The perception of human life as a series of experiences as follows from the sociological model proposed by Alfred Schutz implies the division into “subjective” and “objective” modes of their interpretation. Thus, the former is presented by social action contrasted by the world as the environment in which this action happens (Segre, 2014). From this perspective, the concept of objectivity is a valid understanding of the surroundings and events. In fact, objective is the reality for all people, both for ourselves and others, and it cannot be changed with the efforts of a single actor.
In turn, subjective is diametrically opposed to this notion, and the sense shifts depending on a person’s experience. It is also referred to as intentional acts of consciousness, which imply the understanding of action and, therefore, its meaning for a subject (Segre, 2014). In this way, it is a reflection of one’s actions and the underpinning of decisions made for one’s alleged benefit. However, the subjective can be inadequate if a person’s knowledge about the world is incomplete or, even worse, entirely wrong. In this case, the orientation on previous experience and intuition might lead to failure.
The manifestation of these two concepts can be explicitly seen in the present-day business world. Thus, the survival of numerous enterprises is conditional upon their leaders’ ability to make the correct decisions in the case of a change in the environment. However, their intention to receive as much profit and other benefits as possible oftentimes misleads them. For example, people who faced a shift in demand on the goods their company produced and decided to reorientate the efforts towards solutions which were profitable in the past are likely to fail. In this way, personal experience and corresponding expectations are subjective, whereas objectivity is in the world’s real needs.
Reference
Segre, S. (2014). Contemporary sociological thinkers and theories. Taylor and Francis.