ENVIRONMENTS SHAPE ORGANIZATIONS

Environments shape organizations

Environments shape organizations

Understanding Organizational environment

Notable literary and scholarly works since the mid-1800s have explored the human dimension of organizations. This exploration indicates the first recognition that the underlying values of organizations affect workers and that a socialization process occurs in the workplace. Examining the human element developed into a specialized branch of organizational study with the social context of organizational life as its focus. This branch became known as organizational environment. Thus, organizational environment represents one of the first widely studied concepts to address the social context in organizations and, as such, represents an older term than culture related to organizational behavior (Chanlat, 1994).

Definitions of Environment

A multitude of definitions for organizational environment provide different perspectives on an organization's membership and the organization's capacity to change. Some scholars identified environment as a relatively enduring quality of the organizational environment experienced by individuals that influences the behavior of its members. Meanwhile, others indicate that environment can be managed or altered within a relatively short scope of time. Clearly, differences exist within the definitions, but most academics include within their conceptualization an element of perception. For example, environment is the way individuals perceive the personal impact of their work environment or is related to the psychological environment in which the behavior of individuals occurs (Child, 1972).

The study of these definitions and the research that supports the multifaceted understanding of environment over the decades yields the following amalgamated definition: Organizational environment consists of the visible attributes of an organization's values as interpreted, in a shared manner, by multiple members of the organization. Distinct from but related to organizational culture, environment functions with significantly more malleability than culture. Change in organizational environment, may, over time, produce a change in organizational culture, and within a single organization, multiple (even contradictory) environment s may exist.

The Individual and the Organization

Organization theory has often emphasized an asymmetry between the individual and the bureaucracy. Organizations are often depicted as large and immutable social entities that can overwhelm individuals. Indeed, legal scholars often observe that organizations are granted rights analogous to those for people. The law, especially in the United States, often gives organizations rights and privileges that are distinct from the people who work in the organization. It is routine for organizations to own assets, file legal complaints, and act on behalf of other people and organizations. They can be fined and punished by the state. The consequence of this legal doctrine is that organizations can possess a distinct advantage in conflict with individuals (Glaister, 1996).

Due to their ability to acquire substantial resources and act consistently without the need for unchanging personnel, organizations can sustain conflict in ways that can be matched by few individuals. It is also the case that the law creates circumstances where individual workers may not be held accountable for their actions.

Organization theory also asks how individuals behave within bureaucratic settings. Workplace psychology takes the organization as an additional factor affecting individual decision making and personal ...