Frameworks to understand organizations
Links relevant to frameworks and courses

 
   Frameworks:
        Many industries throughout the world have seen successes and failures of seemingly similar companies. The result is an increased need for a better understanding of the management of organizational growth and the determinants of success and failure over the long term. More specifically, why do some organizations continue to be successful over the long term while others, with equally promising starts, experience difficulties and even failure? 
          To help answer this question, Prof. Flamholtz suggests two frameworks to understand organizational success and failure, and to plan the successful growth of firms at different stages of growth.  The first framework, Pyramid of Organizational Development, identifies six key "strategic building blocks" of successful organizations. The second framework outlines the different stages of an organization's life cycle and the key level of the Pyramid for each stage of growth. 
Figure. 1 Pyramid of Organizational Development

Please click on the image to enlarge.
     The six key tasks or dimensions in the Pyramid of Organizational Development, as seen in Figure.1,  are:
        * Identification and definition of a viable market niche
        * Development of products or services for the chosen market niche
        * Acquisition and development of resources required to operate the firm
        * Development of day-to-day operational systems 
        * Development of the management systems necessary for the long-term functioning of the organization 
        * Development of the organizational culture that management feels necessary to guide the firm
      All six tasks are vital for the health of the firm, and must occur  simultaneously. However, the relative emphasis on each task or level of the Pyramid will vary according to the organization’s stage of growth.  The parallel relationship between size and organizational structure leads to an Organizational Life Cycle Model (Figure.2) that complements the Pyramid of Organizational Development. This framework identifies seven key stages of growth that all organizations must pass through. In order to be successful, companies of all sizes must recognize, plan for, and manage their transitions at each stage of organizational growth.
Figure. 2 Stages of Growth

Please click on the image to enlarge.
To see more detailed discussions about these frameworks, please visit the publications page.


Some Relevant Links:

* Some Business Journals:
      Wall Street Journal
      ABC News Business Web Site
      Business Week
      Economist
      Financial Times

* Bizjournals: A business news site with several sections focusing on demography, geographical areas and industries. 

*  HRM Resources: A site with links to a wide array of other human resource management related web sites. 

* Society for HRM:  The web site of Society of Human Resource Management with good information search tools.

* Hoovers Business Links: A web site with information about industries and companies. It also has links to other business resources.

* The marriage of culture and technology: An interesting article at Financial Times about culture in electronic commerce companies.

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