To help us understand organisations, we use a range of different metaphors.

For example, the

political metaphor helps us understand organisations in terms of competing interests and power
relations. From this perspective, we might argue that an effective leader can only be someone
who is good at politics and politicking, and therefore they have no need to understand the other
individual, group and social aspects of organisational life, which some other metaphors help to
explain.

Assignment suggested framework

1. Introduction
2. Main body – please design a proper structure
– e.g. Divide this part into various section with heading. 2a, 2b, 2c, etc state what
are these sections
– Make sure the discussion flow from one section into the other.
– Coverage:
1. What is definitions metaphor in organization? There are many!
2. Purpose of metaphor in organization.
3. Different metaphors constitute and capture the nature of organizational
life in different ways. How many type are there, discuss?
4. Use and purpose of metaphor in organization.
5. Metaphors in organization theories and process and what are their
applications in organization?
6. Can we use metaphors alone and ignore other organizational theories
such as motivation and rewards, change management, system design,
leadership, etc.? Debate
3. Recommendations
– When is it appropriate to use metaphors in organisation and when it is not?
– What are the issues to look out for when using metaphors?
4. Conclusion
– Do you agree with this statement?
“To help us understand organisations, we use a range of different metaphors.
For example, the political metaphor helps us understand organisations in terms
of competing interests and power relations. From this perspective, we might
argue that an effective leader can only be someone who is good at politics and
politicking, and therefore they have no need to understand the other individual,
group and social aspects of organisational life, which some other metaphors help
to explain.”
– Justify your conclusion.