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Society of Organizations Concept
Through the simple observation of the
world around us, we easily observe that we live in a society almost
totally dominated by several types of organizations. On the other hand,
we also easily notice that all of us, as well as all our family, friends
and colleagues, belong to one or more organizations – a soccer team, a
theatre group, a political organization, civic or religious, a student’s
association, a company.
We live in what Peter F. Drucker, in
“Managing in a Time of Great Change”, called “Society of Organizations”.
In fact, more and more organizations, whether being business, political,
religious, sportive, charitable, environment defense, or others, assume
an increasing goal in our society, whether at the social level whether
economical level. They are organizations which currently assume the
responsibility for the performance of the main tasks necessary for the
society’s operation – they are the one who assume the production of
goods and services, health care, safety, sport, education, environment
defense, charity, among many others. It’s from here that emerges the
significance of the organizations’ studies as social entities, economic,
of human capacities development and as fundamental agents of change and
evolution.
Alongside, and not less significant, is
the tendency more and more accentuated for the transformation, and using
once again the terms of Peter F. Drucker, from the traditional work to
knowledge work. Several factors, from which stand out the worldwide
economy globalization, provided in a wide scale by the technological
advances at the treatment and information transfer level and at the
level of transports and mobility of people and goods, have been
contributing to a deep transformation inside the organizations. People
gradually become its main asset, stopped being simple performers of
tasks decided and ordered by the organizations top deciders, to now form
an integral part in the decision taking. Moves thereby gradually of an
era dominated by technology to an era dominated by knowledge. We assist
therefore, to the advent of a new society based on organizations and
whose bigger asset is knowledge. This reality has two fundamental
implications that should be withheld, given its relevance and the way
how they condition the organizations’ relations with the external
surroundings and in its own interior, namely among its employees.
This way
1st – Organizations begin to detain a
great power not only economical, but also, and mainly, social over
people and over the society in general. It’s, therefore, necessary that
this power be followed by increased responsibilities before the whole
society – the called organizations social responsibility. As affirms the
nicknamed “father of management”, Peter F. Drucker in “Managing in a
Time of Great Change”, the economic and financial performance is simply
the first responsibility of the organizations before the society - “each
organization should assume the total responsibility of its impact over
the employees, the surrounding, the clients and all people and things in
which touches”.
2nd – The traditional productive factors,
still widely used by the economists, like the land, work and capital,
come gradually to give place, in terms of economic significance, to the
individuals’ knowledge. It’s obvious that the organizations and the
economies in general cannot produce without the traditional productive
factors, but it’s also certain that existing individuals with
specialized knowledge, these factors can be easier obtained in the
market. The implications of this new reality are of extreme significance
for the organizations since now are the knowledge employees that possess
and control the main productive factor – their own knowledge – which
makes them much more independent and with much higher mobility level.
This situation places a new challenge to the organizations and its
responsible, namely to know how to create the necessary conditions to
guarantee its employees’ loyalty and, this way, ensure its maintenance.
Translated from Portuguese
by Susana Saraiva, Portuguese-English and English-Portuguese translation
specialist. Contact: spams@sapo.pt.
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