Will the Dental College Survive or Collapse - Essay Example

 Will the Dental College Survive or Collapse? Jack London’s thought-provoking work, The Call of the Wild, provides an interesting perspective on life. In one part of the book, when the alpha dog stands in a forest surrounded by tall pine trees, it comes to a moment of truth. His primitive instincts beckon it to the wild. In a similar way, human beings are facing their moment of truth. Standing on the very land that sustains them, they are being faced by a call from earth (McFadden, 2011). In his book, Jared Diamond talks about how the earth is showing signs and warning of a catastrophe in the making. Diamond is of the perspective that environmental degradation is one of the major reasons for the collapse of societies. The annals of history are rife with such examples. They show that successful societies were able to effectively address environmental concerns. Diamond believes that environmental concerns hold equal importance, if not more, than other factors that contribute to the success of a society. Taking care of the environment before it is too late makes the difference between a failed and a successful society. Diamond devised a formula for explaining how societies collapsed: environmental crisis + failure of a society to address = collapse of society (McFadden, 2011). Taking these factors into consideration, this essay will analyze the various attributes of the corporation that I work in- a dental college. The various aspects of the dental college will be evaluated and it will be discusses whether they are contributing to its success or collapse. Profile The dental college under consideration is a proprietary vocational college. A vocational college is defined as an institution where individuals are taught the skills necessary to become a professional in a certain job. Vocational colleges can operate on non-profit basis or can be proprietary. Since the dental college is proprietary, it does not have key affiliations with any of the popular universities of the country. Since it is private, it has a commercial nature and operates for the benefits of the people who own it. Students are charged fees, which is used to run the college. It was established in 1961. Starting from 42 students and with a faculty of 11 teachers, the building was located in the heart of the city. Over the time the college has expanded the education being offered, with programs being provided for postgraduates now. Training is offered to both students who are pursuing doctoral programs and who have completed their doctoral degree. In the past, the college has produced influential dentists that are practicing in various parts of the country. Along with the education being provided to the students, the college also invests in research (Dim & Cricco, 2001). Analyzing the dental college: failing or succeeding? Daniel Wren is of the perspective that management extends beyond military and politics- a concept that was appreciated by the Greeks hundreds of years ago. The Greeks increasingly considered the importance of management in social reform and patterns of social relations (Chiu, 2010). This entails that management plays an important role in the routine working of businesses. Most, if not all, of the successful organizations in the US are admired and their wide-ranging managerial skills imitated by businesses all over the world. According to Normand (2004), there are two main traits that distinguish these organizations from other struggling businesses in the world. These two traits are the eagerness for the future and the ability to change. Successful corporations look forward to the future and aim to improve things. They also are willing and keen to change in order to achieve their aims. A general rule that guarantees the success of a business is management. Successful corporations have been associated with the use of effective management skills. Management entails the effective supervision and regulation of the non-technical aspects of the business i.e. the backroom activities (Normand, 2004). Once the business has been stabilized, it is the management of the business that will continue this stability in the future. It is observed that once the business has acquired a stable position, management strategies need to be altered. Inability to do so will cause the business to decline and collapse. There are a number of factors that influence the success of an organization. These include factors which are linked with organizational management, personal traits of the managers and crisis management. Management of resources is a crucial element in the operation of a business as Wren observes. In his book, Wren talks about how management entails “getting work done through others” (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2003). In the case of the Chinese general, Sun Tzu, it meant managing an army, whereas managers today are faced with greater challenges besides the obvious managerial tasks. Management is also influenced by the culture of the organization. This entails a range of elements such as the aims and philosophy of the business (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2003). For a business to be successful, it needs to clearly define its aims and objectives. As the Chinese general Sun Tzu observed that it is necessary for the commands to be clear and cogent; if they cannot be comprehended easily, it is the fault of the general (Wren & Bedeian, 2009). This highlights the importance of aims and goals. The corporation should have a well-developed business plan that charts out its aims and objectives as well as its mission statement and philosophy. In the case of the dental college that I work with, the faculty aims to inculcate the skills and expertise as well as give knowledge required for performing in the dental profession. The college is clear in its goals: teaching students how to integrate theory and expertise in becoming good dentists. The organization has set out its vision for becoming the dental college which produces some of the pioneering dentists of the region. Another aspect of a successful company is the development of an organizational structure. This entails that the dental college should have specific policies and rules in place for the regulation of the work being carried out as well as the supervision of the faculty (Normand, 2004). At the dental college, each member of the faculty has a certain position. There are different departments for the subjects being taught, such as oral biology department, dental surgery etc. Furthermore each department has their own head of department, associate professor and junior teachers. The departments are regulated by the dean and associate dean. The college also has a students’ affairs department which focuses on improving the system by addressing the complaints of the students. The staff in the administration helps to regulate and bring together the various departments of the college. The college also has a common regulatory policy for each of its departments. The college aims to maintain a certain standard of teaching. However it is observed that the quality of education being delivered is falling over the years. The college does seek to improve and to bring about changes in the system in order to resolve the problems the students face because of it. However the regulation is sometimes not strictly followed and the complaints of the students are not duly addressed. The dental college has an operational excellence system to improve the standards of education being delivered; however it is often not adhered to. Normand (2004) contends that the development of operational support systems is integral to the functioning of a company. Successful companies have devised operational support systems whose purpose is to make their activities more efficient. However at the dental college, there is no such system present. The educational system does not support the running of the college efficiently and fails to make its management more effective and compelling. This is primarily due to the declining standards of education. Where the world is geared for progress, the college is unable to embody the trait of ingenuity and develop innovative ways of delivering education and facilitating learning. Since the college is run for the benefits of the owners, it develops a more commercial element to it. As long as the owners are getting money out of the education, they are not concerned about the development of operational support programs to improve education standards. Moreover the lack of any significant affiliation with another university makes the college take educational standards lightly. This takes away the sense of urgency and competition that is required to meet the standards of the university it is affiliated with. Consequently the owners do not feel accountable and fail to address the problems of the system. Another salient feature of successful organizations is the traits of the managers themselves. The people who are in charge at the dental college are motivated as far as their own interests are met. They proclaim that they are driven for the achievement of the aims of the college and will make every possible effort to bring it at par with some of the best dental colleges of the world. However, with their self-limited enthusiasm, they are unable to bring about significant changes in the college administration to support growth and progress. Crisis management is also an essential tool for a successful company. Businesses have to work for meeting the expectations of their stakeholders; those unable to do so are going to collapse (Thompson & Martin, 2005). This is another aspect that is deficient at the college. The dental college needs to cater to the needs of the stakeholders and address their concerns. The stakeholders of the college include students, host government, local communities and the faculty and staff. The higher management needs to take into consideration the complaints of the stakeholders if it wants the college to survive. Evaluating the college from the perspective of Diamond and Wren Jared Diamond, in his compelling work, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, discusses the reasons that cause collapse of societies. According to Diamond, environmental causes have a major contribution to the collapse of societies. When looking at the civilizations of the past, Anasazi of the American Southwest and the Viking colonies of Greenland, environmental damage was perhaps the most significant factor which led to their downfall. It can be gleaned from the discussions put forth in the book that environmental concerns are equally important as other political and economic factors that determine the success or collapse of a society. Environmental desecration may not be the reason for the fall of every civilization of the past. However eco-meltdown is frequently the most important factor that explains the decline of societies (Kavanagh, 2006). According to Diamond there are five main factors which lead to collapse of societies. These include changes in climate, antagonistic neighbours, trade partners, environmental issues and the reaction of the society to these issues. He contends that the first four factors may not hold a significant role in the collapse of the societies of the past. However, the fifth factor always plays a major part in the fall of societies (Kavanagh, 2006). Diamond is also of the view that when looking at the Mayan civilization, the main reason for their failure is inability of the ruling elite to change. In the capitalist society such as that in the US, inability of the ruling elite to change can cause the society to collapse. Diamond is of the perspective that, like all the other factors, the society has control over the choice that they make regarding environmental issues. Therefore, civilizations have the choice of responding to the threats posed by environmental concerns. Failing to do so leads to the collapse of societies; thereby, societies “choose to fail” (Kavanagh, 2006). When considering this in the context of the dental college, one can see that the college has not engaged in or supported any initiative that represents its due responsibility to the society and the community. Where many colleges provide social and community awareness programs to improve the health of the general public, the dental college I am associated with does not host any public health programs. The college does undertake research but this research needs to be approved by the owners before it is started. This means that the owners have the authority to allow or disallow any research that they want. The research methods used are not evaluated from the perspective of their impact on the environment. Owners encourage research projects which meet their personal interests, not taking into consideration the ethical issues associated with it. At the dental college, the attitude of the owners does not encourage preservation and conservation of the environment. There are twelve chief environmental problems which culminate in ultimate doom for the society including obliteration of natural habitats, decrease in biodiversity, soil erosion, excess use of natural resources, pollution of natural water reserves, contamination of environment by manmade pollutants such as toxins, climate change and a booming population (Kavanagh, 2006). Diamond gives the example of Montana and how depletion of the environment is causing is paving way for the imminent collapse of the society. Pollution and environmental degradation is occurring at a rapid rate in the state. Global warming, seepage of fertilizers and industrial pollutants into the soil and water reserves, leach mining, tourism and liberatarian preferences have led the state, which was once in a pristine condition half a century ago, to undergo significant environmental destruction. The glaciers of Montana are melting rapidly and the traditional industries are on a decline. The people have differing opinions regarding the solution to the looming crisis. Diamond argues that the problem could be solved by focusing on values. If the natives revisit the lessons that are obtained from the environmental hazards in the past such as the 1973 fuel crisis and the hesitation of the environmentalists to remind businessmen about using sustainable means of development, this bad attitude could be overcome. Organizations have overcome this bad attitude by supporting a community outreach and awareness program. This program aims to raise awareness amongst the public and to promote healthy relationships amongst the community. For the dental college under consideration, the absence of such awareness and public health programs makes it a potential target for collapse, as implied by Diamond. Taking the example of Montana, one learns the lesson that steps should be taken to neutralize the negative effects of environmental degradation and to avert the chances of an eco-meltdown. For this purpose, it is essential for societies to change and to emulate practices that promise its further growth rather than sticking to values that are going obsolete. In the example of the Greenland Norse, Diamond observes how the Greenland Norse failed to change and to adopt the practices of Inuit because they were pagans. The Inuit were better skilled at managing husbandry then the Greenland Norse. With the changing season, the Greenland Norse could have changed their ways and adopted those of the Inuit but they refused to do so. They intentionally chose to die as Christian farmers than to live as Inuit and so lost in the long run (Diamond, 2005). Therefore change is important for survival. When Wren traces back the history of management thought, it can be seen that a certain set of perspectives led to the rise and success of the Roman Empire, construction of pyramids etc. However with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, great changes were brought about in production processes. Thus a change in management thought is required to cope with the challenges being posed by changing times. This philosophy is absent at the dental college. Although the college has made it its statement to improve standards, it has yet to implement it practically. The college does not invest in any operational management systems which aim to improve its performance. Diamond asserts that the determining factor for the success and failure of societies is their ability to identify which values are to be followed and their impact as well as taking steps to manage the values which are no longer required. The dental college does not fulfil the criteria of an organization that appreciates such values required for sustainable growth. The values act as a guide for organizations and their absence prevents the college from acting in a socially responsible way. The practices of the college are against the very essence of the goal that it serves to achieve: the development of qualified dentists to serve the community. Diamond and Wren both contend that the organization must be able to develop sustainable means in order to survive. Thus the college needs to consider it to be part of its ethical duty to work for the protection and conservation of the environment and to provide the community advantages. Survival can be achieved if the college develops and implements a socially sustainable policy in all aspects of its operations. This is important to prevent the collapse of the organization. As a part of the organization, my role in preventing its collapse lies in the fact that I reduce the environmental degradation occurring in the society at the time as a consequence of the research activities taking place at the college. Moreover other aspects of the management of the college need to be identified which are contributing to the desecration of the environment. One of the ways that the declining educational standards of the institution can be counteracted is by affiliating the institution with a university. Merging can also be an option. I need to get over the bad attitude and to increase sustainable measures of operation. If the college continues with its practices, it is likely to collapse. Good management skills that adapt to the changing times, along with a keenness to develop the college, are necessary for its continued growth. Reference List Bloomsbury Publishing. (2003). Business. CITIC Publishing House. Dim, J. M. & Cricco, N. M. (2001). The miracle on Washington Square: New York University. Maryland: Lexington Books. Chiu, Y. C. (2010). An introduction to the History of Project Management. Netherlands: Eburon Academic Publishers. Diamond, J. (2005). Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed. Viking. Kavanagh, M. J. (2006). Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Retrieved from http://forestpolicy.typepad.com/ecoecon/2006/07/jared_diamonds_.html McFadden, S. (2011). The Call of the Land (2nd ed.). Indiana: NorlightsPress. Normand, R. A. (2004). Four Reasons Why Small Businesses Succeed (or Fail). Retrieved from http://www.businessknowhow.com/startup/succeed.htm Thompson, J. L. & Martin, F. (2005). Strategic management: awareness and change. London: Cengage Learning EMEA. Wren, D. A. & Bedeian, A. G. (2009). The Evolution of Management Thought (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. Read More