Organization Metaphors
Here is a list of metaphors used for helping understand organizations, their components, relationships, and people, and a particular focus on some of those components depending on the situation.
Health[1]
Organizations are healthy, organic, living entities that have three key characteristics: a clear sense of identity, adaptability, and a realistic understanding of their environment.
Symphony Orchestra[2]
Individual talent, a shared vision, and a conductor ensure harmony and coordinated effort. Performance is about creating a cohesive and powerful whole from diverse individual contributions. It shifts the focus from individual metrics to the quality of the collective output.
Political Science[3]
An organization, as a social contract, is not a natural or unified entity but a coalition of individuals with differing interests. Performance is judged not by a single goal, but by the extent to which it impartially satisfies the legitimate interests of all participants.
Biology[4]
An organization is an open system in constant interactions with its external environment, importing resources, transforming them into outputs, and exporting those outputs back into the environment.
Economy[5]
An organization has transaction costs, which are the expenses incurred when making any economic exchange. These costs are not for the goods or services themselves, but for searching the information, bargaining, writing and enforcing contracts, and monitoring performance.
City[6]
This metaphor with cities emphasizes diversity, independent neighborhoods (departments), and the organic emergence of new ideas and innovations. Performance is measured by the vibrancy, culture, and social capital of the "city."
Ecosystem[7]
The organization is part of a larger ecosystem of customers, suppliers, and competitors. Performance is defined by its sustainability, symbiotic relationships, and ability to adapt to changes in the broader environment. It is not just about competing and winning but about creating a flourishing environment for all stakeholders.
Force Fields[8]
An organization is a dynamic system where the current state is maintained by a balance of opposing forces. Performance is a result of driving forces pushing for change and restraining forces resisting it, which together create a state of equilibrium.
Notes
- ↑ Bennis, W. G. (1962). Towards a “truly” scientific management: The concept of organization health. Industrial Management Review, 4(1), 1–28.
- ↑ Drucker, P. F. (1954). The Practice of Management. Harper & Row.
- ↑ Keeley, M. (1980). Organizational Analogy: A comparison of the Organismic and Social Contract Models, Administration Science Quarterly, 25, 337-362.
- ↑ McKelvey, B. (1982). Organizational Systematics: Taxonomy, Evolution, and Classification. University of California Press.
- ↑ Williamson, O. E. (1975). Markets and Hierarchies, Free Press, New York
- ↑ Morgan, G. (1986). Images of Organization. Sage Publications.
- ↑ Moore, J. F. (1993). Predators and prey: A new ecology of competition. Harvard Business Review, 71(3), 75–86.
- ↑ Lewin, K. (1951). Field Theory in Social Science, Harper & Row, New York.