HCM 433 MANGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR.pdf

ii) Technology – the manner in which the tasks of the organisation are carried out and the
nature of work performance. The materials, systems and procedures, and equipment used in the
transformation or conversion process.
iii) Structure – patterns of organisation, lines of authority, formal relationships and channels of
communication among members. The division of work and coordination of tasks by which the
series of activities are carried out.
iv) People – the nature of the members undertaking the series of activities: such as their attitudes,
skills and attributes; needs and expectations; interpersonal relations and patterns of behaviour;
group functioning and behaviour; informal organisation and styles of leadership.
v) Management – coordination of task, technology, structure and people, and policies and
procedures for the execution of work. Corporate strategy, direction of the activities of the
organisation as a whole and its interactions with the external environment.
The attention given to organisational sub-systems can be related to developments in management
thinking and organisational behaviour. The classical approach emphasised the structural and the
managerial sub-systems and the development of general principles of organisation. The human
relations approach emphasised the psychological and sociological aspects and gave attention to the
importance of people in the organisation and such factors as the social needs of individuals,
motivation and group behaviour. The systems approach focuses attention on the organisation as a
whole, as a socio-technical system, and considers the interrelationships between the different subsystems
and the importance of environmental influences. The contingency approach concentrates
on situational factors as determinants of alternative forms of organisation and management.
3. Interaction between Organization and Environment
An open systems approach is an attempt to view the organisation as a purposeful, unified whole in
continual interaction with its external environment. The organisation (system) is composed of a
number of interrelated parts (sub-systems). Any one part of the organisation’s activities affects
other parts. Managers cannot afford to take a narrow, blinkered view. They need to adopt a
broader view of the organisation’s activities.
Managers should recognise the interrelationships between various activities and the
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