Institute of Business Administration, University of the Punjab,

Lahore

Course Project on Images of Organization

MBA 1.5 Session 2019-21
Institute of Business Administration, Lahore, Pakistan

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Submitted To: Ms. Saima Jamil

Submitted By: Junaid Tariq (75) and Hanif Muhammad (62)

Group No.: 04

Semester: 2nd

Subject: Organizational Theory

Assignment No: 1st

Date of Submission: 14 September 2020

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 Contents

Description Page No.

Chapter 01 Introduction 04

Chapter 02 Brief overview of all images 05

2.1 Organization as Machine 06

2.2 Organization as Organism 06

2.3 Organization as Brain 07

2.4 Organization as Culture 07

2.5 Organization as Political System 07

2.6 Organization as Psychic Prison 07

2.7 Organization as system of Change and Flux 07

2.8 Organization as Instrument of Domination 08

Chapter 03 Explanation of Two Chosen Images 09

3.1 Organization as Organism 09

3.1.1 Strengths of the Organization as Organism 10

3.1.2 Weakness of the Organization as Organism 11

3.2 Organization as a Political System 11

3.2.1 Strengths of the Organization as a Political System 12

3.2.2 Weakness of the Organization as a Political System 13

3.3 Comments Regarding Current Position of the Morgan’s

Metaphors and the Introduction of New Metaphors 14

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Chapter 01: Introduction

This document is based on the images/metaphors of organization presented by Dr. Gareth

Morgan, Professor of organizational behavior/industrial relations at the Sculish School of
Business at York University in Toronto which contributes to our understanding by suggesting
that organizations should be viewed through multiple images/metaphors.

Firstly, we have overviewed the overall images of organization and briefly introduced
what it means and what the Dr. Gareth Morgan had tried to explain the organization through
multiple images/metaphors. Secondly, we have picked up two images of organization randomly
from the mentioned eight images/metaphors. We have collected data from different sources to
thoroughly describe the two. Thirdly, we discussed the current situations of organization to
analyze that either they are in-compliance with the images described by Dr. Gareth Morgan or
not. In last, we have commented regarding the introduction of other images of organization by
reviewing the current structure of organization in today’s world.

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Chapter 02: Brief Overview of Overall Images of Organization

Over twenty years ago in his book named as images of organization, Dr. Gareth Morgan
presented the Eight images/ metaphors of organization to describe the structure of different
organizations working in today’s business world. These images are very important for those who
want to develop a deep understanding of the organization structure. These images are:

1. Organizations as Machines

2. Organization as Organism

3. Organization as Brain

4. Organization as Culture

5. Organization as Political System

6. Organization as Psychic Prison

7. Organization as System of Change and Flux

8. Organization as Instrument of Domination

Below is the picture of images of organization taken from the Morgan’s book named “Images of
Organization”. Morgan thought that our thinking regarding an organization is based on one of
the above- mentioned images of organization.

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Figure 2.1 images of organization

All these images are described briefly in the following section.

2.1 Organization as Machine:

This is the most simplistic metaphor and is the foundation of Taylorism. Any geometrically
structuralist approach also falls into this category, which is why I have little patience for people
who use words/phrases like top down, bottom-up, centralized, decentralized and so forth, without
realizing how narrow their view of organizations is. The entire mainstream Michael-Porter view
of business is within this metaphor.

2.2 Organization as Organism:

This is a slightly richer metaphor and suggests such ideas as “organizational DNA,” birth,
maturity, and death, and so forth. I really like this one a LOT and have so much to say about it
that I have not said anything yet. I even bought a domain name (electricleviathan.com) to
develop my ideas on this topic separately. Maybe one day I will do at least a summary here.

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2.3 Organization as Brain:

This may sound like a subset of the Organism metaphor (and there is some overlap), but there is
a subtle and important shift in emphasis from “life processes” to learning. Organization as brain
is the source of information-theoretic ways of understanding collectives (“who knows what,”
how information spreads and informs systems and processes). The System Dynamics people like
this a lot, especially Peter Senge (The Fifth Discipline). I cannot recommend the System
Dynamic approach though; I think it is fundamentally flawed. But the learning view itself is very
valuable.

2.4 Organization as Culture:

I have written about this stuff before (There is No Such Thing as Culture Change on the E2.0
blog), and plan to do so soon, when I review Tony Hsieh’s Delivering Happiness and in the next
Gervais Principle post. I honestly dislike this metaphor but can understand its appeal objectively.
More so than others, culturalists tend to be extremists; they think the culture metaphor is the
most important one, and this rigidity traps them in peculiar ways.

2.5 Organization as Political System:

Most of the Gervais Principle series falls within the boundaries of this metaphor, though I
sometimes step out to the Psychic Prison metaphor.

2.6 Organization as Psychic Prison:

I chose to represent this as a guy in a prison, since that is immediately obvious to everybody, but
the right symbol (and the one Morgan uses) is the Plato’s cave symbol, which would be obscure
to most people even if I could sketch it in a recognizable form. We have talked about this on the
edges of the Gervais Principle series, through our discussions of exile/exodus and extensively in
my old Cloud worker series.

2.7 Organization as System of Change and Flux:

Think of a dynamically stable whirlpool or eddy in a flowing stream, and you get this one. It
highlights some of the same aspects of organizations as the Organism metaphor, but in different

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ways. For example, notions of stability, dissipation, entropy, and other physics ideas are used.
This is where things like GTD, lean startups and agile programming fit. The idea of creative
destruction also fits in here. If the Machine metaphor is the dominant one, this one is the market-
leading alternative metaphor.

2.8 Organization as Instrument of Domination:

is NOT the same as the political metaphor since it involves naked aggression in some form. This
is where you get themes of oppression, sweat-shops, social costs (such as the BP oil spill), the
military-industrial complex and so forth. This used to be a lot more important than it is now,
because humans are selfish creatures. So long as the subjects of oppression were human laborers,
this was the leading metaphor. The moment that variety of oppression began to wane, and
corporations shifted their oppressive gaze to animals, via factory farming, and the environment,
via wanton damage out of public view, we stopped caring as much. Fortunately, that is starting to
change, because ‘out of public view’ is an increasingly difficult state to maintain. Cases in point:
Iran, Burma, and BP.

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Chapter 03: Explanation of the Two Chosen Images

We have chosen the following two images for our report to write on:

 Organization as Organism
 Organization as Political System

We have written our report on the above two images to present a detailed analysis of the
mentioned images. In the following subsection we have thrown light on the current
implementation of the images in today’s organization systems. Let see what these two images
really means.

3.1 Organization as an Organism:

Organization as an organism as described from the name means that organization is like a living
organism. As we can see all the living organism on planet like plants, humans, and other animals.
According to this metaphor, an organization acts like these organisms. As the overall organisms’
act in a relationship with the environment and the ecosystem and influence by the environment
and can influence the environment also, the organization also act in the same way. The
organization also influence and are influenced by the environment these organization operating
in. The evolution of the organizations is same as the evolution of the organisms. They evaluated
like the organisms. They were very simple in the prior stage and they then becomes advanced
with time. As an organism respond to the changes occurring in the environment, the organization
also respond to the changes occurred in the organization and they adopt all the changes in
themselves.

Before the metaphor of organization as organism, organizations were viewed as machines. There
was the concept of organization as machines. This metaphor of organizations as machines laid
the foundation upon which organizations sought for more effective ways of responding to their
external environment.

According to Buono & Jamieson, 2010, p. 120, Responding to the external environment requires a
“stimulus response” in an organism, and same is the case with the organization. If an organization is

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active and smart, it can respond to the changes occurring in the environment successfully and if
it is not, then it cannot survive successfully in the environment. In-order to survive it is necessary
for an organism to know about its needs and necessities and this is also the case with the
organization. And as the organism grows it can compete in the competitive environment and can
support itself. Like this an organization can also support itself and can compete effectively in its
competitive environment if it has grown up-to some specific level, and then it can successfully
respond to any changes occurring in their surroundings.

Flexibility and variations in an organization occur through redesign. Alvesson (2002) explains
the redesigning as varying the fundamental make-up and procedure of an organization.

The survival of an organization also requires effective leaders who are participative and
democratic, contrary to the authoritarian or autocratic styles of leaders that are the norm for
mechanistic organizations (Golembiewski, 2000.) Participative and democratic leaders support
association and active participation of the members.

Therefore, the survival of an organization is also dependent on the growth and development of its
members. The growth of organizational members can be illustrated through the development of
attractive jobs, and independence, dependability, and acknowledgment. This will enable the
organization to be productive and hence stay ahead of its competitors.

3.1.1 Strengths of the Organization as an Organism Metaphor

As we can know from the prior metaphor of organization as a machine before the evolution of
organism metaphor, the organization did not respond to the external environment because no
attachment was given to the environment (Massarik, 1995). Therefore, at that time the theorists
viewed the organizations as a closed system consisting of different components acting together
with no response to the external environment. On the other hand, the organism metaphor gives
emphasis on the external environment in which the organization operates. According to this
newly emerged metaphor, the organization has to-respond to and relate itself with the external
environment to survive successfully.

The organism metaphor focuses mainly on the survival of the organization as the major function
and objective of the organization, contrary to the focus of the earlier theories on the attainment of

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specific operational objectives (Jackson, 2000). Survival of the organization is a procedure
which leads towards the attainment of operational objectives.

Organization as an organism metaphor also adds flexibility characteristics to the organization. It

means that organizations in organism metaphor concept can have flexibility and can adopt
changes easily and successfully. In this case, the organizations can be flexible and adoptive.

The organism metaphor also focuses on the utilization and attainment of resources as well as the
fulfilment of diverse needs which support a wider and suppler strategy (Magalhaes, 2004).

3.1.2 Weaknesses of Organization as an Organism Metaphor

Organisms are species that lives in a natural world with material characteristics that has an
influence on the welfare and survival of its members. Their world of living can be felt, touched,
and seen. Nature is objective and real in every way. But this concept cannot be applied to
organizations because it is a socially constructed phenomenon (Taylor & Every, 2000).

Organizations are the results of visions, ideas, norms, and beliefs, and therefore their form and
make-up are more delicate and cautious than the material make-up of an organism. Even though
there are numerous material elements of an organization, organizations basically depend for
survival – in the form of persistent organizational activity – on the imaginative deeds of human
beings. It is therefore deceptive to argue that organizations are required to adjust to their external
settings, as the earlier theorists argue.

3.2 Organization as a Political System:

The organization as a political system defines stakeholder theories, diversity of interests, and
conflicts and powers in an organization. According to this concept of Morgan, an organization is
a network of individuals joined-together with a wide range of interests for the aim to be
convenient with each other and to have a normal life. Political metaphor of an organization is a
study of the characteristics of organizations and employees like Interests and rights of
employees, power in the organization, hidden agendas and back room deals in the organization,

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authority, alliances and groups and unions, party-line, censorship, gatekeepers and information
providers, leaders and supervisors, conflict management etc.

According to Walsham, 1993, p. 38, Considering the organizations as a political system, one can
understand that an important concept in all the organizations is the power that can be seen as a
means by which conflicts of interest among the employees are resolved.

According to Foucault (1976), a prominent author on the issue of power stresses, power is
exercised through the way in which local components combine to constitute a broader system of
power advocated by the institutional components of the state. It means that delicate and precise
actions implemented within organizations are connected to the institutional exercises of power.

According to some authors like Cobo, Rocha, Vanti, and Schneider (2012), political metaphor of
the organization does not take-into account the interests of groups and is usually in better
interests of officers in authority. This process can be examined in such companies which operate
as political systems since there is the existence of power distribution, the main objective of the
company will be performed by both subordinates and capital owners.

3.2.1 Strengths of Organizations as a Political System Metaphor

When we see an organization as a political system, we can consider the following benefits of this
metaphor to our organization.

In an organization which is a political system according to Gareth Morgan all the members and
executives like people in the authority have the basic skills of politics, which includes their
ability to effectively understand other employees working in the organization, and also to use
their political skills and knowledge to influence their subordinates and other employees to act in
ways that can enhance one’s personal and/or organizational objectives.

People that are skilled politically can bring together all the employees with a deep understanding
of the situations with the ability to adjust their behavior to changing situational demands in a
manner that appears to be sincere, inspires support and trust, and effectively influences and
controls the responses of others. (Ferris et al. 2007).

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If there is a political system in an organization, then there will be minimum amount of injustice.
All the matters and problems of the organization will be solved by means of politics and
democracy. There will be no autocracy in the organization. In a political metaphor all the
employees will be included in making business decisions and by doing this, the employees will
be sincere and loyal to the organization because they will feel that they have been given
importance by the organization and by their superiors.

3.2.2 Weaknesses of Organization as a Political System Metaphor

As anything has some disadvantages and weaknesses attached with its advantages and strengths,
same is the case with this metaphor. It has some disadvantages and weaknesses that can be
resolved with time and effort.

Following points discusses some of the weaknesses of the organization as a political system
metaphor.

If there is a political system in the organization, there will be the thirst of power in the executives
of the organization. They will solely work for getting power, not for the achievement of the
organizational goals and objectives.

If there is a thirst of power in the executives in the organization, they will try their best for the
achievement of power and authority and for getting the power and authority they will not stop
from doing illegal things and will definitely break the policies and rules regulations of the
organizations. This all will lead the organization to a worse situation. There will be bribery and
corruption for getting the power.

There is a greater probability of creation of groups among employees in a politically shaped

organization. People will make their groups of interests for getting the power. And there will be
number of unions and alliances. Organization then cannot implement their decisions which are in
the best interests of overall organization because there will be a resistance from these unions.,
because unions and alliances always fight for their mutual benefits.

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3.3 Current Situations of Morgan’s Metaphors and Comments Regarding the
Introduction of New Metaphors

By deeply and thoroughly observing the current public sector and private sector organizations in
today’s world we can draw a conclusion that all the images of organizations/metaphors presented
by the Dr. Gareth Morgan are still applied in number of organizations. Some have adopted one of
the metaphors and some have adopted the other. All the metaphors can be seen in the
organizations. We cannot say that the structure of a specific organization denies the existence of
a metaphor. Like Public sector organizations are mostly political in nature, which is organization
as political system metaphor. All public and private sector organization are like an organism, so
organism metaphor is also in practice. Same is the case with other metaphors also.

Many people have worked in this context to add some other metaphors to that presented by
Morgan. It can be added by analyzing the situations and the phenomenon of the organization. By
analyzing an organization properly, we can either name it from one of the metaphors presented
by Morgan or we can combine two or more than two metaphors from the Morgan’s list of
metaphors and can give it another name to add new metaphor.

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 References

1. Morgan, G. (1986). Images of Organization, Sage Publication

2. 8 Organizational Metaphors, (2014), NOBL Academy

3. Tohidian, Iman, Rahimian, Hamid, (2019). Bringing Morgan’s metaphors in organization

contexts: An essay review. Cogent Business Management, 6 (1).

4. Joep P. Cornelissen, Kafouros, K., Andrew R. Lock (2005). Metaphorical images of

organization: How organizational researchers develop and select organizational metaphors. Sage
Journals, 58 (12)

5. Trehan, K., Putnam, L.L., Örtenblad, A. (2016). Beyond Morgan’s eight metaphors: Adding to
and developing organization theory. Sage Journals, 69 (4)

6. Metaphors of Organisation - Part 1. (2001) https://cleanlanguage.co.uk/, 2001, Volume 1,

Issue 4

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