Organizational Complexity Theory - What makes organizations complex

[Scott Thor]

I'm a doctoral student studying organizational theory and would like to get some feedback on what makes organizations complex (people, competitors, etc.). I'd prefer if the respondents were those working at a senior level (director, VP, etc.). From your perspective (current or past employers), what makes organizations so complex? Feel free to address the question from a quality perspective.

[Stijloor]

Originally Posted by thorman

I'm a doctoral student studying organizational theory and would like to get some feedback on what makes organizations complex (people, competitors, etc.). I'd prefer if the respondents were those working at a senior level (director, VP, etc.). From your perspective (current or past employers), what makes organizations so complex? Feel free to address the question from a quality perspective.

I think that the folks working on the front lines are the most qualified to explain to you what contributes to the complexity in organizations. They experience (and often suffer through) this on a daily basis.

To give your study results an interesting perspective; you should at least focus on both groups. Just my

Stijloor.

[Randy]

I'm a doctoral student studying organizational theory and would like to get some feedback on what makes organizations complex (people, competitors, etc.). I'd prefer if the respondents were those working at a senior level (director, VP, etc.). From your perspective (current or past employers), what makes organizations so complex? Feel free to address the question from a quality perspective.

Is your statement which I show in bold because you feel that those of lower status have nothing to contribute?

I'm not a VP, or Director, or any type of senior person within my organization, nor will I ever be, but I'll give you this to ponder....In my lifetime of work, in many and varied fields of endeavor I have determined that more often than not complexity of organizations or within organizations comes about through...

Pride
Ignorance
Empire building

Senior leadership has a historical tendency to complicate the simple and make hard the easy.

If leadership could and would truly lead...not manage, boss, tyrannize, lord over, subjigate, or try to pontificate, but lead as eaders many organizations we see with umpteen levels of heirarcy and the demands those heirachies create, would flatten out, run smoother and more effeciently and have greater effectiveness.

Is the above what you wanted?

[dQApprentice]

whether the organization is small or large, regardless of type of products/services, and whether you have a lack of resources (money, human resource, infrastructure, etc.), little resources , or lots of resources, the answer to the question

Originally Posted by thorman

what makes organizations so complex?

is how you manage all factors influencing your organization.

[amariepsu]

Originally Posted by dQApprentice

whether the organization is small or large, regardless of type of products/services, and whether you have a lack of resources (money, human resource, infrastructure, etc.), little resources , or lots of resources, the answer to the question

is how you manage all factors influencing your organization.

I agree with this statement, however, I would include that their must be an adequate proportion of managers and resources to the amount of products/services, and various levels of these products/services, offered by the organization. So often where I have been employed, I see that the managers are capable of managing, but sometimes are given way too much responsibility for one person to handle.