Introduction
In the intricate tapestry of real-life organizations, the lens of management and organization theory is a powerful instrument, allowing us to unravel the complexities inherent in their structures and practices. Management and organizational theory do not merely refer to an academic tool but also provide information vital in examining, critiquing, and interrogating organizational functions within the real world. Management theories provide several analytical tools, making it easier to decrypt the underlying patterns, behaviours, and systems within an organization, from the hierarchical structures, decision-making, and leadership to the lowest employee level. The analyzing property entailed in the management and organization theory is a magnifying glass, revealing the intricate details that shape the essence of organizational life (Bratton, 2015). The paper below explores management and organizational theory and discusses ways in which it helps us examine, critique, and interrogate the structures and practices of a real-life organization.
Description Of Management and Organization Theory
This field explores the principles and practices that govern an appropriate administration and coordination of resources within the organizational setting. The field entails systematically examining the managerial concepts, structures of the involved processes and how different organizations achieve their goals based on a thorough analysis of the business concepts (O’Connor, 1999). Management theory explores managers’ roles, functions, and skills, while organizational theory mainly focuses on the design structure of different organizations. The key components and elements in this field include classical management, behavioural theories that mainly focus on human behaviours in organizations and contemporary approaches within the field of business (Bratton, 2015). The field is mainly responsible for ensuring that effective decisions are made, perfect leadership strategies are followed, and the overall wellbeing of an organization is maintained in terms of performance. The information in this field is vital because scholars and practitioners can easily use it to analyze and adapt organizational strategies to meet the organization’s dynamic challenges effectively.
Creation of Alignment of Hierarchy and Authority in An Organization
Hierarchy propels the vertical structure of power in an organization, showing the levels of authority and the reporting levels of relationships within an organization. Management theories give a framework upon which the different structures of the organizations are effectively scrutinized, the effect of the very structures on decision-making and communication, and the general flow within the organization (O’Reilly et al., 2010). According to the classroom reading on the week one lecture PowerPoint about introduction to management and organization, positivism forms one of the epistemological orientation organizational theories. This theory emphasizes that organizational knowledge can be obtained through systematic observation and prioritizes quantifiable data in uncovering the universal laws governing organizational behaviour and structures. Understanding the governing structures makes it easier for the employees of different organizations to know their organizational positions to attain a state of order (Halevy et al., 2011). Understanding the consideration of these hierarchical and authority dynamics makes it easier for each organizational employee to stick in their lanes, thus leading to organizational productivity.
Creating clear communication channels is another aspect of alignment and authority that management and organizational theory help us understand the structures and practices in a real-life organization. The week two lecture readings on the powerpoint about Taylorism and bureaucracy focused on modernist management approaches (Livijn, 2019). These approaches are mainly guided by the power dynamics in which the highest power in the organizational chain instructs the other organizational members. This type of information is vital as it helps us understand the real-world functionality of an organization. Take the example of a real-world organization like Google; the communication chain starts from the CEO and trickles down to the normal employees (Livijn, 2019). Understanding communication and power dynamics helps us integrate organizational functionality and adhere to the stipulated guidelines based on our organizational positions.
Assessment Of Organizational Culture
Organizational culture incorporates values, beliefs, and behaviours that employees must follow and adhere to. The cultural fabric can easily influence the way in which employees act, behave, and perceive their roles within a particular organization. The management theories promote the examination of cultural elements. For example, the lecture notes explore an aspect of management: employee management, which monitors and assesses the behaviours of the different organizational employees (Bellot, 2011). This analysis makes understanding the mechanisms for different organizational employees to thrive or fail easier. This analysis is practical as it makes it easier to make the needed changes appropriately for the general employee wellbeing. The analysis also makes it easier to identify the areas of possible shortcomings and respond effectively to the areas of shortcomings (Babinková, 2014). Analysis of the organizational culture sheds light on the alignment between the values and actual practices within the organization, creating a comprehensive evaluation of the workplace environment and its possible effect on organizational success and adaptability.
Understanding the type of leadership is another aspect of cultural assessment upon which management and organizational theories help us understand and integrate real-world organizations. By reviewing the week one lecture notes on the powerpoint about organizational theories, managerialism forms one of the organization theories (Caroselli, 1992). The theories explain the power flow from the management down to the subordinates. This flow makes it easier to understand different elements of an organization and decide on which one can be applied from different perspectives. In real-world organizations, for instance, understanding the leadership dynamics makes us understand the type of leadership structures in the different organizations, thus easing rectification in case of an error (Jung et al., 2009). Understanding the dynamics makes us employable in different global organizations.
Analysis Of Decision-Making Process
Decision-making processes, a crucial aspect examined through management and organization theory, delve into the methods and mechanisms by which choices are made within a real-life organization. The analysis entails scrutiny of the decision-making hierarchies of the involved stakeholders and the overall efficiency of the decision-making framework within the organization (Bratton, 2015). Theories like the rational decision-making models and the human relations theory provided in week three lecture notes on the powerpoint are bound to rationality, and incremental decision-making provides an overview of which decisions align with the organizational goals, incorporate the different organizational perspectives, and consider the reliable information in the organization. The week three classroom readings on the powerpoint presentations further that evaluation can extend into the understanding of the factors that affect the decision-making within the different elements of the organization, such as the leadership models, the organizational culture and external variables (King et al., 2016). The scrutiny insinuates that the theories provide information allowing organizational adaptability and response to change (Nicholson, 2003). The consideration allows us to understand decision-making dynamics in a real-world organization. The presented reasons justify understanding the decision-making process as one of the ways management and organization theories increase our understanding of real-world organizations.
Exploring the Employee Motivation and Satisfaction Concerns
Employee Motivation and Satisfaction, a critical facet explored through management and organization theory, involves a comprehensive analysis of factors influencing the wellbeing and engagement of organizational members. The weekly readings reveal that theories like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, and expectancy theory form the fundamental theories upon which the psychological effects that affect employee motivation are analyzed (Mingers, 2000). Through the lenses of employee motivation, management and organizational theories can quickly examine the leadership systems and rewards and other systems that affect employee rewards. The classroom readings explain that satisfaction in this context is achieved through individual employee alignment towards their particular goals and objectives and the perceived fairness in the organization, an environment in which the employees do not feel obliged to do anything (Feuer, 2011). Through scrutinizing these vital elements, organizations can quickly identify and implement strategies that can effectively boost the morale of the organizational employees, boost productivity, and improve the general satisfaction of that particular employee. We can quickly promote a positive work environment that can easily harbour success in the long run (De Filippi et al., 2020). This information will help us understand the sources of motivation in real-world organizations. The presented reasons justify employee motivation and satisfaction concerns as management and organizational theories help us integrate and examine real-world organizations.
Through Performance and Measurement Evaluation
In the context of management and organizational theories, it involves the systematic assessment of individual, team, and organizational achievements against predetermined objectives and benchmarks. In a review of the lecture notes on week six, management theories provide a framework and methodologies upon which performance indicators can be easily gauged to determine organizational success. The analysis of the vital elements entails analysis of both the qualitative and the quantitative metrics like the financial results, the productivity of the different employees and the rates of customer satisfaction (Havard Business School, 2019). The classroom discussion added that analysis of the scorecard based on these variations can quickly determine the following action to be taken: either to work on improvement in case indicators show little to no improvement or instances of inaction in case the key performance indicators are within their correct orientations and states. The Balanced Scorecard and Management by Objectives are examples of frameworks that offer appropriate orientation in any instance of an evaluation, and it is through these vital lenses it becomes easier for an organization to determine its weaknesses and strengths (Grafton et al., 2010). The consideration also makes it easier for the organization to identify the possible areas to improve to promote informed decision-making and appropriate planning. Continuous assessment of the key performance indicators makes it easier to adapt in the dynamic business world as we can quickly determine the possible areas that need to be improved to ensure there is an alignment with the organizational goals, thus promoting a culture that has a massive embrace of accountability and improvement (Bititci et al., 2011). Generally, performance measurement and evaluation elaborated by the management and organizational theories are vital optimization tools that foster organizational effectiveness and performance. The presented reasons justify performance and measurement evaluation as a way in which management and organization theories help us understand real-world organizations.
Through the Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution, a critical aspect explored through management and organization theory, involves systematically handling disagreements or disputes within a real-life organizational context. The lecture notes on the PowerPoint presentation about the organizational culture on week seven reveal that several frameworks have been provided to offer an overview of which conflict can be effectively understood and explained within an organizational context. Thomas-Kilmann’s Conflict Resolution Styles and the Dual Concern Model, for example, present effective frameworks to appropriately understand and manage conflicts within an organization (Shonk, 2021). Management and organizational theories offer direction in analyzing the different sources of conflict within the organization. Generally, the most identified elements of conflict in an organization are the issues of power dynamics and incoherence among the different organizational employees. The direction provided provides a general overview in consideration of whether the conflict originates from the interpersonal relationship or whether the conflict originates from the issues of unequal distribution of resources or in instances where the employees have differing opinions regarding any issue (Shonk, 2020). Additionally, the theories provide strategies upon which the existing conflicts can be appropriately solved. Some of the common strategies that are proposed by the theories include negotiation, collaboration and compromise. Further, the examinations broaden the wings to the role of relationships in general organizational efficiency. Through this understanding and application of conflict resolution strategies, organizations can quickly mitigate the negative effects of employee conflict since the approach ensures that any element of an existing conflict is addressed (Cote, 2023). The presented reasons justify that conflict resolution is an element upon which management and organizational theories help us examine real-world organizations.
Integration of Organizational Understanding
In the context of management and organizational theories, organizational designs involve the creation of structures to achieve their desired objectives. In this regard, management theories provide a lens upon which different organizational designs can be appropriately scrutinized (O’Connor, 1999). The scrutiny entails examining the different factors, such as the division of labour, the hierarchy and the coordination mechanism in the different organizations. Conversely, the theories help assess the compatibility of the different organizational designs with strategic goals and external environments. Additionally, central to the analysis is considering mechanistic versus organic structures evaluating the balance between stability and adaptability (Boxall et al., 2007). Examining the organizational designs through management makes it easier to identify the areas with shortcomings and the workflow in the organization, fostering the chances of continuous efforts in cases of shortcomings and need for improvement. Additionally, management makes it easier to internalize the mechanisms upon which the communication channels and decision-making patterns occur in the organizations. These elements are practical in achieving organizational goals (Ritzer & Miles, 2019). The information will quickly help understand real-world organizations’ organizational functionality and respond effectively in case of any issue. Generally, management and organizational theories make us understand the different designs of organizations, thus helping us respond to real-world organizational problems in challenging cases.
Adaptability And Change Management
Adaptability and Change Management, critical considerations in management and organization theory, focus on an organization’s capacity to navigate and respond to dynamic external environments. In the classroom lecture notes, several theories have been presented to help manage organizational change (Zaccaro & Banks, 2004). Some of the theories that have been put in place to help organizations appropriately respond to change include Lewin’s Change Management Model and Kotter’s Eight-Step Change Model. The models are vital as they [provide a detailed analysis of an organization’s steps when transitioning through change. Management and organizational theories make it easier to analyze organizational adaptability by assessing the readiness for or against change (Reeves & Deimler, 2011). The consideration is also based on the flexibility of the organizational structures towards the change and the processes and the ease of the organization’s response towards the intended changes. The response also considers the leadership style in examining the organizational ability to effect the intended change. The change may prevent hazardous instances, while it sometimes may mean advancing from one organizational design to another (Stobierski, 2020). The analysis even extends more to the context of identifying the possible elements that may cause the organization to resist the change and implementing strategies to inhibit the identified barriers to change. Through the scrutinization of adaptability and resistance to change, it becomes easy for organizations to expect and respond to challenges quickly, creating an environment of innovation and invention. The presented reasons are a justification of the adaptability and change as elements upon which management and organizational theories inform us of real-world organizations.
Conclusion
In conclusion, management and organizational theory are invaluable tools for examining, critiquing, and interrogating the structures and practices of real-life organizations. The organizational theories that have been described form the basis upon which several organizations in the real world exist. Some of the modes on which management and organizational theories help in understanding the functionality, structure and systems in the real-world organization is the increased alignment with the authority structures in the real-world organization, understanding of the real organizational cultures, understanding the decision-making model in the real world, understanding the employee’s welfare in the dimensions of satisfaction, conflict resolution and understanding of adaptability and respond to change. By elaborating on real-world organizations’ methodologies, management theories make navigating issues within the organizational realm easier. With the occasional strive for excellence in different organizations, applying these theories is vital. These attributes all play a role in understanding and integrating real-world organizations in the contexts of their functionalities and the involved processes and challenges. Understanding can quickly help in rectifying real-world challenges. Ultimately, integrating management and organizational theory enhances our capacity to navigate the intricate tapestry of real-world organizations.
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