Society of Organizations Concept
Through the simple observation of the world around us, we easily observe that we live in a society almost totally dominated by several types of organizations. On the other hand, we also easily notice that all of us, as well as all our family, friends and colleagues, belong to one or more organizations – a soccer team, a theatre group, a political organization, civic or religious, a student’s association, a company.
We live in what Peter F. Drucker, in “Managing in a Time of Great Change”, called “Society of Organizations”. In fact, more and more organizations, whether being business, political, religious, sportive, charitable, environment defense, or others, assume an increasing goal in our society, whether at the social level whether economical level. They are organizations which currently assume the responsibility for the performance of the main tasks necessary for the society’s operation – they are the one who assume the production of goods and services, health care, safety, sport, education, environment defense, charity, among many others. It’s from here that emerges the significance of the organizations’ studies as social entities, economic, of human capacities development and as fundamental agents of change and evolution.
Alongside, and not less significant, is the tendency more and more accentuated for the transformation, and using once again the terms of Peter F. Drucker, from the traditional work to knowledge work. Several factors, from which stand out the worldwide economy globalization, provided in a wide scale by the technological advances at the treatment and information transfer level and at the level of transports and mobility of people and goods, have been contributing to a deep transformation inside the organizations. People gradually become its main asset, stopped being simple performers of tasks decided and ordered by the organizations top deciders, to now form an integral part in the decision taking. Moves thereby gradually of an era dominated by technology to an era dominated by knowledge. We assist therefore, to the advent of a new society based on organizations and whose bigger asset is knowledge. This reality has two fundamental implications that should be withheld, given its relevance and the way how they condition the organizations’ relations with the external surroundings and in its own interior, namely among its employees.
This way
1st – Organizations begin to detain a great power not only economical, but also, and mainly, social over people and over the society in general. It’s, therefore, necessary that this power be followed by increased responsibilities before the whole society – the called organizations social responsibility. As affirms the nicknamed “father of management”, Peter F. Drucker in “Managing in a Time of Great Change”, the economic and financial performance is simply the first responsibility of the organizations before the society – “each organization should assume the total responsibility of its impact over the employees, the surrounding, the clients and all people and things in which touches”.
2nd – The traditional productive factors, still widely used by the economists, like the land, work and capital, come gradually to give place, in terms of economic significance, to the individuals’ knowledge. It’s obvious that the organizations and the economies in general cannot produce without the traditional productive factors, but it’s also certain that existing individuals with specialized knowledge, these factors can be easier obtained in the market. The implications of this new reality are of extreme significance for the organizations since now are the knowledge employees that possess and control the main productive factor – their own knowledge – which makes them much more independent and with much higher mobility level. This situation places a new challenge to the organizations and its responsible, namely to know how to create the necessary conditions to guarantee its employees’ loyalty and, this way, ensure its maintenance.
