Organizations as political systems: the managerial bias in Critical Perspective

The book focuses on the impact of individuals within organizations and how organizational efficiency or rationality is getting deep into our individuality. The author states that the modern organizations and the way their administration work are the results of heavily borrowed principles of rationality and objectivity from the sciences. It has resulted in a one-sided focus of placing the rational goals of the organization above, and often in place of, those of the individual members of the organization. Denhardt relates science and administration by putting examples of many scientific theories which relate to the human and natural aspect of everyone’s lives.

In today’s complex and ever changing environment, organization continue to experiment with new forms of team development. Some of the most successful teams bring together employees with different talents and perspectives. In this research report, my aim is to have a clear and deep research on teamwork and how it affects businesses so that I can help Tina and Frank who is coming back from overseas to start their own business. Before could anybody start their business, it is very important to learn certain aspects. Team work is one among them. I have included some of the important information I collected through my research in order to help Tina and Frank succeed in their business.

There are several approaches to organizational management, the first includes formulating a plan, blueprint, or roadmap to make the intended function or process work, selecting a team needed to analyze the business or organization’s primary functions, and devise a matrix needed to manage the different roles, responsibilities, and positions within the business or organization. These approaches to organizational management are based on management theories, the assumptions that companies can control their future, and predict the outcome.

Organizations tend to adopt three major theoretical perspectives that form the basis of their systems. The three include the open, rational and the closed systems (Scott, 2003). There is the crucial need to ensure one can understand these perspectives to understand how the organizations operate. The three perspectives are a representation of the scientific development of the organizations.

Similar to my experience with changing leadership theories, my epistemology and organizational lens has also changed over time. Once identifying as an interpretivist, I am now increasingly comfortable with the label of critical theorist. As evidenced by Capper and Green (2013), critical theory is severely lacking in the study of organizational theory. Most texts examined by Capper and Green in a comprehensive organizational theory review were grounded in structuralism or interpretivism, including some that focused on general educational leadership. Deviations from structuralism and interpretivism to critical theory were found primarily when reviewing equity and social justice studies in educational

Part of being a manager for a company is managing teams. These teams can be created for many different reasons and can have various goals put upon them. Companies want managers that are capable of constructing teams that can effectively meet goals and set standards. The four types of work teams most commonly found in organizations are: problem-solving, self-managed, cross-functional, and virtual. In completing the simulation for this course, I will use cross-functional work teams as a foundation for my investigation of effective team management.

This report provides an analysis of the following: the experience in the two Everest teamwork simulations, the results of the two sets of simulation and the communication structure and experience in the two Everest simulations. Method of analysis includes incorporating theories and concept in the course and discussing about the observation during the simulations. There are many concepts and theories which are discussed in this report such as the grouping modeling elements, communication structure, the effects of conforming and the benefits of conflicts and the benefits of effective communication. The report ends with a recommendation that the report could be improved if there is a comparison of the results of two teams

All with differing skills and levels of experience, to allow a service to be provided efficiently and effectively. Each member of the team has a purpose and a function within that team, so the overall success depends on a functional interdependency. There is usually not as much room for conflict when working as a team. The team also does not rely on groupthink to arrive at its conclusions.

Today, most organizations need a multifunctional team of subject matter experts to work as an integrated project team, in order to achieve their goals and improve its processes (Page, 2010). Seldom, does one person know it all and can do it all. As a result, most successful organizations have developed a team-based approach to analyze the inputs, activities, and outputs necessary to carry out their operations, vision and mission (McDonald, 2010). In the case of emergency response service teams, such as firefighters, cohesion is very important. Rescue teams must stick tightly together and work effectively together as a group, especially in a deteriorating safety emergency where decisions can mean the difference

If we were randomly asked to define the word “team” many of us would have numerous variations of this multifaceted word; some would proclaim it means helping others, backing one another while others might define it as unanimity or culpability. The French associate the word team, with the slogan “Esprit de corps” a majestic word that was adopted by the United States Marine Corps. This matchless catchphrase means: “a sense of unity, of enthusiasm for common interests and responsibilities.” As early as childhood it has been ingrained into us that teamwork is congenial and effortlessly achieved. When in fact it wasn’t until society was introduced to Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, written by Patrick Lencioni, did civilization start to realize that teamwork is hard to measure and even harder to achieve because the has been loosely used as well as misinterpret. Lencioni understands that teamwork is a difficult thing to measure and achieve, his book reminds us that the power that comes from teamwork cannot be denied. It would be hypothesized that through the authors’ comprehensive exploration and methodical examination, he reveals ways for civilization to comprehend the term as well as employ each other successful; conversely this can’t be done until the dysfunctional factor is properly identified and controlled. Hence the reason for his in-depth plunge in explaining the five dysfunctions and method that can be utilized by teams to overcome the dysfunctionalities.

Organizational theory studies the various variables that influence the behavior of an individual(s) working within an organization, but also, “prescribes how work and workers ought to be organized and attempts to explain the actual consequences of organizational behavior (including individual actions) on work being performed and on the organization itself.” (Milakovich & Gordon, 2013, p.145). Of the many approaches to organizational analysis, Classical Organizational theory has been, even to this day, extremely influential by focusing on more formal concepts such as bureaucracy, rationalization and scientific management. Although, over the decades organizational management has taken on a more human relations approach to getting more productivity out of employees, it is contributors like Max Webber, Fredrick Taylor, and Luther Gulick that laid down the basic foundation organizational theories by recognizing the need for control and procedures.

The organizational theories represent the pre-established rules for the evaluation of the work performances and to define the organization. The production as the most complex process triggered the appearance of the management theories in order to analyze how the process within the organization are performed. The one thing in common for the all theories that will be discussed is the rational method developed according to the unified pattern of the employee behavior.

Organizations have become important social institutions that affect nearly everyone's life in one way or another. However, there are many different perspectives that can be used in understanding these organizations. Theorists have produced many different ideas about the best vantage point in which to try to understand how an organization functions. Furthermore, it is important for leaders in the organization to understand these theories so that they can tailor their own concepts and theories and the organizations in which they are members of. This translates in the need for multiple perspectives to be used in the pursuit of understanding an organization and how it functions.

A team is a group of people working together to achieve the same objectives. Katzenbach and Smith state in their report The Discipline of Teams (1993) that ‘the essence of a team is common commitment. Without it, groups perform as individuals; with it, they become a powerful unit of collective performance.’ Throughout this study, I will analyse the many different advantages and disadvantages of working in teams and its effects on team members and their performance and commitment within the team. I will consider many different aspects of team work and refer to certain established theories in

Managers today have many different options when choosing a managerial theory to implement for their organizations. Knowledgeable managers must be aware of the different historical approaches and also able to determine which approach would be most effective for their unit. The established work structure of my unit currently utilizes elements of classical organizational theory, more specifically scientific management and bureaucratic theory. More recent theories, such as those that focus on human relations, are not applied as frequently. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the historical management theories utilized by my organization and determine whether they are appropriate. When areas in which my organization could be improved upon are identified, the recommendations of other management theories are considered for their possible effectiveness.