Basic+ Keiei-Soshiki (Management Organization)

There is likely nothing as familiar to us as “organizations.” Surely not a single one of us can be found who is not affiliated with any organization whatsoever. On the other hand, it can also be said that few subjects are as elusive. Some organizations fail to produce results no matter how many excellent individuals they bring together. Likewise, some organizations achieve amazing results despite being composed of ordinary people. What kinds of organizations are able to lead us to these incredible results? And what can be done to improve the lives of the people in these organizations? Management and organizational theory grapples with this question.
 
This work is a textbook containing new management and organizational theory. It offers micro-viewpoints considering the management of the people who comprise organizations, as well as macro-viewpoints considering organizational structure and strategy factoring into the organization’s relations with its external environment; both aspects are addressed in a well-balanced manner that is conducive to learning. In our world of often-furious activity and action, organizations too must change. This title is unique in according much attention to organizational reform and dynamism, a characteristic that is not present in similar works. The start of each chapter features episodic content closely resembling real-world management situations. Along with stimulating the reader’s desire to learn more, consideration has been paid to ensuring that the resulting theory is not purely academic and is instead employable in the real word.
 
The episode for the chapter that I have been tasked with writing, for example, is in a similar vein as the following.
 
“You’re casually glancing through your morning newspaper when a headline catches your eye. It states that Company X, which employs your Friend A, has been successful in its efforts to cultivate overseas markets and is performing well. If we read through the article in detail, it appears that the company’s leaders engaged in decision-making that factored in years of foresight and anticipation, and that this approach is linked to the present success the company is enjoying. If we gather related information, there certainly seem to be many instances of analyses pointing to the results and outcomes produced by rational decision-making. The following week, you unexpectedly have the chance to share a meal with Friend A. The subject comes up, and you exclaim, ‘The leaders at your company are really something else, aren’t they? I mean, you don’t find many people who are able to produce rational strategies and conduct logical decision-making like that.’ However, the facts according to Friend A are a little different. There were numerous twists and turns before that success was reached, you are told. The company completely failed to sell the product it was aiming for at first, having overlooked monumental problems. Through trial and error, a method of usage was unexpectedly hit upon thanks to a different product, one not originally considered for a trial, and the hints and insights obtained there led to advances in product development. This brought a course of action into view, and after resource investment in line with this course was obtained, the path to eventual success became visible. It is certainly a good thing for company leaders and managers to engage in rational decision-making. However, the circumstances surrounding companies can shift daily, and many aspects must be considered. Real-world organizational decision-making is complex and chaotic, with sudden and unexpected factors sometimes present. What can be done to improve decision-making in such circumstances?”
 
I definitely encourage those of you who are interested in reading more of this content to pick the full publication up.

 

(Written by INAMIZU Nobuyuki, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Economics / 2021)