Organizational Development: A Manual for Managers and ... - FPDL

Chapter 2.4 Internal Relations Management
Emotions, timing, and tempo, fully integrated in the change process,
will result in creating de-layered organizational structures
with great flexibility capable of rapid action and reaction.
Perre J. Everaert
Organization as a system is made up of many interrelated components. These are people,
technologies, software and hardware, buildings, cars and coffee-machines. Whatever belongs to
an organization is a part of that organization. With other parts, the organization would be a different
one. The next topic for discussion is how these parts are interrelated and how they interact with
one another. That determines the structure, and the structure determines all emergent features,
along with the space of existence. With different relationships, there would be a different
organization - or no organization at all.
Every element is important for an organization; everything contributes to the landscape, and even
seemingly very small things may become crucial during certain moments. Thus, it is the permanent
and priority task for a manager to combine all elements in the organization, construct the structure,
and control how l elements interact.
The most important elements of an organization, of course, are its people. In many organizations
they are all that counts. How these people become members of an organization – at any given
moment it is already history. Of course, it should be under control. Proper selection and hiring of
staff is one of the most important issues. Another important issue is how these people live and
work together in the organization. Do they really do their best? Is what they are doing really the
best thing to do?
There are two different interrelated aspects. People may do their best, but the result of their
combined actions may be poor. People may seem to not be working so hard – but produce
stunning results. Some managers are very good at making people work very hard. Does it always
help in a contemporary organization? At the end of the day – what does it mean ‘to work hard’
when somebody is sitting in front of a computer and looking with a very serious face at the table on
the monitor? If he or she does not want to work at the moment – he or she will not work.
Supervision will not help.
Fortunately, people want to work well. Some may prefer to stay home or travel around the globe,
but if they have sufficient reasons to stay with an organization – then they prefer to be and to feel
they are doing well. It is much more pleasant and normally more beneficial. Unwillingness to work
112