Assessment One


Familiarize yourself with the developing situation in Iran. It's crucial to have an understanding of the impetus of the protests, the questionable election results. This link is a good place to start along with the associated links on the right of the web page.

Once you have a general understanding, review the approaches we've discussed in class and in the text that deal with organizational analysis, including the Human Relations Movement, and the Systems, Cultural and Critical Approaches.

In a discussion format, apply what you understand from these theories to an analysis of the events in Iran; the protests, the mobilization of the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian State's handling of the civil unrest and the involvement of the religious clerics, namely the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Please make these specific applications:
  1. In terms of the hierarchy of needs in a social context, how would Maslow describe the protest of the election results? What does a victory for Ahmadinejad mean for the people in terms of these needs?
  2. The Systems approach holds that an organization is a complex organism that must interact with its environment in order to survive. What do you think is inherent to preserving Iran's progress?
  3. The mean age of Iranian citizens is 33 years. It's been thirty years (a generation) since the country's previous revolution in which we've seen an evolution and western influence of beliefs, attitudes and values. As the supreme leader of Iran appeals to his religious followers, what's at stake for Iran's young population, particularly its women? (Cultural approach)
  4. In terms of power in the Critical approach, how does the existing Iranian Government control its constituent's perception of reality?
In addition to using your text, notes, and this website, I'm encouraging you to discuss this with your classmates. Use the class time Thursday to meet and talk this through.

Then after careful consideration of opinions and standpoints, along with your research, write your responses to the four items above. Email your assessment responses to me no later than midnight, Monday, June 29 using my imnost62@mac.com address. Label your email "OrgComm Assessment 1" in the subject line.