“Nature Intervenes: Organizations as Organisms” is the third chapter in the book Images of Organization written by Gareth Morgan in 2006. It aims at discussing the essence of organizations and the attempts to compare an organization with a human organism using the theories that have been developed during the last several centuries. In this paper, the critique of the chapter is developed in order to clarify the strengths and weaknesses of the work, as well as to explore the changes Morgan promotes in the field of organizational management. The main research problem addressed in “Nature Intervenes: Organizations as Organisms” is the necessity to think of organizations as if they were organisms, the living systems, that had to exist in a wider environment, perform a number of functions, develop appropriate relations, and consider the ecological issues (Morgan, 2006).
Key Points of the Article
In the beginning, the author explains that it is not enough to believe that any organization may be compared to an organism. It is necessary to consider the achievements of different theorists and researchers and identify the key concepts and areas. There are three main stages in the development of organizations that are explained and defined by the author. It is suggested to focus on the needs of organizations as organisms. Organizations consist of employees with their own needs that have to be satisfied. The examples of the Hawthorne studies and the Maslow’s theory, in particular, are used to explain that organizations, as well as organisms, work effectively in case their employees are satisfied. Satisfaction is possible when employees get meaningful jobs and feel their usefulness (Morgan, 2006). With time, personal needs are substituted with socio-technological aspects supported by the Tavistock studies and the theories of Trist and Bamforth. Finally, there is a technical stage of organizational development when the resolution of problems is possible due to new technologies.
Main Contributions
The main contribution of the chapter is the introduction of a metaphor that helps to open readers’ minds to a new systematic way of thinking about organizations. There are five main issues that could be used to prove the metaphor that an organization may be compared to an organism. Organizations are introduced as open systems which have to cooperate with the environment and consider the importance of the relations between species and their ecology (Morgan, 2006). This suggestion helps to understand that the offered comparison has enough grounds to be proved. In addition, the author uses a number of theories to prove that his idea to compare organizations and organisms is effective. For example, he used the contingency theories developed by Burns and Stalker, Woodward, Lawrence and Lorsch, and even Darwin to explain that organizations depend on the survival and on their ability to use an adequate supply of resources that is obligatory for successful existence (Morgan, 2006).
Effects on the Knowledge Base
The effects of Morgan’s work are crucial because it helps to use the already known theories and models to explain the already known concept of organization in a new way. The power of metaphor cannot be neglected because it opens the eyes to new possibilities of people who become the most crucial elements in the work of the whole system. Morgan underlines the role of each employee and their needs and uses the best theories that have been introduced to the world in different fields. In general, the article explores news visions of organizational management and the importance to study biology regarding the fact that all organizations could be defined as working organisms.
Reference
Morgan, G. (2006). Images of organization: Updated edition of the international bestseller. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.