Which of the following are true regarding functionalism, as brought out in the passage?
1. It is a concept held by people with vested interests.
2. It cannot lead to continuous innovation and learning in
rganization.
3. Deuteron learning and and n-th order changes are not part of this approach.
4. It cannot manage the cognitive and normative differences and preferences as part of the organizational practice.
5. It has a neutral idea of knowledge and rationality.
Which of the following are true regarding functionalism, as brought out in the passage?
1. It is a concept held by people with vested interests.
2. It cannot lead to continuous innovation and learning in
rganization.
3. Deuteron learning and and n-th order changes are not part of this approach.
4. It cannot manage the cognitive and normative differences and preferences as part of the organizational practice.
5. It has a neutral idea of knowledge and rationality.
The correct option is B 2, 3 but not 5
Look at these lines in the second paragraph “Incompatibility or incommensurability are then seen as a grave threat to vested interests”.
1) is too strong. You cannot conclude that functionalism is held by people with vested interests. The author states that incompatibility is a threat to vested interests. The author also states that functionalism does not give a solution to incompatibility.
That does not mean that functionalism is a concept held by people with vested interests.
2) Look at these lines -
“If, however, knowledge management and therefore also management education wish to be able to pride themselves on the fact that they aspire to continuous innovation and learning in organizations, then the management of irreconcilability and pluriformity will be an unavoidable and indispensable prerequisite for its success.”
The author also states that functionalism does not give a solution to incompatibility.
So we can safely conclude that (2) is correct.
3) Look at these lines -
“Such concepts as deuteron learning, n-th order changes, and innovation (instead of improvements) do not fit into the latter approach”.
The latter approach refers to the functional approach.
So (3) is correct.
4) Look at these lines in the first paragraph.
“In order to manage the cognitive and normative differences and preferences as part of organizational practice, knowledge management and thus management education will have to detach themselves from a functionalist management ideology”
The lines state that knowledge management and management education will not be able to manage the cognitive and normative difference if it uses functionalist management ideology.
It does not state that functionalism is not able to manage the difference.The point to be noted is that knowledge management and management education has the role to manage cognitive and normative differences. Functionalism is not able to manage incompatibility.
So (4) is not true w.r.t. to functionalism.
5) Let us have a look at these lines from the first paragraph
“From a functionalist management ideology, and the positivistic idea of knowledge and rationality which is associated with it”
So the author states that there is a positive relation between knowledge and rationality.
So (5) is not true.
So the best answer option would have been “2, 3,not 1,not 4 and not 5”
Only (B) comes closest to the best answer.
Look at these lines in the second paragraph “Incompatibility or incommensurability are then seen as a grave threat to vested interests”.
1) is too strong. You cannot conclude that functionalism is held by people with vested interests. The author states that incompatibility is a threat to vested interests. The author also states that functionalism does not give a solution to incompatibility.
That does not mean that functionalism is a concept held by people with vested interests.
2) Look at these lines -
“If, however, knowledge management and therefore also management education wish to be able to pride themselves on the fact that they aspire to continuous innovation and learning in organizations, then the management of irreconcilability and pluriformity will be an unavoidable and indispensable prerequisite for its success.”
The author also states that functionalism does not give a solution to incompatibility.
So we can safely conclude that (2) is correct.
3) Look at these lines -
“Such concepts as deuteron learning, n-th order changes, and innovation (instead of improvements) do not fit into the latter approach”.
The latter approach refers to the functional approach.
So (3) is correct.
4) Look at these lines in the first paragraph.
“In order to manage the cognitive and normative differences and preferences as part of organizational practice, knowledge management and thus management education will have to detach themselves from a functionalist management ideology”
The lines state that knowledge management and management education will not be able to manage the cognitive and normative difference if it uses functionalist management ideology.
It does not state that functionalism is not able to manage the difference.The point to be noted is that knowledge management and management education has the role to manage cognitive and normative differences. Functionalism is not able to manage incompatibility.
So (4) is not true w.r.t. to functionalism.
5) Let us have a look at these lines from the first paragraph
“From a functionalist management ideology, and the positivistic idea of knowledge and rationality which is associated with it”
So the author states that there is a positive relation between knowledge and rationality.
So (5) is not true.
So the best answer option would have been “2, 3,not 1,not 4 and not 5”
Only (B) comes closest to the best answer.
