Organizations as Brains Organizational Theory
Organizations as Brains
Learning or Teaching?
The key teams in Morgan’s Article - Toward Self Organization are, self-organization, learning organization, holographic organization, learning loops, cybernetics and information system. All these terms can be generalized in the title of “key features of future organizations”. The main logic of self-organizations is to make scalar chain more flexible. One of the principles of Weberian Ideal Bureaucracy says;
“The organization of officers follows the principle of hierarchy which means each lower official is under the control and supervision of a higher one. Every subordinate in the administrative and hierarchy is accountable to his superior, not only for his own decisions or actions but also for those of people subordinate to him. In order to be able to bear the responsibility for the work of the latter, he must have authority and power over them and issue orders which the latter must obey.”
According to Weber’s ideal bureaucracy, scalar chain and strong authority have crucial roles on effectiveness of organizations. On the other hand, in his article Morgan is at a completely contrast side from Weber.
Holographic organization is the best example of self-organizations. What the hologram is the method of taking photographs with the help of laser technology, emerged in 1952. It is relative to ordinary people from some labels such as dormitory and university label on student identity cards or the label for transportation. When we look to the hologram, first we see a big complete item, but if we look over it carefully, we can see thousands of smaller items in the big one and these smaller ones are perfectly same with the big one. The substance of holographic organizations comes from here. In holographic organizations, no matter how much employees it contains, no matter how big it is and no matter in which sector it active is, one single employee or one single department reflects the all features of the whole
Learning or Teaching?
The key teams in Morgan’s Article - Toward Self Organization are, self-organization, learning organization, holographic organization, learning loops, cybernetics and information system. All these terms can be generalized in the title of “key features of future organizations”. The main logic of self-organizations is to make scalar chain more flexible. One of the principles of Weberian Ideal Bureaucracy says;
“The organization of officers follows the principle of hierarchy which means each lower official is under the control and supervision of a higher one. Every subordinate in the administrative and hierarchy is accountable to his superior, not only for his own decisions or actions but also for those of people subordinate to him. In order to be able to bear the responsibility for the work of the latter, he must have authority and power over them and issue orders which the latter must obey.”
According to Weber’s ideal bureaucracy, scalar chain and strong authority have crucial roles on effectiveness of organizations. On the other hand, in his article Morgan is at a completely contrast side from Weber.
Holographic organization is the best example of self-organizations. What the hologram is the method of taking photographs with the help of laser technology, emerged in 1952. It is relative to ordinary people from some labels such as dormitory and university label on student identity cards or the label for transportation. When we look to the hologram, first we see a big complete item, but if we look over it carefully, we can see thousands of smaller items in the big one and these smaller ones are perfectly same with the big one. The substance of holographic organizations comes from here. In holographic organizations, no matter how much employees it contains, no matter how big it is and no matter in which sector it active is, one single employee or one single department reflects the all features of the whole
References: 1. Morgan, Gareth (2001), Toward Self-Organization 2. Scott, W. Richard,(2002) Organizations: Rational, Natural and Open Systems 3. Fiedler, F.E. (1967) A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness, New York: McGraw-Hill. 4. Yılmaz Üstüner – Lecture Notes 2008 -2010