The Context of Organizational Environments

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The Context of Organizational Environments
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Task Environment

• The environment in which organizations negotiate
  to exchange inputs for outputs

Refers to the organization-environment relations
as impacting the task of the organization
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The Relationships Between Organizations the
Task Environment

• Organizations develop strategies as a means of
  adapting to the external environment
• These strategies are based on their perceptions
  of the environment
• Through its owns actions, the organization has
  the ability to modify as well as directly
  influence the state of the environment
• To the extent that an organization is successful
  at establishing its niche, it can then impact
  the power-dependence relationship with its
  environment
• Organizations legitimize themselves via social
  support and approval from the environment

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Characteristics of the Task Environment

• Placidity vs. Turbulence
• Homogeneity vs. Heterogeneity
• Richness vs. Paucity
• Stability vs. Instability
• Organized vs. Nonorganized
• Certainty vs. Uncertainty

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How do organizations adapt?

• Competition
• Bargaining
• Co-optation
• Coalition
• Exerting authority and power
• Disruption
• Generalize
• Specialize

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The ability of an organization to adapt is
predicated by the

• TYPE OF ORGANIZATION
• AND ITS STRUCTURE

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• AND the structure of the organization
• is predicated by the type of organization
• And the financial basis
• for its operations

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Types of Organizations

• Public
• Non-Profit
• For-Profit

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Operating Authority

• Public authorized and established by statute or
  is a subunit of a public organization
• Non-profit incorporated in the state or
  locality where it does business
• For-profit organized as a corporation,
  partnership, sole proprietorship, or association

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Structure Defined

• The formal arrangement of people and functions
  necessary to achieve desired results (Page)

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Structure Defined

• The formal positional distribution and role
  relations of persons in a human service
  organization (Hall)

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Structure Defined

• The actual arrangements and levels of an
  organization in regard to power, authority,
  responsibilities, and mechanisms for carrying out
  its functions practice (Skidmore)

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Purposes of Structure

• Determines the governance pattern
• Reflects the performance of the organization

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Purposes of Structure

• Should be large enough for governing body and
  advisory board to carry out its responsibilities
• Larger organizations may use committees or task
  group structures

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• How we develop organizational structure depends
  on how we view its function

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Factors to Consider in creating organizational
structure

• What are the organizational resources?
• Are there mandates required by the nature of the
  services provided?
• What are the fiscal requirements?
• What is the level of qualifications of the staff?
• How will decisions be made?
• How will policies be developed?

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Factors to Consider in creating organizational
structure (cont.)

• What is the level of input that should be
  solicited from staff? Under what circumstances?
• What is the level of organizational flexibility
  desired?
• What is the desired agency culture?
• How will services be coordinated?
• What are immediate and long-term time constraints?

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Note what are your substructures

• Interrelationships among personnel
• (the psycho-social subsystem)
• Appointed and elected committees
• Board-administration-staff arrangements

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ASSESSING ORGANIZATION STRUCTURES Understanding
your organizations blockages
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EXERCISE

• Thinking About Organizational Change

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Current Trends

• Boundary blurring
• Non-profits under more scrutiny by legislators
• Complex funding patterns
• Shifting to private sector and decentralization
• Building of networks
• Enhancement of individual creativity

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Managing the Process of Organizational Change
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The Process of Organizational Change

• Requires change in the domains of culture,
  structure, and behavior
• (chemers, etal.)

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Cultural Change

• REQUIRES altering the agencys culture
• - Beliefs, values, assumptions ideologies
  that define the organization
• GOAL develop a pluralistic culture
• - encourage diversity of thought, practice
  action
• RESULTS changes in vision, traditions, symbols,
  management practices reward structures that
  value promote diversity

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Structural Change

• REQUIRES changes in the grouping of positions
  departments
• GOAL remove structural barriers that prevent
  women ethnic minorities from gaining access to
  positions of power
• RESULTS achieve proportional heterogeneity in
  positions across rank, department specialization

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Behavioral Change

• REQUIRES changes in behaviors, attitudes
  perceptions among individuals groups
• - attack micro-inequities
• GOAL create a diversity climate
• RESULTS appreciation for diversity

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Caveats

• Change in one area is insufficient for producing
  effective change
• Efforts must be inclusive of all groups
• This theory operates on the presumption that
  culture, structure, behavior are interdependent

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Applying Solution Oriented Strategies to Managing
Change
Chapman, J. A. (2002) A framework for
transformational change in organisations.
Leadership Organization Development Journal, 23
(1) 16-25. McKergow, M. Clarke, J. (2004)
Positive approaches to change. United Kingdom
Solutions Books.
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Appreciative Inquiry

• Focus on relational configurations, not
  individuals
• Include multiple voices
• Envision effective futures
• Emphasize coordinate strengths, abilities,
  passions
• Appreciates the best of what is

• Doesnt ignore problems recognizes problems
  as a desire for something else, the works to
  identify enhance the something else
• Sees process outcome as interrelated,
  therefore, the process must be a collaborative one

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Organizational Constellations Appreciative
Inquiry

• Seeks organization transformation
• - looks to transform the underlying dynamics of
  an organization that reduce the change agility
  of the agency and consumes energy
• Proposes transformation through re-construction
• - makes it easier to deal with contradictions,
  opposites, multiple systems
• - seeks to create new organizational realities

• The organization is viewed like a family system,
  consisting of members
• Issues dynamics of the organization looked at
  through the feedback of the employees
• Points to new actions behaviors that will
  support long-term change

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Hidden Realities
Unspoken Thoughts Unspoken Feelings Operating
Assumptions Accepted Behaviors
Hidden Dynamics
Hidden Energies
SYNTHESIS OF Organisational Constellations
Appreciative Inquiry
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Solutions Focus

• Focus on what is going well in order to make
  positive pragmatic changes
• Process entails co-constructing better rather
  than right/wrong/good/bad
• Recognizes the nature of behavior in complex
  systems and helps people to take small steps that
  will ripple across the organization

• Sees change as happening all the time the task
  is to identify amplify useful change
• There is no right way of looking at things
  different views may fit the facts just as well
• No problem happens all the time task is to
  identify what is going on when it does not happen

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Strategies that can be used

• Interviews with employees
• use of scaling questions
• co-constructing realities
• Encourage broad-based and genuine participation
  in the change process
• Experimental moves
• Encouraging Reframing
• creating opportunities for new attitudes
  values to emerge
• challenging beliefs, assumptions, values

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Top Ten Reasons WHY People Resist Change

• 1. Surprise
• 2. Self-Doubt
• 3. Loss of Control
• 4. Debilitating Uncertainty
• 5. Disruption of Routines

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Top Ten Reasons WHY People Resist Change (cont.)

• 6. Loss of Face
• 7. Increased Workload
• 8. Dangers are Real
• 9. Institutional Memory
• 10. Personal Disruption

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Strategies around Resistance

• Listen to the concerns of those affected
• Assure folks about the effectiveness of old
  ways but that new challenges require new
  solutions
• Give people choices within the overall decision
• Provide opportunities for employees to help plan
  the change
• Communicate as much info about the change
  BEFOREHAND
• Find ways to continue communications about the
  change during after

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Strategies around Resistance (cont)

• Tell the WHOLE truth
• Avoid pretense
• Ensure that families are informed
• Divide big change into smaller steps
• Give employees time to grieve
• Make standards clear
• Minimize number of workday behaviors introduced
  by change
• Offer positive reinforcement
• Reward successes

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• Dont give up easily
• Change requires time.