DISCUSSION M2-2-FLO

Organizations are an incredibly complex organism.  They compose of many parts that are interconnected and interdependent (Argosy, 2018).  Understanding the functions of organizations requires recognizing the elements that affect the system as a whole referred to in the literature as system thinking. The researchers suggest that system thinking can enhance organizational success.  Palaima and Skarzauskieane (2010), for instance, links leadership competencies to the construct that may create benefits.  

System thinking is understanding that each component of an organization can affect the others to include the culture, goals, and structure.  The primary objective of an organization is to profit from operations.  The functions involve attaining higher performance from a diverse workforce because of globalization.  Employees may belong to a different culture with different needs and dispositions.  Thus, achieving performance requires the holistic analysis of each organizational parts to include corporate goals, culture, and structure.  Uhl-Bien, Schermerhorn, and Osborn (2014) for example posit that structure can influence work performance.  A rigid form of work environment can inhibit individual initiative because of the lack of autonomy.  Likewise, the contextual setting can degrade employee morale and job satisfaction.  

Stakeholders such as employees, business partner, and the community are interconnected.  The organizational culture and goals need to reflect on that of its stakeholders.  One concept that continues to gain popularity and importance is corporate social responsibility.  CSR entails responsible behaviors from the organization. The current literature suggests that the construct can affect organizational performance.  Edwards and Kudret (2017) indicate that the favorable perception of CSR enhances employee pride and commitment.  Likewise, communities may likely support organizations that act responsibly.

The theory of system thinking suggests that each component of the organizations influences other parts.  The discussion examines that culture, goals, and structure can affect performance.  Thus, managers and leaders need to use system thinking to understand the organizational environment. Likewise,  Edwards and Kudret (2017) support the notion that stakeholders are interconnected.  The results from Edwards and Kudret (2017) reveal a relationship between CSR and employee behaviors.  Workers with a favorable view of an organization are likely to have higher commitment and productivity than the contrary that also supports the need for system thinking in the study of organizational behavior.

BY: Florante Manaloto