Critical Organisational Analysis

Assignment Brief

Critical Organisational Analysis

Instructions on Assessment:

Submit a 3000 word structured essay, in which you critically evaluate the practices/behaviours in an organisation of your choice. You will research the organisation to identify practices/behaviours that are problematic and require investigation as well as recommendations to attend to the issues identified. You will write from either the symbolic or contemporary theoretical perspectives, using Organisation Theory from the most relevant theme taught in the module. The perspective needs to be carried through the assignment and present through every section, including the summary table.

The themes that we will cover in the module are: 

• Structure and Agency

• Identity

• Culture

• Organisational Learning, Tacit Knowledge and Knowledge Management

• Aesthetics, Performance and Narrative

• Power and Control

• Gender

Guidance for writing the essay

You are encouraged to structure your essay as follows:

• Introduction to the essay and rationale for the choice of organisation [10%]

• A brief section justifying your choice of theoretical perspective: either the symbolic or the contemporary and how this impacts on your writing approach [15%]

• A summary table indicating the relevance of each of the seven themes to the chosen organisational practices/behaviours [15%]

• A critical literature review on the one theme that you consider to have the greatest importance for that organisation, using either the symbolic or the contemporary theoretical perspective as your context [15%]

• Critical evaluation of the practices/behaviours of the case organisation in relation to the selected theme through critical application of the reviewed theories [25%]

• Conclusions [10%]

• Reference list: Cite no fewer than 5 contemporary academic journal articles that are discussed in the essay. You should also cite additional references from books, textbooks, credible news outlets and professional journals [10%]

Guidance for choice of the organisation

You can select an organisation you are familiar with, e.g. your placement organisation or an organisation you would like to work with. You can alternatively select one of the following organisations:

• OXFAM https://www.oxfam.org.uk/

• British Cycling https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/

• Zara https://www.zara.com/

• Tesla https://www.tesla.com

• Tyneside Cinema https://www.tynesidecinema.co.uk/

• HSBC https://www.hsbc.com.hk/

Sample Answer

Critical Organisational Analysis of Tesla

Introduction

The purpose of this essay is to critically evaluate the organisational practices and behaviours of Tesla, one of the most influential and controversial companies in the global automotive and technology industries. Tesla is widely admired for its innovations in electric vehicles, sustainable energy, and artificial intelligence, but it has also attracted criticism for its management style, treatment of employees, and internal organisational culture. The rationale for selecting Tesla lies in the significant contradictions within its operations. On the one hand, the organisation represents progress and innovation; on the other hand, it faces accusations of aggressive control, problematic labour practices, and a concentration of decision making around one individual, Elon Musk. This tension provides fertile ground for applying organisation theory to better understand how contemporary power dynamics shape corporate behaviour and outcomes.

Theoretical Perspective

This essay adopts a contemporary theoretical perspective to organisational analysis. The contemporary approach emphasises how modern organisations operate in highly complex, globalised, and technologically advanced environments. It moves beyond the structural determinism of traditional theories and the purely interpretive lens of symbolic perspectives. Instead, it highlights the interplay of market forces, technological disruptions, and managerial practices with issues of identity, culture, and power. By choosing the contemporary perspective, the essay can explore Tesla’s organisational behaviours not only as symbolic representations but also as part of broader material conditions in the global economy. This choice influences the writing approach by requiring a critical examination of power relations and their practical implications for organisational control, worker autonomy, and long-term sustainability.

Summary Table of Themes and Relevance

This table demonstrates that all seven themes are relevant to Tesla, but the most significant is power and control. This theme has wide implications for Tesla’s organisational behaviour and is central to the contradictions between its innovative achievements and its internal management controversies.

Critical Literature Review on Power and Control

Power and control remain central concerns in contemporary organisation theory. Foucault’s concept of disciplinary power explains how organisations monitor, normalise, and control employees to maintain productivity. In the contemporary workplace, power is often diffused through surveillance technologies, performance metrics, and managerial practices that create self-discipline among employees. Tesla exemplifies this dynamic, as employees report high levels of surveillance and pressure to conform to strict performance expectations.

Labour process theory further illuminates how management exerts control over workers in capitalist organisations. Braverman’s analysis of deskilling and managerial control in industrial capitalism resonates with critiques of Tesla, where workers in factories have described repetitive tasks, long hours, and limited scope for autonomy. Contemporary developments in labour process theory, however, highlight how advanced technologies such as automation and AI intensify managerial control by standardising tasks and reducing human discretion. Tesla’s heavy reliance on automated production systems reinforces this theoretical perspective.

Continued...