A Methodological Inquiry of Organizational Noise in Sociotechnical Systems

Abstract

Organizational noise concerns the character and consequences of out-of-the-norm events which occur in organizations. The paper defines organizational noise as the unexpected variety which operators of the technical system have to face. The investigation of organizational noise is of twofold importance. First, it helps the analyst to understand how the work organization really functions. Second, it points out the existence of or the possibilities for implementing alternative organizational forms. New organizational forms may emerge from the organized behavior of members facing fluctuations. Two distinctive work-related phenomena are also investigated: self-regulative behavior which absorbs noise and self-organization, for which noise is exploited as a source of new configurations rather then being eliminated. Finally, some implications for methods of organizational analysis are developed.

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