Information Systems
Application of the Information Systems Theory
by
Miranda Valentine


Weick believes that a variation comes through mutation. Having studied biological sciences in the past, I'll agree. Weick also believes that an organization's nature changes when one alters their behavior. Weick's three-stage process (A First Look At Communication Theory, p. 266-270) of social-cultural evolution can be applied to an incident involving Pete Rose and the baseball organization. A portion of this application will be hypothetical due to the fact that he has not yet been admitted into the Hall of Fame to date, but many speculate that he will be granted admission.


Enactment: Enactment is the first stage of the process and this stage deals with acting. Throughout your life, you have probably been told to think and then act. Weick believes that you should act before you think; he believes that your chances of failure are increased with inactivity.
Here is an example:
In 1989, Pete Rose was accused of betting on various sports and his own baseball team, the Cincinnati Reds. He was placed on the ineligible list by Commissioner of Baseball A. Bartlett Giamatti, and accepted his banishment without admitting that he bet on baseball. The Major League Baseball (MLB) club banished Rose without taking past players who have committed crimes such as this into consideration. Players like: Ty Cobb, very unlikable man; Babe Ruth, a womanizer and drinker; Cap Anson, a racist; and Leo Durocher, a gambler. Now it is time for the club to consider the meaning of the policies and rules MLB has set up for cases like this.


Selection: Selection is the process of asking yourself questions to better clarify the reasons for the actions that were taken. Selection, also known as retrospective sensemaking, allows an organizer to answer basic questions of meaning.
Here is an example:
Rose will be eligible for the Hall of Fame if he gets off the ineligible list. No other player in the history of baseball has been able to get off the list, but he can petition the Baseball's power holders to be removed. During the selection step, the MLB will have to determine whether or not the standing policies should apply to Rose or not. Rule 5 (Cosmic Baseball Association) of the Hall of Fame states: "Voting shall be upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the teams(s) on which the player played." Has Rose displayed the type of character that should be represented in the Hall of Fame? The MLB will only be able to come to the decision by taking an active step in the selection process to determine if he is eligible when considering the requirements of Rule 5 or should be let in solely on his playing performance. It's apparent that MLB has waived the "character and integrity" part of Rule 5 due to the fact that other greats that were mentioned above were allowed in. MLB will be forced to decide whether or not the actions that were taken were justified, only by finding meaning in the actions that were taken by Rose. It is evident that Rose has a gambling problem, but should he be punished for them even though he was an exceptional ballplayer? MLB will be the ones answering this question after they complete the selection step of the process. Now that MLB has completed the selection step, they will move on to the retention step.


Retention: Retention is where people determine which definitions of the information will be stored for future use. The retention process has several additional levels that vary depending on the amount of double interacts involved.
Here is an example:
This portion of the example will be hypothetical, and will be from the standpoint that Rose has been granted admission into the Hall of Fame. The fact of the matter still remains, Rose gambled. It is still to be determined whether or not he bet on his own team. The MLB association granted Rose permission into the Hall of Fame. The rules and policies have been bent or broken to let another in, so it is up to each individual to decide for themselves how they find meaning in the actions. The system will remember the controversy as an ordeal that tested Rule 5 and the baseball association as a whole. Retention is in the eye of the beholder, after the decision to allow Rose to be in the Hall of Fame by the club it is up to each individual to complete the three-step process to determine how (s)he will retain the information.


Weick encourages individuals and organizations to argue, challenge, and contradict what you think you already know. He likes to look at companies and organizations as recipes. The recipes "suggest that each course will turn out if you follow the rules." This application is an example of an organization that has not followed the rules, and Weick could possibly consider this as unsuccessful because they relied on the past circumstances to determine the outcome of the situation. On the other hand, he might consider it a success because they did not follow the rules.




A COUPLE OF LINKS


COSMIC BASEBALL ASSOCIATION- The Pete Rose Controversy This link gives a detailed description of the controversy, Rule 5, and Pete Rose's playing statistics.

click to return to Laura's page

Check out the Uncertainty Reduction Theory that is closely related to the Information Systems Approach to Organizations. The link will lead you to an application of the Uncertainty Reduction Theory written by Kathryn Taddeo.



Citations


Griffin, EM. (1997). A First Look At Communication Theory New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Cosmic Baseball Association. "The Pete Rose Hall-of-Fame Controversy." JOURNAL of the COSMIC BASEBALL ASSOCIATION vol 16 (1999). 10 March 2000.

Last updated on 3-11-00 by Miranda Valentine