Organisation Vision & Models Understanding. (ICQCC' 96, KL)

Vision of Ancient People

The vision of ancient people on flying to the moon had many different mental models. The common mental model of these visionary people was persons with "wings" flying to the moon. It was a logical and natural model based on their observation of the nature - birds with wings. The actual model, which was then the future-model of these ancient people, like rocket, space shutter, was non-existence. It took many centuries for more imaginative people / scientists to create a more scientific based model and for prototype and real machine to be constructed.

Organisations with great desire to create a change for the better, have in great number, formulated their vision and mission statements. However the future-model conceptualisation and visualisation usually remains blurred or not addressed at all. As a result, the vision statement can only represent a "desire" & "broad concept". The Management, in its best of intention, tries exceedingly hard to bring about a change towards the broad concept as per their vision statement, without a full awareness of the limitation and restraining forces of the existing model / structure. It is comparable to the ancient people effort to try to put "wings" on people "to fly to the moon". Hence the usefulness and extreme importance to construct a future-model to realise a vision is recognised.

Many academic researches are carried out in this modelling. It was very well summarised by Professor Shoji Shiba of MIT in his paper presentation at ICQCC 96' KL, 28-30th Oct. titled "The New Challenges for QC Circle Activity Under Rapid Societal Change". The summary of the evolutionary models are a) Mechanical model b) Biological model and c) Societal Model.

Three Phases of Management Model

Mechanical Model

This model depicts an organisation that has been scientifically designed into "parts" like a machine, resulting in an all familiar organisation structure of hierarchical type : compartmentalisation, , specialisation, span of control, chain of command etc. It was a powerful and "the" only model during the early period of Industrial Revolution era, giving rise to much of the prosperity and progress that we enjoy today. It is sometimes referred to as Taylorism Management, or Doctrine of Divide into parts and Manage. The job for a person created from this Mechanical Model is mostly robot-like, procedurized. Job performance is also evaluated under the ideology of "individualism".

Biological Model

As the mode of production shifted from mass production to niche market, process complexity increases, enabled by Information Technology and High Technology, in response to more competition and customers demand for quality, shorter cycle time and zero defects, a Biological Model emerges. In this model the organisation is viewed as a biological organism with brain, body, legs and hands. The top management is the brain and the rest, parts of the whole body. This model gives rise to notion of teamwork.

Most organisations are presently in the transition period from "Mechanical to Biological Model". Many management theories proliferate in this transformation process resulting in many programs, initiatives, experimentation and naturally much confusion also. Characteristics of the Biological Model of Brain, Body etc. can be described as follow.

The Brian (top management) of the organisation use management tools like Annual Planning, MBO, Policy Deployment, Management Review, Resources Allocation centre etc.

The Body, Legs and Hands etc. can include programme like 5S, QCC, ESS, etc. and methodology like PDCA.

ISO 9000 is also used to integrate the above brain, body, leg and hands.

However, many organisation implement the above programs / initiatives with the old "Mechanical Model" outlook : to view the new management initiatives as "parts" of the modified Machine. Such fragmented thinking to see every things as "parts" is prevalent as evidenced by various expressed sentiments like "this is not my department problem, it is other part (department)" "this QCC activity, another extra curriculum part is killing me" "Fix this NCR (part problem) quickly before the auditor come" etc.

Without a clear vision and understanding of an evolutionary process from Mechanical to Biological Model, the so called progressive management, change agents or champions continue to be stressed and frustrated in the change management process.

The all powerful restraining forces of the Mechanical Model, in this case a lock-in paradigm, are not fully understood and addressed. Examples of the restraining forces include : span of control, limit of authority, performance appraisal of individual, categorisation of problems into function / discipline and not processes or sub-systems. etc.

Hence it is not only a clash between a Mechanical Model with a Biological Model, it is using a "Machine" to dictate a Biological organism, like the ancient people tried to attach wings to people to fly to the moon. Management and Change agents do not realise the new learning, new skills and new techniques that are required by themselves with constant practices till mastery to overcome centuries of lock-in paradigm of Mechanical Model.

In this respect, many new theories and disciplines emerge as bridging devices between the two models, e.g. System Thinking as per "The 5th Discipline" by Dr. Peter Senge of MIT.

Forced by even more competition or demanding customers, some organisations introduced new concept like "empowerment" "self-directed team". This will eventually lead to anther future-model : Societal Model

Societal Model

In this model an organisation is viewed as society, consisting of entities which are highly independent, yet depending on each other.

For example, a society consists of entities like Family units, Educational Institution, Industries, Consumers etc. One cannot do without another. Without Family units, there is no students for the Educational Institution. Without educated workforce, there is no Industries, without Industries, there is no products / services and so on.

The interdependency, inter-connectivity and inter-relationship of each other are to be seen as "forces" that need to be understood and managed.

Interestingly there are organisations, un-aware of their current lock-in Mechanical Model paradigm, pro-claim in their management paper or newspaper announcement that their organisations are now re-structured to Societal Model with empowerment, self-directed team features. This is a very dangerous affair, when the paradigm of the whole organisation has not been shifted from the existing Mechanical Model towards Biological Model. It is like the ancient people putting on a "T-shirt" with look-alike rocket picture and tried to fly to the moon from a mountain top.

A good understanding of different phases of the models and their implication, with trial and tribulation and constant practices by the Management / Managers concerned, can help to creatively transform their organisations in response to the external market and environmental dynamic.

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