CLASS 3

MANAGING ORGANIZATIONAL
DESIGN & CHANGE
Dr. Howaida Mahmmoud Barakat
2023
 The Eight Organizational Metaphors

What is Metaphor?
A metaphor is a connection. It’s a piece of string coupling two ideas.
One idea is usually complex and hard to convey. The other idea is
then simple and common.

Hearts are broken

Metaphors Are Powerful Yet A Trap

If hearts can be broken, they can also stay broken

 The Eight Organizational Metaphors

Examples of Work Metaphors:

Climb the ladder

career path

Waste time in meetings

Kill time

Punch in and punch out

 The Eight Organizational Metaphors

An organization is part of
the environment that has
the capacity to self-
organize, change and self-
renew in line with the a
A British/Canadian desire to have a certain
Organizational Theorist, identity.
Management Consultant
Morgan’s beliefs about organizational change:

▪ Order emerges from chaos

▪ Organizations have natural capacity to self-renew

▪ The rule of cause and effect doesn’t apply on organizations

▪ Tension is the root of finding new ways of doing things

▪ Organizational structure represents only one dimension of organizations

Morgan’s Four Logics of Organizational Change:
▪ Autopoiesis
Change happens from the inside as organizations strive to shape
themselves in their own image.

▪ Chaos and Complexity

Non linearity. Organizations are characterized by multiple systems
of interaction that are both ordered and chaotic.

▪ Mutual Causality
Individuals can influence systems dynamics through examining
interactions, feedback loops and shaping as necessary.
Morgan’s Four Logics of Organizational Change:

▪ Dialectical Change
You can’t fully understand the meaning of something without knowing its
opposite.
Principle 1: Attempting to change generates resistance
Principle 2: Negation leads to evolution of patterns
Principle 3: Change in quantity leads to change in quality
Morgan’s Five Guiding Ideas to Organizational Change:

▪ Rethinking what is meant by an organization (hierarchy and control)

▪ Learning the art of management and changing context

▪ Using small changes to create large effects

▪ Living with continuous transformation

▪ Being open to new metaphors

 Organization as Machine

An organization is a series of connected parts arranged in a logical order in order to

produce a repeatable output
When it works: A straightforward task, a stable environment, a repeatable outcome,
and a focus on precision

When it fails: when the environment changes and when employees crave a greater
sense of purpose and human agency

What it means for leadership: leaders think and workers do

What it says about organizational change: change is a matter of shutting down,

replacing, and overlooking how people actually think and feel about change
Organization as Organism

An organization is a collective response to its environment and, to survive, must

adapt as the environment changes

When it works: a clear and discrete change in the environment that threatens the
organization’s survival (e.g. a new law is enacted)

When it fails: changes are continuous and when uncertainty is huge

What it means for leadership: a step-by-step plan of action in response

What it says about organizational change: make a change then return to the previous
state (following the change vs adopting change as a constant state)
 Organization as Brain

An organization is a set of functions designed to process information and learn over

time

When it works: A lot of unknowns but relatively stable environment so learnings are
still possible over time

When it fails: knowledge of the past is no longer helpful

What it means for leadership: Double loop learning

What it says about organizational change: changes can be rationalized and planned
Organization as Cultural System

An organization is a mini-society, with its own culture and subcultures defined by

their values, norms, beliefs, and rituals

When it works: Desire for shared identity in work

When it fails: external changes are ignored; a push for a homogenous culture drives
out sub-cultures

What it means for leadership: collectivism

What it says about organizational change: struggle

 Organization as political System

An organization is a game of gaining, influencing, and coordinating power

When it works: Diverse and conflicting interests

When it fails: Competition of any kind emerges as a threat

What it means for leadership: attention, influence, and dominance

What it says about organizational change: Can see and marshal change
 Organization as Psychic Prison

An organization is a collection of myths and stories that restrict people’s

thoughts, ideas, and actions
When it works: Past success and societal norms lead

When it fails: A need to embrace new ways of thinking override the current reality

What it means for leadership: Prejudices, and biases

What it says about organizational change: progress ahead of governmental and

societal changes
Organization as Instrument of Domination

An organization is a means to impose one’s will on others and exploit

resources for personal gains
When it works: Sad major reality

When it fails: Activism

What it means for leadership: override subordinates

What it says about organizational change: fails to respond to change because it

prioritizes the personal wants and needs of a leader
Organization as Flux and Transformation

An organization is an ever-changing system indivisible from its

environment
When it works: cause and effect no longer make neat sense

When it fails: A need to work as simply as a machine

What it means for leadership: experiment with small, safe-to-fail changes then
marshal to further successful experiments

What it says about organizational change: Adopting change as a constant state

THANK YOU