PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS 9
Importance of People in an Organization
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Introduction
Human resource is of great importance within the organization. With the growth of industrialization, there has been confusion on whether or not machines are the main driving force behind the success of organizations. For this reason, a lot of effort and resources should be set aside towards both human resources and machines. The two elements play a very important role to the success of organizations. The machines help in doing most of the manual activities while the people are important force in decision-making. Managers need to understand that organizations are not created and run by machines; rather they are created and run by people. On the other hand, there is need for the managers to understand the critical role played by machined and invest enough resources to purchase and repair of machines. People contribute their skills towards the success of the organization. In addition, people use their skills and expertise for the success of the organizations particularly through decision-making. It is worth noting that no single department in any organization can operate in isolation. Willingness to coordinate and cooperate with the assistance of effective techniques of communication is indispensable if the organization is to run smoothly. The functionality of an organization depends highly on the performance of the employees, who work with an aim of achieving a common goal in the ever-changing business environment (Gratton, 2000, Pp. 9). In addition, the success of the organization also depends on the efficiency of the machines used in the organization. Sunset Makers is a profit making organization, which is in the hotel and hospitality industry. It specifically deals with selling of various types of food and drinks. It has swimming zones and a museum. The hotel has five meeting rooms with a capacity for up to one hundred individuals with a detached reception area, 15 hotel rooms, and its open 24 hours.
The organization is divided into different departments including accounting, front office, engineering, human resource, security, housekeeping marketing and sales. The mission of Sunset Makers is to attain the highest returns for its customers and to deliver a customer experience that is close to none in the hospitality industry. Various theories like the system theory and contingency theory support that humans play a vital role in the organization where they create and influence it and not the machines since the latter’s work are to do as designed by the same humans. Contingency and systems theories help understand whether machines play the most important role in creating, running, and influencing organizations. This essay will discuss various theories that assist in understanding how people or machines surpass the each in creating, running and influencing organizations.
Human resource plays a very significant role within an organization hence surpassing most of the contributions made by the machines in that organization. The significance of human personnel within an organization includes creativity, whereby human beings are good at reasoning and making logical decisions. In addition, human beings are able to see the big picture of the organization. This is not possible with machines. Even though some machines like expert systems are sensitive and can make decisions, they do so based on the instructions fed to them my human beings. This means that the expert systems cannot function without the knowledge fed to them by human beings. For this reason, it is clear that the human beings remain the force behind the success of the organization.
It is worth noting that human beings are adaptive and smart instruments and help in doing exploration and science that is available. For this reason, the human beings remain the heart of every exploration, scientific and business that we endeavor except for the dangers and cost. Regardless of the growing application of robotics in the business world, the value of human beings in running organizations remains irresistible. The human beings remain instruments of business exploration and this is not likely to change anytime in the future (Martin and Fellenz, 2010, Pp. 536). For this reason, people have the key advantage over machines in numerous sectors including manipulation skill, mobility, the capability of fixing multitude of other devices, self-repair under wide parameters, pattern recognition, sturdiness in communication and strength with respect to a plan, among others. All the above capabilities of people support the fact that organizations are created and influenced by people since they comprise of broad abilities and potentials, while machines tend to surpass in only one specific area.
System Theory
System theory is the transdisciplinary study of the abstract organization of phenomena, regardless of their type, substance, or spatial or temporal scale of existence (Birolini 2012, pp. 17). This theory helps in examining both the principles common to all multifarious entities, and the various models used in describing them. According to this theory, a system comprises of four elements, that is, objects, attributes, international relations, and environment. The environment is the space within which the system exists. Effective systems need to be open, that is, with the ability to receive information and use the information for dynamic interaction with the environment. The openness of an open system increases its likelihood of survival as well as its ability to prosperity. Some of the key characteristics of system include wholeness and interdependence, perceiving causes, interrelationships, self-regulation and control, interchange with the environment, perceiving causes, change and adaptability and change and adaptability.
Based on above characteristics of a system, it is clear that an organization is a system. An organization is a system that has sections such as the resources, employees, Products, employees and information that create a complex system (Fincham and Rhodes, 2005, Pp. 521). “The system theory brings about the observation that cells exist inside a semi-permeable membrane and that for them to remain alive they need input from their surrounding and need to discharge products back into that surrounding” (Fincham and Rhodes, 2005, pp. 521). By this, it tends to say that every sector of the organization is viewed as having a vital role maintaining the organization. The system approach thus sees the organization as a system that is made of a set of interrelated subsystems or parts that are governed towards the attainment of common objectives and goals and the diverse subsystems are mutually interdependent. Based on the system theory, both human beings and machines are of great importance to the organization. The people within the organization help in decision making while the machines help in the carrying of the complicated tasks and dangerous tasks. For example, robots help in such tasks like working in the most risk environments while such machines like computers help in doing the most complex calculations.
According to the system theory, it treats companies as systems, which can be either open or closed, though the majority of approaches treat associations as an open system. An open system interfaces with its surrounding by ways of throughputs, inputs, and outputs. This type of system interacts with its surrounding by exchanging materials, energy, and information with a goal of system growth and renewal (Tripathi and Reddy, 2008, Pp. 328). “The trait of an open system is negative entropy, where the open system sustains to import information, energy and resources to function while becoming extra complex and heterogeneous” (Tripathi and Reddy, 2008, Pp.328). Organizations are open system since they require and rely on adapting to their surrounding for survival. Organizations interact with their surrounding in order to attain equilibrium or balance. In attaining equilibrium, the system controls itself in response to environmental variations.
Organization Structure
The organizational structure gives a framework for connections among the organizational subsystems and guarantees their respective duties will be directed toward the attainment of the company’s common objective. Open system organizational structure enhances effectual problem solving by elucidating the larger picture. The organizational structure determines such factors like continuous response, feedback consequences, and the communication channels. With adequate feedback from the subsystems, the outcome expected is highly perspicuous and can significantly help in planning, production of useful products, in intelligent design and production of essential services (Gopalakrishnan and Dugal, 1998, Pp. 150). People are very important in the organizational structure because they help in decision making in different parts of the organization. Even though the machines can assist in different tasks, they cannot be effective at different levels of the organizational structure. For example, the machines cannot help in making of strategic decisions. However, the machines can help in the operational department in doing such tasks like moving objects from one point to another, and in doing calculations. For this reason, both the machines and people play important role within the organization.
Contingency Theory
The organizational theory holds there exists no best way of organizing a corporation, leading an organization, or making decisions (Ellis, Almor and Shenkar 2002, pp.81-84). However, the optima course of acting is contingent that is, dependent upon the external, and the internal situation. Based on the contingency theory, it is clear that machines cannot be replace people in carrying out the various activities and processes within the organization. The theory provides that there is no best way of doing things within the society. For this reason, there is need for scanning the external and internal environment to understand the factors within the environment and to help in making decisions and designing policies (Ellis, Almor and Shenkar 2002, pp.81-84). Machines cannot do the scanning. Human beings have the ability for scanning the environment and this is very difficult for machines. The machines cannot scan the environment effectively because they are fed with information by human beings. This means that the machines are limited to the information fed on them and are not able to change and accommodate the changes within the environment. On the other hand, the human beings are diverse and are able to change with the environment. Human beings have the ability to make decisions based on the current environmental conditions (Donaldson 2001, pp. 41). This means that their decisions are not static rather they change with the prevailing environmental conditions. Furthermore, the decisions made by people are more effective because human beings are able to change their strategies with changes in some conditions within the environment. For example, in sunset makers the strategic managers scan the environment to understand the customer needs before making decisions on the product or service to the customers and the new ways of serving the customers. Even though computers are important in this organization, they cannot assist the organization in doing the scanning and coming up with effective decisions.
On the other hand, it is clear that machines are of great significance in creating and running of organizations. To begin with, machines help in undertaking some of the most risky tasks that cannot be accomplished by human beings. For example, machines such as robots are used in risky tasks like lifting very heavy weights and working in furnaces. This is not possible using human resource. In such organizations that deal with risky activities like furnaces, machines remain the backbone of running such organizations. In such organizations, people play the less important jobs compared to the machines and therefore it is clear that machines very important in these organizations compared to the people. In sunset makers for example, computers help in payroll and doing complex statistical analysis, which might be challenging to human beings. Without the computers, it will be very difficult to deliver quality services to the customers. Computers make the work easier in different departments of sunset makers and hence ensure timely delivery of services.
In addition, machines such as computers help in complex calculations that cannot be accomplished by human beings. For example, computers help in complex data analysis that cannot be done by human beings. In sunset makers, computers helps in sorting workers, filtering them in certain criterial, doing calculations, doing analysis among other activities. Carrying out of these activities would be challenging without the use of computers and the tasks would take a lot of time and become very tedious. For this reason, it is clear that machines are of great importance in the sunset makers and therefore help in creating and running of organizations.
According to the systems theory, an organization entails various components that work together towards realizing the objective of the organization (Jackson 2000, pp. 14). Machines are among the most important components of the organization. The machines play a wide range of activities within the organization. The machines help in doing activities that may be difficult for the human beings to do. For this reason, the machines are very important for the organization. For example, machines help increasing the efficiency of carrying out different activities like typing of letters, doing complex calculations, sending mails over the internet, doing complex statistical analysis among other activities. These activities are difficulty for human beings and may take a lot of time without use of the machines. In addition, working without the machines may be challenging for some jobs. It is only machines that can effectively work in risky activities, like furnaces and in lifting very heavy weights. These activities are both risky and tiresome and therefore can only be accomplished by machines. This shows that machines are very important in creating, running, and influencing the organization.
Conclusion
To wrap up, it is clear that machines cannot replace human beings in creating and running of organizations. Based on the system theory, an organization is made up of many units including people, machines, and departments. Among the components, the people are the most important constituent because they help in making decisions. In addition, human beings are able to scan the environment and make decisions depending on the changing conditions within the environment. On the other hand, machines can replace people in doing certain activities especially the risky and the tiresome jobs. For example, the machines can help in working in furnaces and in lifting heavy weights and this may not be possible with people. For example, the computer for example can help in doing complex analysis that are impossible when done by human beings. For this reason, it is clear that both machines and people are important in organization and none can replace each other. The two components of the organization are important in undertaking different tasks. For example, the people help in decision making while the machines helps in doing complex and dangerous activities. In the case of the sunset makers, the human resource cannot function effectively without the assistance of computers. The department needs computers for purpose of allocating tasks to every employee. In addition, sunset makers use computers for doing calculations such as analyzing payroll. This is not possible when done manually. On the other hand, people help in operating the computers. For this reason, it is clear that both people and machines are important in an organization and no one can replace the other. Both are of great important within the organization.
References
Birolini, A., 2012. Quality and reliability of technical systems: theory, practice, management. Springer Science & Business Media.
Donaldson, L., 2001. The contingency theory of organizations. Sage.
Ellis, S., Almor, T. and Shenkar, O. (2002). Structural Contingency Revisited: Toward a Dynamic System Model. Emergence, 4(4), pp.51-85.
Fincham, R. and Rhodes, P. (2005) Principles of organizational behaviour. 4th edn. New York: Oxford University Press.
Gopalakrishnan, S. and Dugal, M. (1998). STRATEGIC CHOICE VERSUS ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM: A DEBATE REVISITED. The International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 6(2), pp.146-164.
Gratton, L. (2000). Living strategy. London: Financial Times.
Jackson, M.C. (2000) Systems approaches to management. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
Martin, J. and Fellenz, M. (2010). Organizational behaviour and management. Andover: Cengage Learning.
Tripathi, P.C. and Reddy, P.N. (2008) Principles of management. 4th edn. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Pub.
