Incorporating Open Systems into an Organization - Coursework Example

Executive Summary The concept of the open system is one that can provide an organization with stability and growth. The internal environment can be affected with this structure, specifically by creating a deeper understanding of what is expected by the role of the manager. More importantly, there is the ability to create growth by evaluating the performance with the open system mindset by the way in which interactions occur within the environment. Creating an open system that is conducive to the growth of a business is one that can work with the life cycle of products while providing more options for growth and stability despite the environment and changes that occur. Introduction The ability to create a system within an organization is reliant on both the internal and external components as well as the main structure of the system. For this to work even more effectively is the need to put together more options for managers and leaders that are within the system. According to Farjoun (2010), the main qualities of an organization need to be reliant on stability, reliability and exploitation first to create a sense of stability. Combining this with innovation and change then creates a different environment in which the business can grow and prosper. These qualities can be furthered by the main structure of an organization. A concept that is introduced by Katz and Kahn (1978), is based on the concept of applying an open system to the structure for complete growth. The ability to create an organization that uses an open system then allows managers to carry both qualities of stability and growth for an environment that is conducive to growth. Open Systems Thinking and the Role of the Manager The framework that is provided by Katz and Kahn (1978), is able to provide a basis for organizations to work toward both stability and change. In this particular model, there is the ability for managers to understand their primary roles while maintaining a system and offering growth within the organization. The first aspect to this is to notice the consistent patterns that are within an organization. The culture, beliefs and environment of an organization provide a basis for an organization with the focus on providing a sense of stability. With managers, there is the ability to create a main focus with these three components. The culture and beliefs are developed through the mission and vision of a company and the environment is set by the continuous understanding of the goals that are provided within an organization. The manager is then responsible for maintaining these specific aspects of an organization while allowing employees to create the same sense of stability. The determination of this specific aspect will be with the continuous performance within the organization as well as the employee participation that is available on a daily basis (Burke et al, 2009). Even though there is the need to create a sense of stability, it should also be noted that life cycles are a part of products and businesses. Management is not only responsible for a sense of stability within an organization, but should also be aware of the changes that occur with open systems thinking. This becomes the driving force for innovation and the ability to create new implementation levels and ideologies within the business. By acknowledging the concepts of change that are within an organization, there is the ability to continue to build momentum within the organization. This can be done by recognizing external controls that are within the system, such as market trends, responses from consumers and applications to the internal environment. By looking at these trends, companies are able to continue to offer new perspectives and evolutions that are not dependent on a single item, but instead through the social powers and outside structures that continue to play a role within an organization (Pfeffer, Salancik, 2003). Another aspect that is related to the management expectations and the organization is known as process management. This uses the main concept of the open system, which continues with the changes that are expected with the life cycle of an organization. The more that one understands this perspective, the easier it is to work toward change within an organization. More importantly, managers can take the role and applicable movements with organizational intervention. When the life cycle becomes slower and the life of the business begins to change through external and internal controls, then managers can learn how to intervene and use ideologies of change from the open system to further the business. Instead of allowing the business to falter, there can be alterations and methodologies that allow the organization to improve and to prosper. More importantly, this intervention will allow the business to move forward into a different manner so there are more opportunities and different options available for the life of the business to continue to grow. For managers, there is the need to understand how and when to intervene as well as how to apply specific leadership skills that will promote the change and development of the business (Melan, 2002). Even though there is the need to intervene with the basic concepts that occur within the business, there are also ways in which the role of the manager can be monitored and controlled. The integration and coordination as noted in the open systems makes a substantial difference in the effectiveness of an organization. Management roles should have a requirement that know how to integrate the older concepts of the organization, controls that are needed and change into the main concept of the business. This will unify and coordinate all aspects of the business while providing more opportunities for the business to grow and change without having problems with change management. However, the role of the managers must have a deeper understanding of what is expected for both sustainability and growth and must have the ability to communicate and lead others in carrying the same components of growth and change, as well as the integration of other concepts. The more that a manager can provide substantial growth and change, as well as flexibility in the integration of older concepts, the easier it will be for the systems to carry forward with specific functions (Katz, Kahn, 1978). For the different elements of the open system to work among the role of managers, is also the need for the characteristics of those in the managerial role to have a deeper understanding of what is occurring. The open system is known to affect not only the internal organization, but also relates to outside components. Managers should have the ability to integrate social, political and cultural aspects of the organization into the change that is needed. Thinking about change as well as stability on several dimensions will allow the organization to grow in the correct manner while responding to the current conditions and environment. For example, if an economic recession hits, then a manager should understand the political, social and cultural implications of how this will affect the business. The integration should then lead into a thorough understanding of how the organizational environment can change to incorporate these changes and expectations for the business to grow. Altering different aspects of the organization while maintaining stability at a different level will provide newer methods for managing the organization and allowing it to grow and change into a new system (Nadler, 1981). Linking Organizational Performance and Open Systems Thinking When looking at the role of the manager and the context of open systems thinking, one is able to define not only how to change with integration, sustainability and innovation, but also is able to incorporate other factors into the open system. The performance of the company can determine how well a system is working within the organization. More importantly, if the open systems thinking are being used correctly, then it should add to continuous growth and development within a company, while understanding the life cycle that is being incorporated into a business. By doing this, there is the ability to create a different understanding of how the organization can develop and grow while creating a deeper set of policies that are initiated by change. However, the organizational performance and open systems thinking is required to link on several levels and to be consistent with the change and requirements of the organization. The first way in which organizational performance will link to the open systems thinking is through the environment that is created within the business. The employees, managers and those that are interested in the business should all have an understanding of change management as well as their role within the system. More importantly, every individual should understand the stability of the company while having a grasp of how to maneuver and change with the expectations in the environment. The main way in which the performance is evaluated is through the employee performance, specifically when innovation and change is leading what is needed within the economy. More importantly, there will be applications to the change, in which individuals feel comfortable with their performance in the company and are willing to work with innovations in the corporation. Open participation, loyalty to the company and an understanding of the overall vision of the company without discrimination over specific policies are some of the internal environment measures that will show a specific relationship to the organizational performance (Jackson, 2003). The second determination of the performance that is seen in the company is from the competitors that have similar corporations. Enabling, processing and incorporating knowledge processes within the corporation will create a specific environment for innovation. More importantly, employees will begin to understand the effectiveness of specific aspects of the organization. The result will not only be seen with the contributions of the employees as well as the environment that is created. There will also be direct and statistical results that are seen from the competitors and the external environment. The more that change and an open system can be incorporated into the internal environment, the more likely that unique and innovative product lines will be available. This will instantaneously stop other competitors from being able to incorporate and change specific ideas. The result will be that the company will remain ahead of their competitors in the statistical analysis as well as the profit and loss against other businesses (Lee, Choi, 2003). The main concept of moving against competitors then relates to the systems thinking and new adjustments that can be made. Controls will need to be placed on the product lines as well as how the innovations and stable products are working with different consumers. Trends will also need to be analyzed with the life cycle of a product. As an organization is able to understand what they are selling and how much they are selling, it makes it easier to adjust and change while keeping other products consistent. More importantly, there is the ability to monitor when a life cycle is beginning to end. Innovative products can also be monitored to ensure that they can add into the company for new life cycles while growing in the expectations of the company. The measurement of performance can come from the rise and lower in demand of the different items that are being produced. This can be followed with by different business perspectives on how to continue to change and provide innovative product lines or to integrate different trends and needs of consumers into the organization. The ability to work with the trends while keeping the same level of stability of the organization will then provide different alternatives and measures that are seen through consumer demand that rises and falls (Burke et al, 2009). By evaluating competitors, consumer response and the internal organization, there is the ability to understand how the open system thinking is linking with the business. The main concept should be a continuous association with new organizational goals that link to the main concepts of the organization. This should be combined with the desire to add in a level of stability and controls within the organization so the product lines and other initiatives can continue to breathe and to work effectively within the company. At the same time, new organizational goals that will provide innovation and stability to the business should continuously be a part of the environment and should add openness to what is occurring. The performance that results from this will show in the performance that begins with the beliefs in the company as well as the ability to offer change as a part of the corporation. The culture that is created is one that will combine new goals with the values of the company while providing a stronger relation to what is needed with the current trends. As a business is able to thrive with new goals as well as consistency and controls, it will also be able to provide different aspects toward the growth of the corporation and the expectations that are a part of the changes in society (Morgan, 2006). The overall evaluation of a performance through competition, new and old products as well as profit and loss can determine how well the open system thinking works. More importantly, the components of the internal environment, such as the employee behaviors, manager leadership and the overall understanding with the change and stability of the organization will determine similar factors. The system events and cycles as well as the ability to evaluate both negative and positive aspects of the corporation will then create different alternatives and understanding toward the environment and the ability for a business to work toward change and growth as a company. Conclusion The ability for a business to work past basic problems in societal trends, competition and the internal environment can be changed by the framework and structure of the organization. Using an open system as the main basis can provide a different alternative for those that are looking into the company. When the open system is incorporated into the main structure of the business, it is able to offer both stability and growth for the company, while allowing change management to work more effectively. The result is the ability for a company to work with different trends and needs while continuing to remain stable while prospering through the life cycle of the business and different products in the company. References Burke, Warner, Dale Lake, Jill Paine. (2009). Organizational Change: A Comprehensive Reader. UK: John Wiley and Sons. Jackson, MC. (2003). Systems Thinking: Creative Holism for Managers. New York: World ISP Network. Katz, D, RL Kahn. (1978). “Organizations and the System Concept” in the Social Psychology or Organizations. New York: Wiley. Lee, Heeseok, Byounggu, Choi. (2003). “Knowledge Management Enablers, Processes, and Organizational Performance: An Integrative View and Emperical Investigation.” Journal of Management Information Systems (20), (1). Melan, Eugene. (2002). “Process Management: A Systems Perspective.” Synergy Matters (4). Morgan, Gareth. (2006). Images of Organization. California: Sage Publications. Nadler, DA. (1981). “Managing Organizational Change: an Integrative Perspective.” The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science (17), (2). Pfeffer, Jeffrey, Gerald Salancik. (2003). The External Control of Organizations: A Resource Dependence Perspective. 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