3e2a1b56-dafb-454d-87ad-86adea3e7b86

Perspectives on organizations 7
How we illustrate organizations says much about our underlying assumptions of what an
‘organization’ is and how it is supposed to work. For example, the illustration of an organization
as a conventional ‘organogram’ implies that organizations are neat and controllable
with unambiguous lines of accountability. But this is rarely the case. In fact taking such a
mechanistic view may be neither appropriate nor desirable. Seeing an organization as though
it was unambiguously machine-like is just one of several metaphors commonly used to
understand organizations. One well-known analysis by Gareth Morgan proposes a number
of ‘images’ or ‘metaphors’ which can be used to understand organizations as follows.
Organizations are machines – the resources within organizations can be seen as ‘components’
in a mechanism whose purpose is clearly understood. Relations within the organization are
clearly defined and orderly, processes and procedures that should occur usually do occur,
and the flow of information through the organization is predictable. Such mechanical metaphors
appear to impose clarity on what is actually messy organizational behaviour. But,
where it is important to impose clarity (as in much operations analysis) such a metaphor can
be useful, and is the basis of the ‘process approach’ used in this and similar books.
Organizations are organisms – organizations are living entities. Their behaviour is dictated
by the behaviour of the individual humans within them. Individuals, and their organizations,
adapt to circumstances just as different species adapt to the environment. This is a particularly
useful way of looking at organizations if parts of the environment (such as the needs of
the market) change radically. The survival of the organization depends on its ability to exhibit
enough flexibility to respond to its environment.
Organizations are brains – like brains, organizations process information and make decisions.
They balance conflicting criteria, weigh up risks and decide when an outcome is acceptable.
They are also capable of learning, changing their model of the world in the light of experience.
This emphasis on decision making, accumulating experience and learning from that experience
is important in understanding organizations. They consist of conflicting groups where
power and control are key issues.
Organizations are cultures – an organization’s culture is usually taken to mean its shared
values, ideology, pattern of thinking and day-to-day ritual. Different organizations will have
different cultures stemming from their circumstances and their history. A major strength
of seeing organizations as cultures is that it draws attention to their shared ‘enactment of
reality’. Looking for the symbols and shared realities within an organization allows us to see
beyond what the organization says about itself.
Organizations are political systems – organizations, like communities, are governed. The
system of government is rarely democratic, but nor is it usually a dictatorship. Within the
mechanisms of government in an organization are usually ways of understanding alternative
philosophies, ways of seeking consensus (or at least reconciliation) and sometimes ways
of legitimizing opposition. Individuals and groups seek to pursue their aims through the
detailed politics of the organization. They form alliances, accommodate power relationships
and manage conflict. Such a view is useful in helping organizations to legitimize politics as
an inevitable aspect of organizational life.
Forms of organization structure
Chapter 9 People, jobs and organization 239
Most organization designs attempt to divide an organization into discrete parts which are
given some degree of authority to make decisions within their part of the organization. All
but the very smallest of organizations need to delegate decision making in this way, it allows
specialization so decisions can be taken by the most appropriate people. The main issue is
what dimension of specialization should be used when grouping parts of the organization
together. There are three basic approaches to this: