Gareth Morgan, Shaping Organizational Life - Book Report/Review Example

Order 328734 Topic: Gareth Morgan, Shaping Organizational life Introduction: Business world is like a turbulent sea. An organization that is out to do business is like an ace swimmer who takes the plunge. The waves shall be there in the sea, the small waves and the big waves! The wise saying goes—having gone for the sea-bath, be not afraid of the oncoming waves. If the waves are powerful, duck them; if the waves are friendly dance with them; when the waves are normal, make your way further; the final aim of an ace swimmer is to reach the other shore, weathering all the challenges. Howsoever powerful maybe the waves, he knows that their real nature is mere water!—this in short is the organizational life-- to accept the challenges of the modern materialistic world, impacted by the industrial and internet revolutions! In the introduction part of the book Morgan makes some candid observations as to how metaphors create ways of seeing and shaping organizational life-seeing, thinking and acting in new ways. He is alive to the demands of the modern competitive world, how the business world throws new challenges, and how the ‘survival of the fittest’ principle is tested to the brink every day in the organizational life. He writes, “It is often believed that effective managers and problem solvers are born rather than made and have a kind of magical power to understand and transform the situations they encounter.”(p.3) He brilliantly introduces the concept of metaphor and its important role in organization theory and management. New ideas about the brain, chaos and complexity can be understood in their proper perspective with this novel tool of metaphor. Morgan hastens to add, “Skilled leaders and managers develop the knack of reading situations with various scenarios in mind and of forging actions that seem appropriate to the understandings thus obtained.”(p.3) Morgan emphasizes the important role in the construction of theory and practice as for the challenges facing management and students of organization. He makes sincere and interesting efforts and valid observations while presenting insights for the current challenges by providing appropriate examples. Morgan states, “We use metaphor whenever we attempt to understand one element of experience in terms of another. Thus, metaphor proceeds through implicit or explicit assertions that A is (or is like) B. When we say, “ the man is a lion,” we use the image of a lion to draw attention to the lion-like aspects of the man. The metaphor frames our understanding of the man in a distinctive yet practical way.”(p.4) Organizations need to behold different types of metaphors depending upon their peculiar nature and the type of functions they are engaged in. “Metaphors create ways of seeing and shaping organizations life, different metaphors have a capacity to tap different dimensions of a situation, showing how different qualities can….”(p.338) impact in varied contexts. There are several situations in a given organization. A common metaphor that will give us information and leverage about the latent essentials about the organization will have to be identified. Deep thought will have to be given as to what is appropriate. For schools and for school leadership for example, from his viewpoint, cultural metaphor seems good. Giving justification for this choice of metaphor for schools Morgan observes, “If we can create cultures in our schools that are built around the shared energies and shared values of trying to generate learning, create collaboration, break boundaries between school and home, create communities that celebrate accomplishments, nurture individual accomplishments and value diversity, that is an incredibly powerful way for schools to have an impact on their situations. I know people who have started to do valuable work in this way. It is important to lever the culture metaphor here.” (Imaginization…) Not one, but several metaphors will be applicable to a particular organization. It depends upon the context in which and the perspective of the organization. The metaphor relevant in a particular situation may be totally irrelevant in some other context, yet relating to the same organization. Morgan takes up the gender issue and this can be understood by two examples of metaphor (there are more!) in the given context. You have, perhaps never heard a discussion or spiritual discourse on the topic, ‘Men—their role in the society. The discussion is always about women. Men have, perhaps, no role!’(Cultural metaphor) Continuing comments on the same issue of gender, ‘the never-ending talk of giving equal rights to women goes on unabated. All the Acts of Parliaments in all the countries of the world will not bring equality for women. ..A female child is victimized at every step of life, from the moment of birth, in spite of the fact that it is she who sacrifices at those steps. Women need to be the legal equals of men.’(Politics metaphor) To know whether there is generic that elucidates the essence of all organizations, Morgan again leans on metaphors to give proper explanations. He goes to explain the nature of the organization and says that it could be answered on the background of ontological, (referring to the state of reality), or epistemological. Much depends upon how one observes and understands the organization. A generic metaphor that describes the nature and essence of organization is difficult to visualize. The nature of the organization itself changes, with the impact of research and technological advancements. So, there is nothing like an ideal organization and an ideal metaphor. No metaphor can fit into the totality of the circumstances. “Metaphor is often regarded just as a device for embellishing discourses, but its significance is much greater than this. The use of metaphor implies a way of thinking and a way of seeing that pervades how we understand our world generally.(p.4) Metaphor must lead to vibrancy in the day to day management in an organization and it must constantly inspire. It should not be like the forgotten, unpolished plate of brass. It should shine and sparkle. Conclusion: William Shakespeare, writes in the play Twelfth Night, “Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.”(Quote Act II, Scene v) In a big organization, the three important leaders belonging to the above different categories may influence the overall culture of the organization in different styles as per their upbringing and study. But all contribute to its progress and prosperity. A leader gets ideas from interactions with the people. The difference between an ordinary individual and a leader is, the latter has the rare insight. In every crisis, he sees the opportunity. Metaphor is only the beginning of understanding; it doesn’t provide the final answer. But it makes one think creatively and actively assists in finding the appropriate solutions. “For example, research in a wide variety of fields has demonstrated that metaphor exerts a formative influence on science, on our language, and on how we think, as well as on how we express ourselves on a day-to-day basis.”(p.4) It is safe to conclude that metaphor sparks ideas through friction and ignition of the thought processes. *********** . Works Cited: Famous Quotes by William Shakespeare from the play Twelfth Night"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them". - (Quote Act II, Scene V). ... - Cached - Retrieved on October 24, 2009 Imaginization: Provocative Ideas An Interview With Gareth Morgan ... method of organizational analysis…. Cached, Retrieved on October 24, 2009 Morgan, Gareth: Images of Organization; Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; Updated edition (May 9, 2006) Read More