Organic vs. Organizational Tools
Organic vs. Organizational Tools
For every task that needs to be accomplished, there are right tools and not-so-right tools. Tools are designed to make jobs easier. Using the wrong tools can oftentimes be counterproductive and sometimes hazardous. You wouldn’t want to use a kitchen knife as a screwdriver, but the truth is, you probably have. You may have done it because the tool that you needed, at that moment, was simply unavailable. So, you proceeded with what you had.
Many organizations do the same thing, everyday. They use the wrong tools to get jobs done right. This happens because the tools that they really need are out of their intellectual reach (lack of knowledge and understanding), unavailable (didn’t know they existed).
Now, I realize that there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of specific tools organizations use; but for sake of simplicity, I have combined all of these tools into two categories – organic and organizational. Regardless of the type of activity that organizations engage in, both organic and organizational tools are absolutely vital to seeing health and success. In fact, this revelation has caused the re-alignment and transformation of many organizations around the world. So much so, that research articles, best-selling books, and philosophical treatises have been written on this subject in volumes!
To better understand the difference (and importance) of organic and organizational tools, we must first look at history.
For many years, modern society has used a traditional approach to organizational structure, born out of the Industrial Revolution. Organizations have been defined as well-oiled machines – efficient, reliable, and predicable. In order to keep things running smoothly these mechanical-like structures relied heavily upon the efficiency of all its parts (including people), strict standards, and formal procedures. Maximum productivity could be assured, as long as the organizational environment remained stable with little or no change at all.
But times have changed, and so has organizational design. Today’s successful organizations have turned more toward organic models. Organic models suggest that organizations are more like living organisms capable of adapting to their environment. The organization is composed of interdependent, closely connected cells, each requiring proper nourishment for the entire organization to stay healthy. The organizational environment is characterized by steady change, organic transformation, and forward progress.
I believe that the future success and growth of all organizations will be dependent upon leaders knowing the difference between organic and organizational tools. Consultants suggest that any lack of knowledge or misunderstanding could prove disastrous to organizational health and growth. Consider the following distinctions:
Keep in mind that all organizations are made up of people (organic entities) and resources (organized things). We must remember that people are the most valuable assets. This implies that organic life supersedes organizational effort; in other words, organism is best served by organization. If the opposite occurs, people are reduced to impersonal, “human resources” – things to be used for getting things done.
As for me, I rally behind the importance of using both organic and organizational tools.
Successful organizations are quickly learning that trying to make organizational tools do the job of organic tools is fruitless, and sometimes, quite hazardous. Using the right tool for the right job can make work easier, more productive, and maybe even enjoyable.
With the “winds of change” blowing across the global landscape, successful organizations are weathering the storms. They are drawing up “organic blueprints” along with their organizational designs. They use both organizational tools to re-engineer, and organic tools to ignite transformation (change, progress, and growth).
People are allowed to be human, and organizations come to life!
