Unit III: Organization and Management: Nature, Meaning

Unit III: Organization and Management: Nature, Meaning, Characteristics, Type and Components

Introduction

Administration is perceived and defined to be the group of people who are responsible of running the affairs of a particular organization, agency or institution. It has the power and authority to perform administrative functions implementing the laws, rules and policies governing its legal operations. It is the totality of governance which involve leaders and managers appointed and designated at various levels, functional management structure, programs, management functions, procedures, laws and policies, approaches and strategies, linkages, budgets, strategic and workplans toward attainment of pre- determined vision, mission and goals. Like any organization or agency, it is guided by a statement of philosophy and believing a set of core virtues.

This section will attempt to explore and understand the two important words in administration ---- ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT. The discipline of rural development gives emphasis on Organization and Management as field of specialization. It is observed that it is very impossible to think o rural development programs without asking what is the agency implementing the program and how it is managed?

At the end of the unit, the reader should be able to:

1. Define and describe the nature and type of organization;

2. Present the elements in the internal and external environment of an organization and its interaction or relationship;

3. Discuss organization as a system and present the different elements or components of an organization; and

4. Explain the different management roles and enumerate management functions;

Organization: Nature and Characteristics 19

Almost all of us belong to an organization either big or small, formal or informal, legal or illegal. The different concepts and nature of the term organization are as follows:

An organization is composed of:

 a group of people (more than two persons) working together,

 binded by common interests, objectives and goals,

 designing programs, projects and tasks,

 using agreed strategies and approaches, and

 working in a specific geographic area.

An organization has the following elements:

 Statement of Philosophy

 Vision, Mission and Goals Statement

 Mandates

 Program Thrusts

 Manpower or the Workforce

 Management and organizational structure

 Policies and rules

 Technologies

 Strategies and approaches 20

 Budget

 Linkages, partners, donors

 Strategic and workplans

 Core Values

 Rituals or Protocols or Procedures

 Organizational identities-flag or banner, hymn, color, signs and symbols, logo

An organization can be described as a system composed of:

 INPUT---PROCESS---OUTPUT ---- EFFECTS---IMPACT

Any serious student or individual must always be aware and conscious of what to ask in any organization knowing the different elements or components which are basic and important. Organizations have culture, climate, and unique characteristics which make them different from other organizations.

Knowing the concept and nature, an agency either government or private can be said to be an organization and determined to achieve organizational goals.

Types or Categories of Organization

Organizations can be categorized according to:

a) Objective or goals—service oriented, profit oriented, religious, fraternal, social, civic, charitable, sports, cultural, environmental

b) Nature of funding source-government, non-government, private sector, people’s organization

c) Area of coverage—local, national, international

d) Structure—line organization, staff organization

e) Management—single proprietorship, partnership, corporations, cooperatives, association 21

f) Size of coverage or service area-micro, small, medium, commercial

Organizations as a System

According to Koontz, organizations can be likened to a system with subsystems. The part of the system or subsystem are interconnected, interactive and interdependent. The five subsystems under a system are :

1. Vision and goals subsystem - this the formulation of realistic and challenging goals, a statement of what we would like to see in the future.

2. Psychosocial subsystem-refer to the people and their totality as group of individuals, the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes,

3. Technical subsystem-technology, strategies, processes, information, innovations

4. Structural subsystem-refers to the hierarchy and arrangement of people in the organization including the position, functions, power and authority.

5. Managerial subsystem-knowledge and skills in the different management functions including resource mobilization and utilization, plan formulation and fund sourcing.

It is like our human body, it is very easy to identify the different subsystems although it may not be complete. You may add other subsystem like:

 Financial subsystem

 Regulatory subsystem-laws, policies and rules

 Public relations subsystem

 Values subsystem

Internal and External Environment

Internal environment are those elements or conditions inside the organization and therefore within the control of management. The people inside 22 can design what kind of internal environment or organizational climate they would like to have. The leadership, structure, style of management, people to be hired or employed can be selected, programs are identified and planned. Organizational conflict is normal in any organization. The presence of conflict reminds that there is something wrong in the organization—management, structural, technical, social, political etc.

External environment are agencies structures conditions outside the organization but have strong influence on all the activities inside the organizations. Remember they are also stakeholders outside the internal sub system. Some of the external subsystem are the national agencies like the Commission on Higher Education, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Agriculture, other government entities; private sector who employs our graduates, buys our products, uses the technologies generated; civil society, farmers, entrepreneurs, political government hierarchy.

Professional RD managers must possess the following competencies:

1. Management and leadership skills

2. Social and Public Relations

3. Technical

4. Organizational development

5. Resource generation, mobilization and utilization

6. Communication skills

7. Team building skills

8. Professionalism in all jobs

9. Program or project proposal preparation

10.Environmental protection

11.Technology transfer and marketing

12.Computer technology 23