The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization - Essay Example

Opinion of experiences at The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) is Australia’s national government body for scientific research, founded in1926 under the name the Advisory Council of Science and Industry. An independent statutory authority, it was constituted and operates under the provisions of the Science and Industrial research act of 1949. It is neither a regulatory, administrative nor an informative agency and is one of the world’s largest and most diverse research agencies. Personal Opinions Every organization is founded to achieve certain specific goals or to fulfill a special mission. The objective of the organization guides it toward performing certain activities. The objectives of the business in most cases are directly related to the organization’s core business activity. After going through the company’s history, I have realized that the main role of CSIRO is carrying out scientific research for Australia’s benefit and facilitating the application of the research results. Other functions include international scientific liaison, research workers training, maintenance of measurements standards, distribution of scientific and technical information and publishing scientific papers. However, the activities and products of the organization may to some extent affect the society. I believe that CIRO as a reputable organization manages its products well and engages in social responsibility. Given that nanotechnology may have a lot of implications in the future, I hope to find out from my experience in the organization what these implications will be. There are various types of businesses including sole proprietorship, partnership, and limited companies. Each of these has its advantages and disadvantages. With almost no doubt CIRO is a company. Yet again, there are various forms of partnerships that may be established at the institutional level. Organizations normally work together to achieve various goals, sometimes sharing resources and in other cases sharing knowledge. Joint ventures are, for example, established so that the companies involve benefit from each other or gain advantage where there are restrictions in case they go alone. I have learnt that CIRO engages with various organizations at different levels in the course of its duties, something that I believe is beneficial to it. I hope to establish with time which organizations CIRO engages with chiefly, and the relationships that exist between them (joint venture, partnership, research partner…). I believe I will appreciate these relationships and how each organization benefits from the other. Every organization operates in an environment affected by factors such as politics, the economy, technology and society. Internally, the organization is also affected by a number of factors. These factors impact on the organization either positively or negatively. Technological development, for example, may give an organization an upper hand over its competitors (Gillespie 45). Yet again, government regulations may restrict the activities of an organization. A favourable political environment may foster rapid growth of the organization much like a hostile one may hamper growth or lead to absolute failure or closure. Although CIRO is established under the authority of the government of Australia, I believe it is subject to certain regulations, for example. My experience in the organization will hopefully open my eyes to the legal environment under which the organization operates. Given that the organization conducts research on various subjects, nanotechnology being no exception, I hope to establish how the organization avoids or overcomes potential problems that may result in it facing litigations. Many organizations are established with profit making as the main objective. While there are non-profit organizations, their objectives vary significantly. Also, such organizations get their funds from external sources mainly, not from the profits that they earn. In some cases, the profit that they make is enough to sustain their activities. Given the nature of CIRO and its mission, it is highly likely that the organization’s mission is not to make profit. Assuming that this is the case, the government must be spending a lot in its upkeep. In order for the government and other stakeholders to invest in CIRO, it must prove its worth. Considering that the organization has been in existence for several years, it must, in my view, be profiting the public, sponsors, organizations and other stakeholders. I hope to confirm through my experience at CIRO what contributions the organizations has made in the past and how these contributions have impacted people’s lives or the country as a whole. There are several types of organizational structures that organizations can assume. Among these include the functional, post-bureaucratic, divisional, matrix structure and bureaucratic structures, each with its pros and cons (Rathakrishnan 35). The organizational structure affects how the organization functions, dictates people’s roles and responsibilities and affects the chain of command. Being a large organization with several functions, CIRO demands a good structure for its proper management and success. In my opinion, the functional structure would best be applied in such an organization given its unique characteristics, as opposed to the other structures. Such a structure encourages specialization of duties which essentially dictates who people are hired and allocated duties. I believe that my experience with the organization will give me a better understanding of how CIRO is structured and the reasons it is structured the way it is. In line with this, I hope that I will appreciate the benefits of such a structure. Every organization is subject to organizational politics however little. Organizational politics encompass every political aspect of the organization (Nummela 56). Subjects such as promotions, staff hiring, staff motivation, and staff unionization all fall within the gamut of organizational politics. CIRO as an organization prides itself for having highly trained staff that are creative and have skills that match their enthusiasm for science. All are focused on coming up with new ways to contribute to the economic and social performance of Australia’s industries, and in the process improving the quality of life. I have discovered that majority of the staff are university graduates, holding different qualifications. I believe the organization plays its card with great professionalism and applies justice in handling political matters. I hope to establish if the staff is unionisable and how the organization balances between the political forces (both internal and external) that are at play in its environment are dealt with. Many organizations have different departments or functional units that work either independently or interdependently for the achievement of objectives and missions. There are several advantages of the traditional/”over the wall” method of performance much like it has several disadvantages. Yet again, interdependence among the functional units has several advantages and disadvantages, its cons often outweighing the disadvantages. I realize that CSIRO has several business/functional units, some of which are engaged in conducting research as noted by Underwood (34). The relationships between these divisions enable the organization to tackle industrial and environmental challenges with a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together the best teams from across the organization. The divisions include the food, health and life science industries group, the CSIRO information sciences group, energy group, environment group and the manufacturing, materials and minerals group (Underwood 375). I am of the opinion that these groups may be working independently/ “over the wall” considering that they deal with different subjects. I hope to establish if this is really the case and how this affects the organization’s overall performance. Employee motivation is an important factor if the organization has to remain successful. Indeed without their motivation, the organization is bound to achieve little success. There are several ways of motivating workers. Beyond monetary motivation, workers can be motivated by recognizing their efforts. I have learnt that in an effort to recognize and appreciate the efforts of its workers, the organization came up with the CSIRO Awards Program. This program plays a crucial role in highlighting and celebrating the achievements of CSIRO staff, which are exemplary of the scientific impact, purpose, strategic direction, beliefs and core values. The awards offered include CSIRO Chairman’s medal, Research Achievement Medal, Lifetime Achievement Medalt, Business Excellence Medal, Environmental Achievement Medal, Health and Safety Achievement Medal, Support Excellence Medal, CSRIO Fellow Award, John Phillip Award and the Science Journalism Award (CSIRO 12). I believe that apart from offering exceptional; performers medals and awards, there are also other measures applied with the sole aim of boosting employees morale. I hope to understand which measures these are and which are the most effective. Works cited Gillespie, D. Research management in the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia. New York: Royal Institute of Public Administration. 2004. Print CSIRO: The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. 2011. Web. Nummela, N. International Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises. New York: Taylor & Francis. 2010. Print Rathakrishnan, L. Small and medium enterprises under globalization: challenges and opportunities. Delhi: Gyan Publishing House. 2009. Print Underwood, E. Report to the Executive of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of a review of the agricultural and biological research programmes of CSIRO. Sidney: CSIRO. 2007. Print Read More