The Definitions of Management

WHAT IS AN ORGANIZATION?

An organization is an adaptive, organic, problem-solving group, acting with some coordination toward a common, explicit purpose, typically through division of responsibility, structured processes, and shared culture.

WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS?

Effective organizations share three characteristics:

  1.  External Orientation:  The ability to search out, perceive, and adapt to the environment, particularly to adapt the organization’s  practices and vision.
  2. Identity:   The organization’s knowledge and insights into its goals, what it should be doing, and what it looks like to others.  Members of the organization should ask themselves: to what extent do they and others understand and share the organization’s goals?   To what extent do they perceive the organization as it is perceived by the customers and the community it is serving?
  3. Integration:   The relationships among the parts of the organization that ensure that the various elements are meshing and that individual needs and organizational goals are aligned and mutually beneficial.

“Management Effectiveness” arises from the perspective and judgment to leverage the power of people and their creativity in contributing to society.

Note:  These definitions, developed by the ThEME Team, are based on our interpretations of the work of  Warren Bennis, Edgar Schein, and Henry Mintzberg.