Definitions
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Agency
All definitions
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"Agency" is a good example of a term that is encountered often within the organizational psychology literature but rarely defined with a referenced citation. From its context, the term can be inferred to describe some sort of intent that the individual exercises in pursuit of outcomes that are important to that individual.
Davey (2003) places "agency" in the context of whether individuals can actually exercise some control over their own jobs. She extends that idea to whether those individuals, through their agency, can actually change organizations as opposed to being changed "by" organizations. Citation The best we can do for a concise and appropriate definition is to use a description that is derived from Jenkins (1997) citing Chein (1972). Jenkins (1997) presents agency as "the person's ability" (Jenkins, 1997, p. 4) to " 'inject [himself or herself] into the casual process of the world' (Chein, 1972, p. 6)." This description can be augmented with the agent as a person "who seeks to shape his environment rather than passively permit himself to be shaped by" it (Chein, 1972). A relevant aside: The difficulty and time (approximately 90 minutes) invested in locating and presenting this definition provides an excellent illustration of the impractically of organizational psychology as the implied science that it is intended to be. See the slideshow: "The Academic-Practitioner Divide." References Chein, I. (1972). The science of behavior and the image of man. New York: Basic Books. Davey, K. (2003). Organizational change. Birkbeck University of London. Jenkins, A. (1997). Free will and psychotherapy: The enhancement of agency. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 17: 1-12. Read a practice exam essay in response to the question:
"Employees are not just passive recipients of organisational policy but have an active, if limited, role in shaping it: Discuss the processes through which individuals and groups might try to exert influence on change in organizations." Exam essay practice answer |
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