Theory and Practice

The Introduction chapter of the textbook distinguishes between theory and practice, adding an insightful quote that there's nothing as practical as a good theory. Theory is then explained as being a generalization of known facts. Towards the end of the discussions on theory and practice, the textbook challenges us, "How do you define theory?" I will try to answer this question in this blog.

The philosopher Karl Popper proposed that a scientific theory was a well-tested Hypothesis that has withstood all attempts at falsification. I believe this idea can also be used in the business and organizational context. The cornerstone of a good theory is not only the generalization of facts, but also the absence of a factual counter-example that disproves it.

Hence the definition of (a good) theory would be:"An ideal theory consists of a Generalized Hypothesis or set of Hypotheses that captures the essential nature of an aspect of the universe, which does not suffer from any significant counter-examples."

What are "Organization" and "Communication"?

The textbook gives the definition of organization in terms of communication. An organization is not merely the brick-and-mortar entity that goes by the name of the organization. For example, the San Jose State University is not merely the set of buildings located in San Jose near One Washington Avenue, but it's essence is that of messages, teaching, learning and other activities that give it the "life-breath" of an organization.

The textbook doesn't quite provide us with a precise definition of "Communication" though. The section "What Is Communication" discusses messages and information, and does point out that they are merely accessories to the communication process, but the definition of communication is lacking.

One definition of "Communication" what I've come across is that "Communication is a transactional process to arive at SHARED MEANING".

Kartik's First Blog

This is my first Blog! Thanks for reading!

:-)