Principles of Management

Welcome to my Principles of Management Blog.

22 responses to “Principles of Management”

24 09 2008
L.W. Penwell (09:19:50) :

What is an Organization? How do you know? Give me an example of an organization being an organization?

How do you feel about life in an organization?

When does it feel good?

When does it feel bad?

24 09 2008
Ron (13:07:45) :

I believe an organization is a group working toward a common goal. I know this through many experiences of working in organzations and studying different types of organizations in school. An example of an organization being an organization occurs when the same group that is working together reaches the common goal that was set before them. I feel like life in an organization can have its rewards as well as its consequences. It can be rewarding when you get along with the people you work with and the chemistry is there to be successful. However it can be less enjoyable when things are not accomplished and pressure is added from upper level management.

26 09 2008
L. W. Penwell (10:26:15) :

OK, but let’s try to get more specific. How about an example of Mary Washington being Mary Washington, or the USA being the USA. Draw from your personal experiences. How did you feel when “it” was acting?

26 09 2008
Ben (15:05:13) :

An organization is a group of people that works together to reach a common goal, set forth by the leadership within that group. Organizations range widely in size and scope and are formed for a variety of reasons, but one universal characteristic is that they all form to do a task(s) that could not be accomplished by one (as well or at all).

Life in an organization can be demanding in that it asks its members to put forth a great deal of effort to reach the goals(s). It can also be confusing, depending on the clarity of purpose and how that purpose is communicated to members.

If feels “good” when you, as a member of an organization, feel well-utilized and useful; it’s rewarding to feel as if you’re an intrinsic part of something greater than yourself.

It feels “bad” when you, as a member of an organization, are poorly utilized and “shoved under the rug,” so to speak. It’s very discouraging to be confused about what you are being asked to do and, disheartening to feel like your efforts are being wasted or unappreciated.

26 09 2008
Sarah W. (19:01:25) :

An organization may be defined as an entity that is trying to reach a goal and that is distinct from its environment. An organization, like the business administration department at Mary Washington, is a means to an end. That is to say the business department is working to produce quality graduates familiar with business (rather than the history department which would have different goals). When these organizations act I feel like they are accomplishing their goal of giving me a good education. The different members of the organization (professors) and their different areas of expertise combine to offer a well rounded curriculum.

An organization requires collaboration but also can lead to a loss of independence. An advantage of an organization (when its “good”) is its ability to solve problems that are unable to be solved by individuals (like giving a well rounded education). When an organization is “bad” it can fail to interact well. For instance, a business class requires english 101 as a prerequisite snd doesn’t count it fulfilled for the purposes of taking the class is one is exempt. This is poor interaction with the organization that handles the general education requirements.

26 09 2008
Becky M-K (21:07:01) :

According to dictionary.com, organize means “to form as or into a whole consisting of interdependent or coordinated parts, esp. for united action”. Going off of this, I believe that an organization is a group that forms or comes together to achieve a purpose/desired result that are accomplished and then extended. I think you know something is an organization when it can be defined or grouped together, but this definition can either be very broad or very specific. An example of an organization being an organization is Red Cross; they are a widely known organization that is defined by their morals to help those in times of need. However, this organization can change and grow in means of numbers of volunteers, because as long as you are someone who is willing to donate their time or money to be used to help those in need, you can be a part of it. This I believe to be a good characteristic of an organization; they can change and be flexible according with the needs of the external environment. This is also an example of life in organization. Life to me means that there has to be a change or a growth that can be measured. Red Cross does this by helping out those in need by supplying them with what they need through the help of those donations. The company experiences a growth in the amount of volunteers and donations, and the results can be measured by how successful they were to help those in need. It “feels good” when the growth can be measured in a positive way and “feels bad” when the growth did not help the organization’s purpose. However, the measurement of growth should be measured based on the purpose of the organization; if the goals and objectives they have set to achieve the task at hand are accomplished, it “feels” good. If not, it “feels” bad.

27 09 2008
Kathleen Dray (16:39:39) :

An organization is a structured, functioning mechanism that’s strives towards one main goal. All the component parts have separate but similar roles, separate meaning they might be responsible for filing papers or making billion dollar decisions, but both serve to advance and prolong the life of a company. Just like a liver processes toxins and the heart circulates blood, both of them do completely different things but are vital to a being’s survival. You know that something is an organization when it is able or heading towards meeting that basic goal or purpose that the parts are functioning for, and able to reach that goal that they were assembled for in the first place. One example of an organization is a camera. It takes in light, the light strikes the film and eventually, through aid of a human, the film is developed into a photograph. So it has input, processing and output. The F-stop has to dilate properly, the shutter speed has to flicker for the proper amount of time, the cable advance has to work properly in order for the film to be exposed and to obtain a successful photograph.
Life in an organization is extremely delicate and to me, it takes an exacting chemistry and certain combination in order to be successful. When it is successful, not only does the organization prosper, but those that function on the micro-level prosper as well. It feels good to “fit in” to the organization. It means that people recognize your value, that you’re socially apt and you are satisfying the role which you were thought to be proper for. When the component parts lose sight of what the over all goal is, that’s when it feels bad. Others are being let down and even if others are doing a good job, the interdependence between component parts is so strong that if one fails, it creates something of a domino effect where the others will fail too. Even if the one section doesn’t completely drag down the other parts, it still makes achieving the over-all goal a lot more difficult.

28 09 2008
Rob L (13:02:02) :

An organization is a collaboration of smaller entities to form a larger entity in order to accomplish something that the smaller entities could not do by themselves. This allows for any size organization made up of different entities, not just organizations of humans but also organizations of organizations. An example of an organization is OPEC. The collection of oil producing organizations could not control pricing and supply without being a collective group. Life in an organization can be harder than life outside of an organization, but it may also be easier. While the organization fulfills some of the needs so that an individual does not need to do them, it requires that the individual answer to a higher power within the organization and all tasks that the organization expects the individual to complete must be completed regardless of the individual’s personal feelings.

28 09 2008
Chris G. (13:13:52) :

An organization is any group of individuals working together to either accomplish something greater than the sum of its parts or to achieve a goal more efficiently than it could be done alone. In this sense, an organization doesn’t have to be made of people, but anything that requires one or more pieces to give an output. I know when an organization is an organization when I know about more than one of the “individuals” involved in producing the output. If I can only see what the output is, I can only assume whether or not an organization was involved in its production.

An example of an organization is a restaurant. The inputs (food, supplies, location, customers, etc.) are handled by individuals in the organization (hosts, waiters, cooks/chefs, managers, etc.) who know their role. Together they accomplish something that separately they could not do, since a cook can certainly make food, but may not be able to manage a business, and waiters could try and serve all the food they want, but it would be hard to do without someone to cook it. Each individual works in harmony with each other to produce the outputs (cooked food, happy customers, profit).

Life in an organization depends on what kind of organization you’re in. If you are in a poorly arranged or handled organization, the work can seem daunting, unstructured, inefficient, confusing, and depressing, which would be when an organization feels “bad.” When an organization feels good, it is well managed and supportive, clear, secure, easy to do work in, and engaging.

28 09 2008
Dana J (16:00:41) :

An organization is any unit comprised of smaller entities and/or relationships that is organized and managed to meet a particular need and/or achieve a collective goal. It is generally comprised and made up of inputs, process, and outputs, which are effected by an external environment. This can mean anything from a mechanical mechanism, i.e. a machine, an organic body i.e. a human body, plant, or organ, or in the more familiar sense a social network of people such as a business.
An example of an organization is a sports team, for example a soccer team. Together a team shares a common goal of winning a game, meaning that they score more goals than the other team. Each player works together filling smaller tasks and goals that work toward the larger general goal. The goalie’s specific task is to try and prevent the other team from scoring as the last line of defense. If the goalie performs his/her task successfully, then the number of goals the team must score to win is only one, making the team or organization that much closer to the overall goal of winning. An organization is good when it utilizes all of its members, parts or in this case players to their fullest extent. If a team cuts out a player it gives the other team an advantage. This brings up another idea, which is pertinent to an organization’s success. An organization must not use individual entities to their highest potential but also work together harmoniously. A team that utilizes each player to their fullest and works well together is an organization which is experiencing optimal performance. However an organization must also deal with its external environment, for example if a player on a team gets sick and cannot play than a team must have replacement players. Another external environmental factor is competition. A team wants to recruit the most skilled players for their team so that is can overcome its competition. An organization, which plans and deals with its external environment, is another example of a successful organization. When an organization fails to utilize its members/entities to their full potential, to work together, or to plan and adjust to its external environment, it is performing poorly.

28 09 2008
Ashley B. (16:03:12) :

An organization is made up of different segments and departments that work together as one. Many people are working together for a common purpose in an organization. In order for an organization to be functional there has to be some hierarchy of power so that things can and will get done. I know that an organization is this because of my experience working at GEICO and by looking at other companies you can see that many organizations are made up in a similiar fashion. An example of an organization would be GEICO.
Life in an organization is all about getting things done. The whole purpose of an organization is to achieve things that one person couldn’t do alone. So being in an organization is about having your own purpose within to accomplish tasks and help the organization as a whole. Life is bad in an organization when you can’t accomplish your tasks (whether because you’re incompetent, don’t have the tools, or don’t have the time) or when you have nothing to accomplish because the organization itself is dying. Life in an organization is good when you can accomplish your tasks the the organization is doing well as a whole.

28 09 2008
Jennifer R. (17:48:40) :

An organization is a group of people or sub-units, working with the same general affiliation and for related causes. It is being a functional organization when each sub-unit is contributing to the whole, and toward the over-reaching goal.
I feel good about life in organizations in general, because it is my nature to want to be a part of a team, and have assistance in accomplishing tasks to large to tackle on my own. It can be pretty trying, however, when you are not given the resources you need to work toward the goals, or when specific sub-units don’t contribute and there for slow or even halt the progress of the organization.

28 09 2008
Hosan Jeon (21:13:09) :

An organization is a collaboration of individuals who contribute, specialize, and support the group as to achieve collective goals. Organizations are ubiquitous, being a member of a society, we all belong to one form of an organiztion to another. For example, small scale (i.e. household) to large scale (i.e. USA) as well as schools, companies, and churches you belong to, function as a form of organization. As a member of these many different forms of organization, I perform the similar tasks that I do in all organizations, that is, I contribute, specialize, and support an organization so the organization’s purpose and goals can be accomplished. For example, as a US citizen, you contribute to an organization (i.e. the US government) via income tax, voting, etc. As a church member, you support the community via volunteering. As a worker, you specialize a task or skill that help make your company to generate profit. An organization being an organization is for example, Mary Washington being Mary Washington and the USA being the USA. USA is an organization because it has an input (i.e. imports, government revenue, taxes, voting), boundaries (i.e. physcial and political), subsystems (i.e. states, government agencies, etc.) and outputs (i.e. government services, defense, education, etc.)
I feel that belonging to an organization makes life easier, richer, and meaningful. As you interact with other people in an organization, you realize and discover more about your strengthes and weaknesses. You can learn and achieve the task that you could not possibly do on your own. In addition, you get the sense of achievement that you helped to achieve organization’s collective goals. I will feel good when my skills significantly contributes to organization’s goal and its in high demand. I will feel bad when my skills and contributions does not help organization’s goals.

28 09 2008
David T (21:59:46) :

An Organization is a group of individual or of different groups who come together to accomplish a goal whether that goal be to sell something or cure something. I know they are an organization because they state that they are one. The organization states why they have come together to form this group and the goal they want to achieve. The University of Mary Washington is an organization because it is a group of people who come together in order to provide an upper education to its students. It can actually be seen as an organization of groups, with each of the groups being a different department in the University of Mary Washington. Each department brings something different to the University but still works towards the goal of providing an education.
I feel that life in an organization is good. It allows you to try many different things, and see where your strengths are and where your weaknesses are. It also allows you to work with a diversity of people who know many different things. You can learn many different and put them together so then you can add more to the organization. At UMW you can take a variety of courses to help figure our where you want to major. When you figure out where that strength is you can still take other classes from other majors that interest you so you can expand your knowledge.
Being in an organization feels good when you succeed. When the organization finally reaches the goal that it has set out to do there is a great sense of achievement. Each person feels good because they have all had a part in a greater goal. Being in an organization feels bad when that goal is not met. When you’ve tried you’re hardest but still cannot reach you’re goal, sometimes you lose hope.

28 09 2008
Dallas S (22:03:23) :

My definition of an organization is any group (large or small) that attempts to use its resources in order to reach a goal. This can be a formalized group (i.e. a business) or quite informal (i.e. our class project groups). For example, our groups strive to put all of our best thoughts together to come up with a great paper. Each person may have different strengths, or resources, that we can combine to become more effective and efficient.

If you don’t live in an organization, you don’t exist. So, life in an organization is just that…life.

Life in an organization is wonderful when things get done right and with the least strain on each individual. (for example, if my group can use our resources effectively and write an A paper, we’ll all feel good about being in our organization.) When the organization lacks synergy in its goals and actions, life within it might not feel as good. (for example, if my group writes all of our sections separately without consulting each other and come up with a royal D of a paper, we might feel pretty bad about our organization.) I’m sure we’ve all lived through both of these situations.

28 09 2008
Amanda Y (22:27:31) :

An organization is a group of people coming together for some specific goal or work and organizing themselves to effectively accomplish their tasks. Organization help with specialization and getting extraordinary things accomplished that an individual alone would find impossible. On the other hand, organizations have problems with too many heads (too many ideas so nothing gets accomplished) or too little leadership. The Girl Scouts Council Nations Capital (GSCNC) is an organization that serves 60,000 people. They provide programs, training, leadership, and support for the volunteer base of troop leaders which then help teach young girls the values of GSUSA. In addition, GSCNC has differing levels of management from CEO, middle managers, to volunteer troop leaders.

I feel that life in an organization can be either fulfilling or unrewarding. It can feel “good” when you agree and support the mission of the organization, and feel that you have a significant role in accomplishing those goals. It is all about feeling that your efforts are important and make a difference. It can feel “bad” when you feel like you are worthless to the organization or that you are under appreciated. You can feel under appreciated with respect for your work or that you are under compensated for the level of work you do.

29 09 2008
Jessica Raiford (02:04:21) :

An organization is a social arrangement which pursues collective goals, which controls its own performance, and which has a boundary separating it from its environment. You know when an organization is an organization when they are working together for a common goal and they define themselves as an organization. An organization can be anything from a business to a church or school. They are an organization when they work together toward a common goal and they support and help each other.

Life in an organization can be fulfilling to a person or make someone feel bad about themselves (depending on the specific organization). It can help people to fulfill social needs and feel that they are contributing to something that is viewed as a good thing, and something that is bigger than themselves. If I supported the goals of the organization, liked the other people in it, and felt like I was contributing and worth something to the organization, then I would feel good about life in an organization.

Life in an organization feels good when an individual feels good about the work that they are doing and they fell like they are contributing to a good cause. It feels good when you know that you are helping people and offering a good product or service.

Life in an organization feels bad when you know that the organization is not helping people or they feel that the cause that they are contributing to is affecting people or the environment in unhealthy or bad ways. It also feels bad when you know that the product or service that you are offering is of poor quality or not necessary.

29 09 2008
Kate M (09:01:36) :

An organization is a group of individuals linked by a common goal and a common atrribute that sets the members apart from others in their environment, and puts them in a group with other members of the organization. An example is a soccer team. The members have the common goal of winning games and working together as a team. What distinguishes them from the rest of their environment is the fact that they are on the team. They are not on a different team, they are not playing another sport, they are not a spectator. The soccer players put in time and effort, work together to score goals, and hopefully end up with a victorious outcome.

We are all part of multiple organizations. Life in an organization is beneficial because it allows people to collaborate and work together to achieve a goal that might be difficult to achieve by oneself. The collaboration and snergy of ideas and perspectives allows a certain approach that cannot be obtained outside of a group.

In order for an organization to be successful, the members must implement teamwork and trust in eachother, and everyone must bring something to the table and make an effort to contribute. Without cooperation from all members, an organization will not live up to its potential. An organization feels “bad” when there are problems between members, preventing synergy and the flow of ideas. An organization feels “good” when everyone is on the same page and making contributions together, and when the organization as a whole is experiencing success.

29 09 2008
Diana S (09:22:18) :

An organization is a group of people with specific goals in common that they are trying to accomplish. An organizations exists in order to achieve these goals. I know this because organizations, whether they are a club or a large company, have a constitution, mission statement, or other document stating their purpose and objectives. An example would be Gap, which I a member of because I work at Old Navy. At times it feels good to be involved in their organization because of the benefits I receive, such as a paycheck and a discount. When I feel like I am contributing to the success of the company and have the resources available to me to help a customer I enjoy being a part of Old Navy. When I feel like my managers or fellow employees are not doing a good job or have negative attitudes it is not enjoyable.

29 09 2008
Mohammed Ravat (14:17:43) :

An organization forms when like-minded people band together to accomplish something or solve some problem. The end goal can either be broad like ending world poverty or something much more specific. For example, the IRA wanted to unite Ireland. They formed when extreme individuals believed that if they banded together, there was a greater chance of achieving their goal. As an organization they were able to come up with a strategy and coordinate precise attacks, which they would not have been able to do if they weren’t organized. They were in action whenever they planted a bomb or shot at British soldiers as these were considered necessary in order to achieve their goal.

Overall, belonging to an organization is a desirable thing. When you’re in an organization, there is a heightened sense of power, since many can do what one cannot do alone. There is also a greater sense of security since there are more people looking out for you. Being in a group also allows ideas and thoughts to bounce which makes all of the members better off. On the flip side, conflicts on interest are common when an issue becomes too charged. Organizations can suffer when the members feel left out, or feel that their voice is not being heard. Along the same lines, they can be compromised when members question the leadership structure. From my personal experience with club soccer, I found that players find it difficult to listen to the captains because they feel they don’t really have a basis for authority.

29 09 2008
Michelle C (15:40:29) :

I feel like an organization is a group of people/ elements working towards a common objective or goal. An organization also has leaders and followers, the leaders being the one who oversee and make sure the ideas or objectives are being worked towards and the followers who adhere to the plan of action to make sure that it succeeds.
A group of people working together to achieve a larger goal and that has a chain of command is often times considered and organization. Whether that organization is successful or not is a completely different story then whether it is try to implement goals and have order throughout the organization.
For example, Fannie May and Freddie Mac, they are an organization, they are composed of upper level management all the way down to line and staff workers. They buy and sell mortgage packages while trying to make a profit. The organization did not do its job when it bought mortgage packages from the lenders, with out researching the buyers of the homes, in hopes of turning a large profit. The organization did not plan properly or enact the precautionary measures. It just acted.
Life in an organization is dependent on the success of the organization, not necessarily in profits, but in employee/ employer cohesion, achievement of set objectives, and ability to be innovative. The life of the organization is the people that make up the organization the people involved in buying or investing in the product, and the elements that make the organization possible. An organization can, “feel good” when there is a strong level of group cohesion between the employer and the employee, when it achieves set objectives and formulates new ones, and if it is able to keep up with a changing market by being innovative. When an organization, “feels bad” that means that it is not functioning properly. There is no order throughout the organization, there are communication barriers, and the organization continues to work towards the same objective without making adjustments for changing times, there are no clear objectives, and as a result of these the organization may not be able to keep going.

29 09 2008
Astrid T. (21:37:52) :

An organization is a group of 2 or more people that have at least one common characteristic or goal and work together to achieve that goal. An example is a family: they have common characteristics and work together to reach goals.
I feel that life in an organization is beneficial because it is more efficient and you receive, in some way, your social needs by interacting with others.
Being in an organization is good when you make progress and there is the least (or close to the least) amount of tension between members. Being in an organization is bad when progress is not being mad or two or more members are causing tension within the organization.

Leave a comment

You can use these tags : <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>