"IMAGES OF ORGANIZATION"   Term Paper ID:19406 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: (Gareth Morgan). Summarizes work, focusing on organization as metaphor (machine, organism, political system, etc.).... More...

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Paper Abstract: (Gareth Morgan). Summarizes work, focusing on organization as metaphor (machine, organism, political system, etc.). Paper Introduction: The study will provide a summary of Gareth Morgan's Images of Organization, focusing on the ways the ideas in the book relate to public organization theory and what the book is trying to say about the cultures of various organizations. It is a generally accepted maxim that the realm of organization theory --- public and private---is a very fluid one, one which is at times quite disorderly. This is due to the fact that the theory presented must deal with human behavior in highly complex situations, in which both individual and group motivations and needs are at play. It is not a precise field, in other words, and no single theory can make the realm of organizations clear and understandable. Morgan immediately makes the preceding points clear in his book. He notes first that "Effective managers and professionals Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. For example, the "machine metaphor is useful in identifyingemergent bureaucratic characteristics even though the organization is along way from being a formal bureaucracy." In addition, "the organismicmetaphor allows us to arrive at some preliminary judgments as to whetherthe organizational changes are appropriate, given the nature of theorganization's environment and the key tasks that it must perform in orderto survive" (p. Beverly Hills:Sage.----------------------- 8 Morgan does not try to squeeze thecomplexities of the organization --- public or private---into a narrowtheory which oversimplifies for the sake of some illusory understanding.Morgan, to the contrary, accepts the organization as he finds it and triesto portray each facet honestly and comprehensively. Morgan argues that organizations cannot be managed more effectivelymerely by simplifying them in theory: "The approach to organizationalanalysis developed in this book stands against this general (simplifying)trend, in the belief that organizations are generally complex, ambiguous,and paradoxical. The realistic aspect of his analysis of the organization isdesigned to get the analyst to see the organization as it is, not in sometheoretical, abstract or idealistic framework. The metaphorical approach then allows the analyst to take thatsituation, in the context of the firm's specific internal and externalenvironments, and to perform the two steps --- the diagnostic reading andthe critical evaluation. 322). 321-322). . Two stepsare necessary. We read, for example: "Fortunately, the kind of metaphorical analysisdeveloped in earlier chapters provides us with an effective means ofdealing with (the organization's inherent) complexity. A number of the available metaphors were useful in coming to theseconclusions. Above all, Morgan argues for more "criticalthinking." He suggests as well that organizational managers and theoristsrely more on creativity in their work, especially on the use of metaphors. Henotes first that "Effective managers and professionals in all walks oflife, whether they be business executives, public administrators,organizational consultants, politicians, or trade unionists, have to becomeskilled in the art of 'reading' the situations that they are attempting toorganize or manage" (p. . It is a generally accepted maxim that the realm of organizationtheory --- public and private---is a very fluid one, one which is at timesquite disorderly. . Their use creates insights that often allow us toact in way that we may not have thought possible before" (p. References Morgan, Gareth. The real challenge is to learn to deal with thiscomplexity" (p. 17). He believes that it is impossible and counter-productive totry to see any single organization in one way, but rather chooses toanalyze situations as they arise in that organization, applying what isloosely and generally known about that organization. This is so because organizational situations andinterrelationships are too complex and dynamic to be explained or containedby any such single theory. The answer is clearly in the negative. Morgan, then, first suggests that the organizational manager oranalyst adopt a creative approach, recognizing the dynamic nature of theorganization in all its complexity, and in all the opportunities for changeand improvement which that complexity and dynamism make available. . As Morgan writes, "The images or metaphors through which weread organizational situations help us to describe the way organizationsare, and offer clear ideas and options as to how they could be. This is due to the fact that the theory presented mustdeal with human behavior in highly complex situations, in which bothindividual and group motivations and needs are at play. . Morgan's approach includes, then, both the realistic and theimaginative. The second step is to make a criticalevaluation of the significance of the different interpretations thusproduced. In all such diagnoses and evaluations, the firm --- public or private---must first be seen as it is, not as it should be in order to fit intosome unrealistic organization theory which is inappropriate to the firm andthe specific situation being investigated. 328). 331). . It is not aprecise field, in other words, and no single theory can make the realm oforganizations clear and understandable. It is all well and good that the manager use his or her intuition,but is it enough to trust in the subconscious mind as the guide in managingorganizations and dealing effectively with the people in that organization? Analyzing one firm, for example, Morgan finds success being achievedin dealing with the firm's widespread dissatisfaction due todisorganization and lack of clarity of operations: "In operational termsthese (plans) involved a clearer definition of job responsibilities, a moreformalized procedure governing the exchange of staff between projects, anda closer control over the conditions under which staff were to be away fromthe office during business hours" (p. The aim of organization theory, in any case, is to take some of the"mystique" out of organizational management: "If we take a closer look atthe processes used, . A machinelike organizationdesigned to achieve specific goals can simultaneously be: a species oforganization that is able to survive in certain environments but notothers; an information-processing system that is skilled in certain kindsof learning but not in others; a cultural milieu characterized bydistinctive values, beliefs, and social practices; a political system wherepeople jostle to further their own ends; an arena where varioussubconscious or ideological struggles take place; an artifact ormanifestation of a deeper process of social change; an instrument used byone group of people to exploit and dominate others, and so on" (pp. The first is to produce a diagnostic reading of thesituation being investigated, using different metaphors to identify orhighlight key aspects . 324). 343). we find that this kind of mystique and power isoften based [not simply on intuitive, subconscious forces, but] on anability to develop deep appreciations of the situations being addressed.Skilled readers develop the knack of reading situations with variousscenarios in mind, and of forging actions that seem appropriate to thereadings thus obtained" (p. The point here is that the organization should be realistically seenand accepted as a multi-faceted entity operating on many levels and formany purposes and goals at once. For it shows us howwe can open our thought processes so that we can read the same situationfrom multiple perspectives in a critical and informed way . Morgan also utilizes the situational approach to management of theorganization. Through these two steps it is possible to explore the complexityof organizations in both a descriptive and prescriptive manner" (p. The study will provide a summary of Gareth Morgan's Images ofOrganization, focusing on the ways the ideas in the book relate to publicorganization theory and what the book is trying to say about the culturesof various organizations. The imaginative(metaphorical) aspect of the analysis is designed to free the creativity ofthe analyst, to increase his alternatives and flexibility, but also toprovide contexts for practical solutions: "Images and metaphors are notonly interpretive constructs or ways of seeing; they also provideframeworks for action. The book is rooted in the author's use of such metaphor: theorganization as machine; the organization as organism; the organization asbrains; the organization as culture; the organization as political system;the organization as psychic prison; the organization as instrument ofdomination. The purpose of the author's use of the metaphor is made clear as hemoves into specific analyses of situations in specific organizations. Morgan immediately makes the preceding points clear in his book. Theprocesses of diagnostic Reading and critical evaluation combine to create amode of understanding --- the story line --- that suggests an approach or,if one prefers, a prescription, for dealing with the issues that are ofconcern" (p. (1986). 11). Morgan writes that this process usually involves the exercise of themanager's intuition, which in turn involves processes in the subconsciousmind. The problem, which Morgan recognizes andacknowledges, is that no single organization theory can fulfill all theneeds of the manager. 11). The purpose of organizationtheory is to give the conscious mind some measure of guidance and controlover organizational situations. Beyond the descriptions of individual metaphorical approaches, theauthor summarizes his general method: "Any realistic approach toorganizational analysis must start from the premise that organizations canbe many things at one and the same time. The use of metaphors as a means to describe and understandorganizations is meant to allow the organizational manager or analyst theopportunity to be creative in his approach to the specific situationalconflict and its various possible solutions. Images of organization. Flexibility and realism are vital elements in Morgan's approach inall cases. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.