Looking back at my initial evaluation of organizational effectiveness and comparing it to how I view organizational effectiveness after weeks of classes on organizational theory my views have changed slightly but not significantly. I would still say that organizational effectiveness is still a very subjective concept and different people might have different opinions on whether an organization is being effective or was effective.
In my first post I discussed issues about the goal attainment theory to judging organizational effectiveness and said that it was a decent way to decide on effectiveness. After studying theories for the past couple of months, this theory is too focused on goals to decide anything for sure. Just looking at an organization's goals is not a good way to make a decision. Other factors must be considered. For example, an organization may meet all or most of their goals but what if the structure of the organization is completely dysfunctional? If the organization restructured they could potentially become even more efficient.
Organizational efficiency is an ongoing process and should be examined frequently in an organization. An organizations environment must constantly be evaluated in order to remain an effective organization. By this I mean an organization must constantly monitor its competitors and keep tabs on them. If your direct competition is looking at or actually implementing a change into developing a new consumer market or product you must evaluate if their change could increase your effectiveness as an organization. Organizations must also realize changes in consumer preferences and perceptions of the organization in order to stay effective. Using an organization in the sporting goods industry that focuses on downhill skis and is located in Minnesota we can apply these. In Minnesota a downhill ski shop will be very effective in the fall and winter months throughout the year but when consumer's preferences are changing when the summer months come the downhill ski shop will have to adapt if it wants to survive and be effective throughout the summer. One option could possible for the ski shop to also develop into maybe a skateboard shop in the summer and also add snowboards in the winter as those two sports are becoming more and more popular.
In conclusion, throughout this course I have realized the importance of all aspects of an organization in determining the effectiveness of the organization. All of the aspects can work together to create an overall effectiveness. In theory an organization can be considered effective but could improve things inside their organization to become even more effective like adopting a structure that would be a better fit or bringing in a great leader if one is not currently present. Organizational effectiveness is something that is ever changing within an organization.
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