Posted: June 5th, 2015

Organizational Theory

 

 “Chapter 5”

Section 1:

Managing by design questions:

1. Organizations should strive to be as independent and self-sufficient as possible so that their managers aren’t put in the position of “dancing to someone else tune.”?

I disagree because most of the companies that collaborate share information, supplies and materials and thus managers don’t have to strain for them. Managers who relate to other firms tend to perform better. However, managers who choose to collaborate with other companies must figure out how to manage the whole set of the inter-organizational relationships because this is a great deal and a challenging one (Daft, 2013).

 

2. The success or failure of a start-up is largely determined by the smarts and management ability of the entrepreneur?

I agree because the entrepreneur has all the strategies to bridge the gap he initially so when the organization was starting. On the other hand, the success and failure of any organization are not a matter of luck. It is a matter of being smart and applying all the management skills that help to achieve the objectives of the company.

3. Managers should quickly copy or borrow techniques being used by other successful companies to make their own organization more effective and to keep pace with changing times?

I agree because borrowing techniques will help to improve quality systems and to consult one another before investing in some assets such as machinery and passing of customers from one organization to another. For smart managers practicing this in their organization, it will help to reach the goals and expectations of the organization.

Section 2:

How Do You Fit the Design?

Mostly     Mostly

True                   False

1. I learn early on about changes going on in

the organization and how they might affect

me or my job.                                                                                            *

2. I network as much to help other people solve

problems as to help myself.                                                                         *

3. I join professional groups and associations to

Expand my contacts and knowledge.                                                                   *

4. I know and talk with peers in other organizations.                                 *
5. I act as a bridge from my work group to

other work groups.                                                                                                                           *

6. I frequently use lunches to meet and network

with new people.                                                                                          *

7. I regularly participate in charitable causes.                                             *
8. I maintain a list of friends and colleagues to

whom I send holiday cards.                                                                            *

9. I maintain contact with people from previous

Organizations and school groups.                                                                   *

10. I actively give information to subordinates,

peers, and my boss.                                                                                         *

Answer: I am very understanding, and I like creating successful alliances. I believe in a participative and a collegial style of management and motivating all my peers in order to achieve a diplomatic relationship among them.

1. What is your plan for self-improvement based on your responses and analysis?

My plan for self-improvement based on my response and analysis is to develop meaningful relationships within my organization and seek collaborative partnerships with people that are going to help me achieve and meet the objectives of my organization.

2. Goals and time frame for accomplishing them?

My goals and time frame is to understand the organizational ecosystem, its models and perspectives within one year after I start my organization. However, this would help me to change the role from top-down management to horizontal management across organizations.

 

3. Describe the application context?

The application context is a situation where I want to start a new organization as a manager. For one to achieve this one can find a niche that contains a strong environment need for products and services and take all the necessary preparations to competitively struggle over scarce resources (Daft, 2013).

 

4. Identify performance measures for your plan?

My performance measures for my plan is to come up with an interorganiozational framework that would help in analyzing the different views of internatiorganizational relationship. As well this framework would help assess the environment and adopt strategies to suit the needs of the organization.

 

EXHIBIT 5.1: An Organizational Ecosystem

My own map (Wal-Mart Company) (Daft, 2013).

 

 

Section 3:

1. What is the learning from that week’s information?

The learning from that week’s information is about the web relationships among organizations. I have also learnt that for managers to succeed in their organization they should not limit their thinking but they should rather build an ecosystem of which their organization is part of it.

 

 

1. How is this week’s information related/integrated with previous week’s information?

Chapter five and chapter six are somehow related, chapter six is about the evolution in interorganizational relationships in the external environment while concepts in chapter five was about specific frameworks that give a better understanding on how the external environment influences the structure and functioning of the organizations(Daft, 2013).

 

Section 4:

1. Reflect on your work environment issues that are similar to the chapter content?

The chapter was very resourceful on issues regarding resource dependence, institutionalism, population ecology and networks. From the knowledge that I have gained from this chapter, when I become a manager in future I will not rest in the safety of managing a single organization. I will figure out how to manage a whole set of interorganizational relationships, that is more challenging and complex. Currently I have no work experience hence no work environment.

 

 

Section 5:

1. Your career goals

My career goal is to be a manager in future who will be aware of interoganizational relationship and how to manage them effectively. It is also my career goal to reach out external sources that threaten needed resources in my organization and adopt the best strategies to control the resources during the time when my organization will have little power.

 

 

1. Your current work experiences?

I do not have any job experience currently. However I have acquired vast knowledge after reading this chapter that would help me to adopt strategies, structures, and new management techniques that will meet the expectations of all the significant parties and thereby assure them that there will be a lot of cooperation and resources(Daft, 2013).

1. Any other learning points that you would like to discuss, including questions that your new knowledge raises?

I would like to discuss about the strategies for survival or competition. Every manger should be able to select a strategy that steers an organization into an open niche in the environment to ensure that the competition does not affect the performance of an organization. The question that my new knowledge raise is what criteria managers use when choosing the best strategy to survive in a competition?

 

 

References

Daft, R. L. (2013). Organization theory & design. Cincinnati, Ohio: Cengage Learning.