Michael,
Good Point!
>Before we continue talking about why we create organizations, I'd like to
>know how we *define* organizations. Is an organization defined by people
>working together for a common goal.
In my work with organizations, I began to discover, particularly with
non-profits, that they didn't have a grasp on that either. They couldn't
distinguish between their mission and the organizational structure
designed to achieve their mission. In case of boards, many had come on
the board after serving as volunteers, and they approached their board as
if they were still in that volunteer role. It has been helpful to groups
to distinguish who are the "agents of the mission- missionaries" and who
are the "agents of the organization-staff and board." Their roles are
different. My distinction here is for the benefit of board members who
are only concerned about program, because that is their interest and not
the supporting structures which enable the program to exist.
My point is that the "organization" is a vehicle or tool for human
endeavor. It is the structure through which we do things. I've seen the
opposite problem from the one above where the organizational structure is
the only thing which concerns the board, not the program or mission. The
mission has died, the structure remains, and the replacement mission is
the perpetuation of the organizational structure. It is as if there were
no trees anywhere, and we are still engaged in sharpening our ax. So, in
conclusion, for me, organization and mission are separate, and the former
serves the latter, not vice versa.
Ed Brenegar
Leadership Resources
edb3@msn.com
--"Ed Brenegar" <edb3@email.msn.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>