presentation

In an article written by Kyla Mandel touches on the subject of how plastic pollution is a massive issue in our world that we can not ignore it any longer. Humans rely so much on plastic because of the convenience of disposal; however, what we do not realize is that 90% is not recycled, and it is estimated from 500 to 1,000 years for plastic to break down in landfills. Not to mention, if the items are not recycled nor incinerated, the material often finds its way to pollute our environment. It has become such a big problem that it can be found everywhere in our environment, such as in our streets, rivers, oceans, and even in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. In this paper, we will be talking about the different concepts by "James Thompson" and "Katz and Kahn" as well as to relate those concepts to the article provided by Kyla Mandel.

Interdependence is defined in three different types, which are the "Pooled, Sequential, and Reciprocal Interdependence." The objective is to help describe the intensity of interactions and behaviors within the organizational structure; meaning, it helps business owners to understand how all the different departments and units within the organization depend on each other's performance.

1. Pooled Interdependence

Each department or unit performs completely separate functions, meaning they are independent of one another. However, even though they do not directly interact with one another, and they each do individual pieces, each department does contribute unique pieces to the same overall puzzle, meaning to the same goal. The downside of this category is that if there is one department's failure, then it could lead to the collapse of the overall process.

2. Sequential Interdependence

When one group produces an output necessary for the performance by the next group. A perfect example of this interdependence would be an assembly line.

3. Reciprocal Interdependence

Reciprocal Interdependence is similar to sequential interdependence in the way that one group produces an output necessary for the performance of the next group; however, this type has the addition of being cyclical.

Plastic pollution is a problem that cannot be solved without first mitigating the issue from within organizations. Pooled interdependence may be applied to this aspect in that the various departments of a company may actively track where the plastic they use ends up and in ensuring it is disposed of or recycled properly.

Sequential interdependence is another concept which may apply to companies attempting to reduce plastic pollution. In this instance, the issue is microplastics and how they may be present in the water bottles people drink from on a daily basis. For example, one branch of a water bottling company may be in charge of production of the plastic bottles and the other of bottling the product. In this scenario, these two branches follow a logical order with each of their role in reducing plastic contamination equally important. If the production team does not follow protocol they may end up producing a water bottle that may contaminate the water with microplastics. On the other hand, the bottling team may be unaware that the bottle will contaminate the water and will end up packaging products that will contain microplastics.

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Open systems theory looks at the system and environment as a whole organism, totally interconnected. In this process there is a constant exchange between the organization and its environment that keeps things moving in and out of a system to keep it healthy and in a steady state. Common characteristics of an open system are entropy, feedback, homeostasis and equifinality. Entropy is the idea that if a system is left on its own it will deteriorate, this means that information, resources and energy must be brought into the system in order to keep it balanced. If this process continuously happens a state of Homeostasis is achieved. Positive and negative feedback are the way in which a system knows when to amplify or correct something. This includes scanning the environment for competition and trends and using that information to make the system better. Equifinality is the idea that there are multiple ways to accomplish our goals and not just one right method for success. Summed up, open systems take in energy from the environment, transform the energy and then re export it back out all while reenergizing the process to improve the system.

An example we can view is a water bottle company producing bottles. While their goal might just be to supply people with water, the output is a large amount of plastic waste. What they release into the environment is negative. Here there is an exchange between the organization and the environment.

(Brief explanation tying case to slides)

(Brief explanation tying case to slides)

Mandel, Kyla. “All The Crazy Places Plastic Has Ended Up This Year.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 11 Dec. 2019, www.huffpost.com/entry/plastic-waste-pollution-ocean_n_5dcc2afae4b0d43931cddd52?ncid=APPLENEWS00001.