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From “Seyyids” to “Corporate Board Members”: Bureaucratizing “Fast Forward” under the Impact of Globalization

Kirazci, Deniz M.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1269969313

Abstract Details

2010, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Organizational Behavior.
The transformation from kinship to rational-legal bureaucracy as the organizational basis of economic enterprise is a major historical change that happens across social groups and across time. How does rational authority acquire meaning at the organizational level? How do the actors engaged in the process make sense of the transformation? The present study is a cultural case analysis of how a small, traditional firm managed to transform itself into a four billion dollar global bureaucracy from 1997 to 2007: an extreme case of fast forward transition under the impact of globalization. Following Weber, the organization’s growth is construed as a process of bureaucratizing, revolving around a shift from traditional to rational legal constructs as the basis of legitimate authority. While technological forces are acknowledged, the focus is on bureaucratizing as a social construction, built with inputs from multiple cultures which are themselves comprised of heterogeneous, fragmented, and often contradictory sets of ideas and practices. The research was conducted using a case study methodology. Data sources included the observations of the researcher, both structured and informal interviews with the leaders and other powerful members, and company documents such as executive committee minutes and decisions. A major conclusion is that organizations managed by traditional cultures have advantages and disadvantages when seeking to modernize. Kinship structure allows for rapid and efficient coordination among in-group members. However, in-group traditions and particularistic ties among those members make it difficult for them to legitimize influence from professional strangers when it is not couched in traditional terms, even when such influence is critical for success. Thus the challenge of going modern for these organizations is the challenge of mutual adaptation among traditional and modern actors. The study shows how innovative use of cultural repertoires reinforces the success of the adaptation process and the generation of organizational capacity for sustainable growth.
Eric Neilsen, PhD (Committee Chair)
David Kolb, PhD (Committee Member)
Ronald Fry, PhD (Committee Member)
Argun Saatcioglu, PhD (Committee Member)
234 p.
Organizational Behavior
Traditional authority; rational authority; bureaucratization; cultural change; cultural repertoire; continuity and change; myths

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kirazci, D. M. (2010). From “Seyyids” to “Corporate Board Members”: Bureaucratizing “Fast Forward” under the Impact of Globalization [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1269969313

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kirazci, Deniz. From “Seyyids” to “Corporate Board Members”: Bureaucratizing “Fast Forward” under the Impact of Globalization. 2010. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1269969313.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kirazci, Deniz. "From “Seyyids” to “Corporate Board Members”: Bureaucratizing “Fast Forward” under the Impact of Globalization." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1269969313

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1269969313
593
© 2010, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.