Evolution of Formal Organizations

Evolution of Formal Organizations Free Online Research Papers For many centuries, formal organizations, employers and employees have been taught to operate the same. However many things have changed from the type of jobs and organizations, to how these jobs were completed. For centuries most formal organizations operated under what we call conventional bureaucracy. Conventional bureaucracy is known for its many levels in what we see as the pyramid. The pyramid starting with some higher ranked employees that have more authority down to the hard working rank and file workers, with no say so or authority at all. There were many challenges that these organizations faced. Hard work has always been appreciated throughout the years with these organizations. Past years work was completed with back-breaking labor and now with the advancement of modern technology most but not all work has been replaced with technology devices and more creativity. Unlike family traditions that are learned from generation to generation, how we operate our organizations these days and in our future will be nothing like the way our ancestors had to work. Like previously stated with the modern day technology advancements that we are witnessing, things have become much easier for us, than in past times. At that time the way these organizations attended to their jobs was the same form generation to generation. The work was done but with no change or new creative ideas, these employees felt they were at a dead end job. In the past there were many things that they lacked, that now are beneficial and a must have for formal organizations to operate more efficiently these days. Something that these past generations lacked that is very important to most peoples every day lives today is the technology we have access to on a daily basis. This day in age formal organizations are able to keep records via data bases, as computers and technical devices have been invented. Formal organizations that have to interact with clients, customers and other organizations now have the access to interact via satellite and conference calls as to the past these interactions would have been made face to face with more expenses. As air fare, hotel lodging and the time one would have to invest would be a must and could be rather expensive. Another limitation that these companies faced was the fact that tradition is strong in pre-industrial societies. This meant that their goal was to preserve their cultural systems and not to change them when it came to organizational issues. Many of these reasons have caused past organizations to be inefficient. Formal organizations that practice conventional bureaucracy have many levels of authority with a clear chain of commands. Each level has a title and they have certain expectations they have to uphold for the organization. Each employee has a specific job that they are to perform and a manager or supervisor they will have to report to. These organizations have set standards, rules, policies and regulations that they have follow. These rules and regulations are what kept these organizations some what organized. Relationships within these organizations are very minimal to none. The communications between employees at these types of organizations are usually through an email or a letter of some sort. Bureaucracy is defined as an organizational model rationally designed to perform tasks efficiently. Employees work hard to meet and exceed specific goals of their job requirements. They have to report to specific managers or superiors. This is how things were done with little to no change. During the century of the 1900’s you would usually see white males in management or positions with more authority. In this day in age you will find equal amounts of managers both men and women. Now days there are laws that refrain employers and organizations from discriminating on gender and race. As stated before many things have changed, instead of using each employee’s talents individually, organizations use creativity and strengths to see if there is a better way of getting the job done as in previous times things were repetitive wit no creativity. Like the saying something carved in stone. If an employee has a suggestion on how to better the organization and its employees they wi ll usually take into consideration the options. Many organizations are about their employees and the company, not just the company. Organizations want to find workers for the long run, not to just fill a responsibility. They value the opinions of their employees. Not only is organization a top priority so are the employees. This new type of work that many organizations are adapting to is called an open, flexible organization. The open flexible organization has flattened out the bureaucracy pyramid. This gives most of the employees in the organization the same responsibilities and the same rewards. Instead the many different levels, they are on a more even level with each other. With these new modern work environments employees are able to more creative; they are using greater flexibility competitive teams, working together for the same goal. Organizations are now hiring new employees based off ideas they have and the potential to grow with the organization instead of hiring someone for the work they are able to perform. Organizations today want an employee for a lifetime not for the time being. These new ways of our organizations want to invest the their employee, because they know they deserve nothing less. In the past organizations would have specific rules and policies, with the new modern ways of o rganizations they set guidelines for all to follow. Communication has come a long way as well. They tend to hold meetings for all to attend including all employees instead of just the Directors and CEO making decisions and because of this relationship have become primary as in the past they have always been secondary. Not all organizations will be accustomed to the new open, flexible organizations. Telemarketing companies and fast food chains will still remain with the bureaucracy pyramid. There jobs will remain repetitive doing the same things day in and day out. There is not much more creative you can be in making a cheeseburger and fries. They will always have a superior to answer to, trying to make it to the top of the pyramid. In conclusion, all employee and organizations should want to see the same goal in mind. These organization need to have the employee and organization best interest. They have to be able to hear the people and take into consideration the feelings and creative ideas that all have to offer. I personally feel that it will be more black and white. Some organizations will flatten the pyramid and work as a whole and there will be some organizations that continue with the pyramid roles. Nothing should be set in stone. Change is good. Change brings balance. Research Papers on Evolution of Formal OrganizationsThe Project Managment Office SystemPETSTEL analysis of IndiaOpen Architechture a white paperTwilight of the UAWAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of Self Evolution of Formal Organizations Free Online Research Papers In this day and age, everything is changing; from the jobs that we do, to the way that we do them. For centuries we, and our ancestors, have worked in formal organizations that practice bureaucracy. Bureaucratic organizations have been used to complete some of the worlds most major projects. However, times are changing, and so are our work methods. Today, hard work and organization is still appreciated, just in different forms. Back-breaking labor has been replaced with technology and creativity. Traditions of work that have been passed down by generations are no more. Today, the world thinks rationally. Instead of doing what has always been done, we are now finding a more efficient, quicker way to do it. In the past, formal organizations were based on tradition. Workers completed their work in the same fashion as past generations. This caused companies to be inefficient because their work methods were not modern, everything stayed the same and nothing improved. Also, previous organizations lacked technology. There was no such thing as networking, or conference calls. People met face to face, this could be very expensive if clients were in separate countries. There was no way to store and keep information, this also caused companies to be inefficient. Formal organizations usually have set standards for how they run their business. Rules and regulations are key to an organized environment. A bureaucratic organization usually runs in the form of a pyramid. In this format, every person will always have a supervisor to answer to. The few number of supervisors are located at the top of the pyramid, while the employees are located at the bottom. This pyramid gives structure to an organization. Every person has a job, and are expected to carry out the job to its full expectations. Relationships between co-workers are kept to a minimal. This is to minimize emotion and maximize work. The majority of communication is done via e-mail, telephone, or letters. Everything within a bureaucratic organization is clearly defined with no room for interpretation. This ideal definition of a bureaucratic organization has been tried throughout the years. This is the way that work has aways been done. Employees work hard toward their specified goal, and answer to their superiors at the end of the day. However, as stated before, time are changing. In the early 1900s it was not common to hire anyone besides a white male. And in the workplace, every person had his own job that he was responsible for. Today, companies hire men and women of all races. The theory today, is to take advantage of every individuals talents. Also, cooperation amongst all employees is valued. Instead of using each individual for his or her own talent, companies today are putting teams together to come up with the best possible solutions and work methods. Instead of single man labor, we are now practicing group effort. Large businesses are taking advantage of their employees thoughts and ideas. Creativity is becoming just as important as organization. This new work method has come to be called an open, flexible organization. The bureaucratic pyramid has been flattened to put everyone on a more even scale. Creative freedom, competitive work teams, and flexibility are the new standards for the modern work environment. The characteristics of a large organization are now be converted to represent those of a small group. These changes include, instead of every member having a specialized task, the whole group has a common goal in which they are working towards. Instead of specific rules, informal, general guidelines are established. Instead of hiring people for the work that they can do, people are being hired for the ideas that they come up with. Quick e-mails are being replaced by group meetings. Because of the group setting, relationships in the office are becoming primary rather than secondary. People care about what the other has to say, and instead of viewing each other as competitors, they are viewing each other as colleagues. B ecause each person has their own part to add to the group. These new work methods do not apply to everyone. Highly skilled and trained employees are reaping the benefits of a new wave of creative freedom. However, lower level employees are not. They in fact, are actually working harder than ever. The bureaucratic way of work is still in place for them. They continue to have supervisors way above them, while they remain on the bottom. Fast food chains, retail stores, telemarketing are all fields that are growing as well. Unfortunately, selling hamburgers has no room for creative thought. That is why people are still suffering from bureaucratic organizations. In the future, I believe that it will be black and white. On one end, there will be lower class workers doing the dirty work in a conventional bureaucracy. On the other end, there will be the open flexible organizations where workers have creative freedom, and a friendly atmosphere. I believe that the there is a big difference between the two types of jobs. Certain jobs have responsibilities that must be met by a certain deadline. For instance, a stock boy must have a set amount of merchandise stocked on the shelves by a certain time of day. At the end of the day, he must answer to a supervisor to let them know that his goal was accomplished. In this scenario, there is no room for interpretation there is only one way to stock merchandise. However, on the other hand, a systems developer at a computer company may have weeks to meet deadlines. A new system may need to be planned and they have an abundant amount of time to plan the system efficiently, and work in a team to combine ideas . Although this job has a goal and a deadline, there are numerous amounts of ways that the employee can go about solving the problem. The type of work environment, depends on the type of job that is being done. Research Papers on Evolution of Formal OrganizationsIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Project Managment Office SystemMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductTwilight of the UAWPETSTEL analysis of IndiaResearch Process Part OneAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaOpen Architechture a white paperPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe Evolution of Formal Organizations Free Online Research Papers Over the course of the last 100 years, the overall trend in thinking about organizational form and structure has been toward greater recognition, system complexity, and diversity. While the overall trend in thinking about organizational and management effectiveness has been away from the generic toward the more unique and tailored. Today there are two basic model types that are used for the structure of an organization and the models are: the conventional bureaucracy and the open-flexible organization model. The conventional bureaucracy consists of many levels in its chain of command and all individuals must follow the rules and regulations that govern in this model type. The open-flexible organization has fewer levels of command, and emphasizes that all employees share ideas, apply their creative thoughts, and places the responsibility of failures and success on teams instead of individuals. In my research I will provide simple ideas to help Micah’s organization with change s to a brighter evolution and efficient working environment. For centuries most formal organizations operated under what we call conventional bureaucracy. Conventional bureaucracy is known for its many levels in what we see as the pyramid (Lounsbury Carberry, 2004). Formal organizations that practice conventional bureaucracy have a clear chain of commands with each level having a title that certain expectations have to be upheld for the organization (Lounsbury Carberry, 2004). Each employee has a specific job that they are to perform and a manager or supervisor they have to report to (Lounsbury Carberry, 2004). These organizations have their own set of rules, regulations, and policies that they have to follow (Lounsbury Carberry, 2004). Relationships within these organizations are very minimal to basically none (Lounsbury Carberry, 2004). For centuries one would usually see white males in management or positions with more authority. In this day of age one will find equal amounts of managers being both male and female. There is a law that stops employers and organizations from discriminating on one’s gender or age. The organizations have made major changes that allow creativity and strengths. Many of the organizations today are about their employees and the company, not just the company. Today’s organizations want to hire workers for the long run of employment and not to just fill a responsibility. Not only is organization a top priority so are the employees. Formal organizations are intended for â€Å"special purpose and structured for maximum efficiency† (Schaefer, 2006). These organizations have tremendous power over our economy and in management terms, â€Å"of large-scale operations† (Schaefer, 2006). Formal organizations fill the gap in society enabling them to satisfy our needs. There are several components to the formal organization such as Max Weber’s theory on bureaucracy, â€Å"Bureaucracy that rules and hierarchical ranking† (Schaefer, 2006). This is indicative to â€Å"government, education, and business† (Schaefer, 2006). Characteristics of bureaucracy consist of â€Å"Division of Labor, Hierarchy of authority, written rules and regulations, impersonality, employment based on technical Qualifications† (Schaefer, 2006). Whether one deals with bureaucracies or organizations they both play an essential part in our lives. With the change of times many things has evolved in the organizational system (Borghesi Houston, 2007). Years ago organizations were having many issues with job performance and the quality of work (Borghesi Houston, 2007). This caused the managers’ of the organization to have very little input in the way things were being run. The individuals who worked for these organizations were given positions depending on what the key parts of a job were in the organization (Borghesi Houston, 2007). Now a day’s organizations have developed a new team based foundation where the managers are in charge of monitoring the teams’ progress (Borghesi Houston, 2007) . The best manager’s are the ones who take time to listen to their employee’s and consider their input and idea’s. The input and ideas of employee’s is vital to an organization’s productivity. Most organization’s today give their employee’s individual tasks that utilize their talents (Borghesi Houston, 2007). Many formal organizations have worked to make their work environment more flexible because of the changes in time and workers. Modern organizations have strong desires for their employees to share and apply personal thoughts to work assignments. The modern organizations have developed a strategy that involves members of the company to be placed in their competitive work groups. The objective of these work groups is to establish an atmosphere where each team strives to create the best solutions to any company problems. There are sometime incentives given to the team for evaluating and using their critical thinking to come to solutions to solve any obstacles that have overcome in the company. Advancement of today’s technology, formal organizations are increasing the new way to be more efficient and get the job done. For the formal organization that Micah works for to evolve it has several things that should be changed, so the environment and flexibility will change. For starters all employees’ activities should be more of a team based and also equal between all the employees of the team. Their needs to major change in the structure of authority and organize smaller groups to achieve a common goal. Micah’s organization, like any organization that is striving for perfection and increased revenue, will strategically investigate and use methods or trends that are designed to assist with a company’s demands. Most large corporations are always looking to produce more products, and save money by cutting unnecessary spending without affecting the company. As a result of Micah’s organization following the conventional bureaucracy style since day one, it is going to be extremely difficult to change, and any change made is going to need to be done in small increments. Most companies will only make changes structurally if the company has been going through a financial hardship for quite some time. The formal organizations are seeing that the increase productivity of team work, thanks to team work and the diminishment of the one employee per job are gone. Today formal organizations are now becoming less bureaucratic and more flexible. Newer workers enter and take over and as technology, which means that more jobs are becoming less dependent on manual labor and more dependent on technology. Formal organizations have CEO instead of numerous managers and few senior managers and other employees are put into teams and work towards one specific goal. Life is about changes no matter where things have to start or end. Research Papers on Evolution of Formal OrganizationsResearch Process Part OneOpen Architechture a white paperThe Project Managment Office SystemMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductPETSTEL analysis of IndiaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia