Gareth Morgan's Chapters - Essay Example

Running Head: Gareth….. Topic: Gareth Morgan’s Chapters review. Order#: 327028 Topic: Gareth Morgan’s Chapters review. Introduction: Theory is other man’s experience. In any organization where the employees are willing to employ the combined pool of their experiences in the productive activities, great results can be expected. Gareth refers to Instruments of Domination thus: It is safe to make a general statement that domination is practiced in majority of the industrial and commercial organizations, in one way or the other. It could be the dominance related to ideology, where the workers have no other option but to submit to domination. Let us categorize it as the domination metaphor related to Marxism, wherein management principles are explicitly defined and the workers are clearly told about their duties and responsibilities. They have to perform them, whether they like it or not; whether they find the work-load justifiable or unjustifiable; whether the work is interesting or boring. Exploitation occurs in the organizational world today, in a subtle manner, but the end-results are the same. Employees have been down-sized and outsized without any human consideration. CEOs have outsmarted each other in terminating the services of the employees. Exploitation is alive and kicking even in the most advanced countries. Every CEO expects that his employees need to be basically sound and industrious and give the best in the industry. But basic conditions also need to be created for the employees to become basically sound and industrious! For example a train runs on two parallel tracks. Let us assume, one track is the collective workforce of the employees and the other relates to the administrative policies of the management. "Although it is common to draw a clear distinction between the two (organization and environment), it seems systemically wiser to view organization and environment as elements of the same interconnected pattern. In evolution, it is pattern that evolves." (Morgan, 1996, Chapter 8) Chaos has been accepted as part of the system. Out of chaos and confusion, new clarities emerge. What happens when a system is pushed far from equilibrium to a situation which normally seems uncontrollable? Far from being collapsing, it creates new paths, new horizons. But the path of system evolution or system modification is totally unpredictable, because many factors can influence and interfere in between the projected goal and its fulfillment. “Skilled leaders and managers develop the knack of reading situations with various scenarios in mind and of forging actions that seem appropriate to the understandings thus obtained. They have a capacity to remain open and flexible, suspending immediate judgments whenever possible, until a more comprehensive view of the situation emerges.”(Gareth, 1996, p.3-4) Five key ideas have been developed and they suggest that it is important to: “Rethink what we mean by organization, especially the nature of hierarchy and control, Learn the art of managing and changing contexts, Learn how to use small changes to create large effects, Live with continuous transformation and emergent order as a natural state of affairs, Be open to new metaphors that can facilitate processes of self-organization." (Some…) The organization provides its leader with more concerns and distractions from all ends, and this is the net effect of the materialistic civilization, deeply impacted by industrial and internet revolutions. Competition to the existing set up of the organization can come from the most unexpected corners of the world at the most unexpected time. What is the key to managing such challenges? It is to identify a reasonable number of issues that have the maximum possible impact on the success of the organization and then working on those issues with dedicated efforts. To achieve this objective, organizations need to be smart and healthy. The concepts of smart and healthy need further elaboration. An Organization is smart when it develops intelligent strategies in tune with the situational demands and it does so, well in time. Marketing plans, financial models and product features that are latest, will catch the imagination and result-yielding, as compared to the strength of the rivals in the market. Healthy refers to the culture of the organization-it is free from internal politics and confusion. Such conditions pave way for higher morale and productivity. To own intellectual advantages alone is not enough for the success of an organization. What plagues the unhealthy organizations are lack of clarity, infighting and human tendencies that are not conducive for the growth of the organization. In a healthy organization, employees will remain committed to the cause of the organization, when it has to face difficult situations. This commitment will see through the crisis, and the organization will bounce back to re-establish the competitive advantage. In the images of the organization, cultural well-being occupies the top slot, but if its importance is not sufficiently appreciated, that results critical depreciation in the overall strength and productive efficiency of the organization. This is the sole responsibility of the head of an organization. His vision and imagination inspires others. This responsibility can not be delegated. Cultural well-being is hard to measure; therefore, it is harder to achieve. The results may not be immediate, but they will be long-lasing and far-reaching. This in short, what Gareth means by change, flux and transformation. Some of the bullets points relating to change, flux and transformation of the organization are: *Theory is other man’s experience. *Every business crisis is an opportunity to accelerate growth. *We are producing learning communities in our schools to ultimately produce fodder for the capitalist machine. *Out of convulsions in the system, opening of new vistas is a distinct possibility. *Domination can be overt or covert. In either option, the workforce suffers. In the former case the suffering is linked to ideology. *Exploitation in multinational organizations is systemic. *Expertise in managing, in the midst of complexity! *Establish connectivity and carry on with indomitable courage through the seemingly hopeless situations; the strongest storm arrives only to subside. *Theory and practice are the alternative beats of the same heart. Leading-edge theory is translated into leading-edge practice. *Develop business strategies no to survive, but to succeed. Conclusion: The above analysis provides some of the issues why certain organizations are darling of the trade. The inevitable struggle posed by the changing technologies, looks like a peaceful way of life for them. Changes happen when they have to happen and the organizations take to changes, flux and transformation effortlessly just like the fish takes to water. Just like a healthy body is immune to diseases, a healthy organization is immune to many threats that have become part of the business world. They just brush past the strong organization, without daring to influence it. Every company makes mistakes; great companies make great mistakes; but the power of resistance and the ability to recoup the original health is so strong in such companies, that they turn the tables quickly and bounce back in to the competitive field, without loss of time. ************* References: Gareth, Morgan. Images of Organization, Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; 2 edition (December 10, 1996) Some Questions Concerning Images of Organization - Imaginization ...Some Questions Concerning Images of Organization: - Cached - Retrieved on October 17, 2009 . Read More