Jeffrey wrote:
>It has always been said that the "external environment of an
>organisation is both a friend and foe for management"
>Do you agree this statement. Please comment and enlighten me.
I've heard similar statements, and they arise from the sense of struggle
that characterizes Western organizational life. The external environment
is no more a friend or foe than we choose to make it. The environment
provides customers and resources, so how can it be a foe? It also
provides competition, conflict, and change, so how can it be a friend?
A better paradigm is to think of the environment simply as the context
within which an organization exists. It has no inherent value - only that
which we assign. And, of course, as the particulars of our experience
change, the same environmental factors that were once friendly can become
hostile, and vice versa.
I think it's best to avoid judging and try to see the world clearly,
accepting it as it is.
Trying not to take my life too personally,
Dave
--David E. Birren Project Manager and Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (608) 267-2442 "Teach your tongue to say 'I do not know' and you will progress." - Maimonides
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