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Reinforcing organizational defensive routines: An unintended human resources activity
Author(s) -
Argyris Chris
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
human resource management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.888
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-050X
pISSN - 0090-4848
DOI - 10.1002/hrm.3930250405
Subject(s) - compensation (psychology) , unintended consequences , human resources , order (exchange) , knowledge management , business , organizational behavior and human resources , organization development , human resource management , organizational change , public relations , psychology , process management , management , computer science , political science , social psychology , economics , finance , law
Although human resources professionals are against the proliferation of defensive routines, they often design programs that reinforce them. This paper examines one organization in depth in order to illustrate how its human resources professionals acted in ways that unintentionally reinforced the very defensive routines that they were trying to reduce. Organizational defensive routines organized into self‐reinforcing loops can result in lack of effective line leadership and increasing difficulty for management development, organizational development, education, organizational diagnosis, and compensation to achieve their objectives.