Salvador, Gian Maie M.

CE-304

Organizational Constraints
Terms to know:

1. Omnipotent view of management

The view that managers are directly responsible for an organization’s success or failure.
The quality of an organization's managers determines the quality of the organization
itself. It is assumed that differences in an organization’s performance are due to the
decisions and actions of its managers. Good managers anticipate change, exploit
opportunities, correct poor performance and lead their organization toward its
objectives.

2. Symbolic view of management

Symbolic view of management is the view that managers have only a limited effect on
substantive organizational outcomes because of large number of factors outside their
control.

3. Organizational culture
Organizational culture is defined as the underlying beliefs, assumptions, values and ways
of interacting that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an
organization. Organizational culture includes an organization’s expectations,
experiences, philosophy, as well as the values that guide member behavior, and is
expressed in member self-image, inner workings, interactions with the outside world,
and future expectations (Cancialosi, 2017).

4. Workplace spirituality
According to Petchsawang and Duchon (2009), workplace spirituality or spirituality at
work is defined as “having compassion towards others, experiencing a mindful inner
consciousness in the pursuit of meaningful work and that enables transcendence.”
Workplace spirituality is about finding meaning, value, and motivation in one’s work
beyond paychecks and performance. It is about people finding a sense of oneness and
togetherness in an organization as a whole. Spirituality in the workplace leads to
improved ethical behavior at a personal level and an enhanced ethical culture at an
organizational level.

5. External environment
Are group of factors or conditions that are outside the organization but affect it in some
extent. In business, this term commonly applies to elements related to out of control
Salvador, Gian Maie M.
CE-304

dimensions such as society, economy, regulations and political system. This are all
outside factors that may affect an organization make up the external environment. It is
divided into two parts: (1) directly interactive this environment has an immediate and
firsthand impact upon the organization and (2) indirectly interactive this environment
has a secondary and more distant effect upon the organization.

6. Specific environment

is the part of the external environment of an organization with which it interfaces in the
course of conducting its business. Also called: Task Environment. The institutions,
stakeholders and forces belonging to this group are directly relevant to the achievement
of the organizational goals because they have direct and immediate impact on the
decisions and actions of its management. The specific environment of each organization
is unique and changes with conditions. Typical constituents of the task environment are
customers, suppliers, competitors, and pressure groups. Employees are not considered
part of the specific environment, because they are inside the organization.

7. General Environment
The general environment is a component of the external environment. It is composed of
the elements of an organization’s surroundings that might affect its activities. The five
dimensions that affects the general environment include economic, international,
political-legal factors, sociocultural forces, and technological. These factors influence the
activities of the organization and may have an immediate direct effect on its operations.

8. Environmental Uncertainty
Environmental uncertainty is when conditions are constantly changing within a business
environment. It is also the situation where the management of a firm has little
information about its external environment that is in a state of flux and, hence, largely
unpredictably.

9. Environmental Complexity
This refers to the number of elements in an organization’s environment. It is also the
number of external that affect the organization. Variables that affect the environment
are always connected but they cannot be easily distinguished because they are linked in
a way that is hard to understand. Environmental complexity is classified into two—
simple and complex. Simple are the few factors such as few products or services, limited
consumers, and minimal needs. Complex environment is the opposite of simple
environment.

10. Stakeholders

A stakeholder is either an individual, group or organization who is impacted by the

outcome of a project. They have an interest in the success of the project, and can be
within or outside the organization that is sponsoring the project. Stakeholders can have
a positive or negative influence on the project.
Salvador, Gian Maie M.
CE-304

References:

http://bdinformationcollection.blogspot.com/2012/02/definition-of-omnipotent-and-symbolic.html

Cancialosi, C. (2017, July 17) What is Organizational Culture? Retrieved from

https://gothamculture.com

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/principles-of-management/managerial-environments/the-
external-environment

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-principlesofmanagement/chapter/how-environment-affects-
strategy/#:~:text=Complexity%20refers%20to%20the%20number,that%20are%20hard%20to
%20understand

https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/what-is-a-stakeholder