Organization as a System Flashcards
Norms*
Shared beliefs, attitudes, standards, and practices exhibited by an/or expected of all members in a group., organization, or social system.
Over-Determination
Redundant, mutually reinforcing mechanisms more than sufficient to ensure the stability of a social system.
Subsystems of Organization**
Cogs
Internal, recurring processes (systems) that perform essential functions.
System*
Interdependent parts operating as a unitary whole that interacts with its environment in recurring cycles of exchange to obtain needed resources and adapt.
Properties of a System**
Forest
- Inputs
- Throughputs
- Outputs
- Homeostasis
- Differentiation
- Integration
- Equifinality
- Exchange cycle
- Adaptation
- Mnemonic device: In, through, and out of the forest to go home; to take a different route would indeed equal extreme adaptation. *
Values
Enduring, fundamental priorities or ideals that guide personal choices,
OR
Fundamental priorities and/or ideals shared in common by members of a group, organization, or larger social system.
Subsystems of an Organization Example
Walmart supply-line management system.
(Sub of Org. extension) Generic subsystems
- Management
- Production/Technical
- Infrastructure
- Boundary-spanning
- Adaptive
(MPTIBA)
Management subsystem
Responsible for strategy, structure, planning, direction, coordination, budgeting, development, capacity, security and success. SSSS DD CC PB
Production/Technical subsystem
Converts inputs into outputs, such as ore to metal.
Boundary-Spanning subsystem
Manages external interactions - “across the boundary:” Marketing and sales, procurement, purchasing, logistics, supply-line management, shipping, distribution, waste disposal, lobbying.
Adaptive subsystem
Monitors the environment, gathers intelligence, identifies needed operational changes, develops new processes and products, product development, industrial espionage.
Infrastructure subsystem
Maintains current and future capacity, including human resources, information, facilities, and existing processes.
Infrastructure subsystem
Maintains current and future capacity, including human resources, information, facilities, and existing processes.
Values Examples
- ) Social responsibility, achievement
2. ) Procedural justice, earning
Inputs
Resources for continued operation acquired from the larger environment.
Throughput
Processes that convert inputs to outputs
Homeostasis
Dynamic equilibrium or steady state that occurs when inputs sustain current outputs.
Differentiation
Specialized components serving specific functions.
Integration
Means of coordinating specialized components.
Equifianlity
Multiple ways of achieving the same result.
Exchange cycle
Repeatedly sending outputs and receiving inputs in return.
Adaptation
Changes enabling adjustment to the environment.
