee behavior. In sum, this book substantially contributes to the knowledge and understanding of Organization Development and Change.

REPORT

Page 5