Formal organizations are basically understood as systems that have controlled and coordinated activities which arise when work is embedded in networks that are complex. The formal organizations have further undergone a lot of changes in their defined structures. In the past century the organizations were shaped in concrete bureaucratic ideals such that there was a lot of human control in these organizations.
In the past century organizations did not have a fixed hierarchy and there was no separation of individuals and their job positions since there were no formal job descriptions. The organizations also did not rules and regulations which were acceptable and a code of ethics that regulated the employees behaviors.
The organizations did not have contracts that determined the length in which the employees would remain working in the same organization. On the other hand the current organizational structures are very complex and they have various characteristics such as specialization, division of labor a hierarchy of offices and the existence of rules and regulations which govern the employee’s behaviors in the organizations.
Unlike in the past the present formal organizations have technical competencies and they also use formal methods of communication. In most instances the organizations in the past were utilitarian. Bureaucracy in the past formal organizations was used to promote efficiency and impersonality but in most instances this fostered alienation among the employees who became very indifferent to the formal goals and objectives of the organizations.
Making Micah’s Organization More Flexible
It is very important to make a formal organization more flexible and this will similarly involve a lot of changes in the organizations activities and the relationships that exist in the organization too. First and foremost Micah’s organization needs not to distinguish the tasks allocated to various employees as per an individual’s competency or specialization in a particular area. This will create a situation whereby a particular job cannot be done if the person who specializes in is not available.
The organization should flex itself and allocate a duty to more specialized people who can do a specified task. Secondly the company should clearly define the communication and correspondence hierarchy which will give room for ease in communication and which will foster a smooth flow of information from one source to another without any alterations.
The rules and regulations that are set out to be strictly followed by the employees should be very clearly defined leaving room for exceptional cases such as the new employees. The rules should also encompass the simple and general norms in the society giving room for any adjustments to be done.
The organization in which Micah is in needs to emphasize on technical competencies in carrying out specifically assigned tasks. This will further encourage all the employees to become more competent in their specified fields and also the organization should train the employees further and give them the refresher courses more often. This will make the employees to be more useful in their own and other organizations. (John, 1984)
To make the organization more flexible the form of communication should be made formal and at the same time the typical casual face to face communications should not be ignored completely. The organization should also be task oriented as well as person oriented since it is very hart to completely separate the two in an organization. The relationships in Micah’s organization should also vary between selective secondary and primary ties.
Future Trends in Formal Organizations
The organizations of the future will probably involve many opposing trends which will further encompass the freedom of creativity for the highly skilled workers and this will further increase the level of supervision for the less skilled workers. The organizations have been rapidly evolving from good to better and we are currently focusing on the future organizations being the best ever in existence. Many organizations have been evolving towards more flexible and flatter models and this will tend to increase as the organizations adopt even more flexible and effective organizational models.
There is a higher and greater chance of the organizations evolving further in the future to better models. This is likelihood since there are shortcomings in the present formal organizations and some loopholes which need to be filled and this can only be done in the futures formal organizations. In my own perception the organizations will have more characteristics which will be simpler than the existing ones and they will focus on the employee as well as the organization itself.
The organizations in the future will enhance more productivity and they will require more highly skilled workers who will work towards the achievement of the organizations goals and objectives. This is likely to happen since the organizations are seeking ways in which they can further improve on their productivity as well as achieve their set objectives. (John, 1982)
Future Evolution of Formal Organizations
There are various ways in which the future organizations will take their shape as hey adapt to new models. They will evolve into structure that will be more flexible giving the workers more freedom and they will also focus on reducing the threat of downsizing. With the increase in global competition, the organizations in the future will be very eager to attract more creative employees who will use their creativity in the organization in producing products that are of better quality.
The organizations are further evolving into an era where there will be more efficiency in productivity at the most minimal costs. On the other hand the future could be brighter for some organizations and not for others and this is because some of the formal organizations pose a mounting threat to the privacy of the people. The organizations will also transform in such a way that there will be an increment in standardization in the working environments. There is a possibility that the organizations will further ease the process of decision making especially in this age where there is rapid increase in technological advancement. (Michael, & John, 1977)
Similarly the organizations are likely to modify their existing clear lines of hierarchical authority into very simple chains of command that will be more flexible for the workers and the managements as well.
Conclusion
It is important to note that the formal organizations are evolving continually from more complex structures to very simple and more flexible structures that are all encompassing.
References:
John, L. (1982): The Behavioral Theory of Evolution and the Weber Thesis, Sociology Vol 16 No 3
John, L. (1984): The Ecological Theory of Bureaucracy, the Case of Josiah Wedgwood
And the British Pottery Industry. Administrative Science Quarterly 29:330-354.
Michael, H. & John, F. (1977): The Population-Ecology of Organizations, American Journal of Sociology.
