Organizational Management-Assessment

Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT 1

ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT 4

Organizational Management

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Organizational Management

Two articles caught my attention while looking for articles that are related to the case study. One of the articles was on the emotional dimensions of metaphors of change while the other one was on using metaphors to teach organizational theory. I found the two articles the most appropriate because all businesses employ Morgan’s metaphor. The articles have used several of the eight metaphors that were outlined by Gareth Morgan in his book, Images of Organization. Some of the main metaphors that were outlined by Morgan include transformation, flux, machines, brains, organisms, political systems, instruments of domination, psychic prisons, and cultural systems (Smollan, 2014). A perfect example of an organization that uses Morgan’s metaphors is the education sector where students are taught about metaphors and other things that affect the world. The subsequent parts of this paper will therefore analyze the two articles and ran the problems and critical issues, proposed solutions, and recommendations.

Ranking of Problems and Critical Issues

The main purpose of the case study was to employ metaphors to investigate how the emotional outlook would be in the organizational change and how it would be reflected in conventional language. Researchers attempted to investigate the emotional feel of different organizations like education and how it could be implemented in the organizations. The main problem in the study is how to bridge the gap in the metaphors with staff in different settings. For example, since Morgan describes an organization as flux and transformation, the study uses the first, second, and third order change as an overarching metaphor.

Metaphors are important because they increase awareness of systems thinking and help in the clarification of organizational theory concepts. It is almost impossible for individuals to access their personal feelings and express them in an organizational setting (Taber, 2007). From the study, it is evident that the use of metaphors was not effective for all students. For a metaphor to be effective, it must match the properties of the entity that it is intended to describe.

Proposed Solutions

One of the proposed solutions would be to explore the emotional feeling that is embedded in the metaphors. Such a step would be helpful to managers since it will help them to come up with effective messages and help other employees understand responses and changes. From the analysis of the metaphors that teach organization theory, it is evident that for metaphors to be effective, they should contribute to the creation of vivid and concise images which are easy to understand (Taber, 2007). Most organizations that use metaphors suggest a resemblance to the new context in which they are applied thus evoking a strong and well known visual image.

Recommendations

From the analysis of the two articles, organizations should not force change from their managers especially when emotions are involved. Managers should be given the freedom and resources to execute their duties since they are the key to effective communication within an organization. Companies should also communicate clearly how they want different projects or tasks to be completed. Communication through metaphors can be used because it is accurate to the extent where the received message is functional and appropriate. If managers are taught how to communicate effectively, organizational efficiency will increase.

From the analysis, it is evident that Morgan’s metaphors are important in the everyday management of organizations. Organizations should ensure that they understand the metaphors and equip their managers to effectively execute their duties and responsibilities.

References

Smollan, R.K. (2014). The emotional dimensions of metaphors of change. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 29(7), 794-807. doi:10. 1108/JMP-04-2012-0107

Taber, T.D. (2007). Using metap[hors to teach organization theory. Journal of Management Education, 31(4), 541-554. doi: 10.1177/1052562906289663