Clearly in a complex organization there is a significant potential that some will not have their wants satisfied to the extent that they would like.  I believe that most people recognize this and the consequent need for compromise.  People tend to accept the compromise as long as they believe it to be within some range of fairness and that their wants are not too frustrated.  Within the simulations I account for wants frustration by decreasing the level of commitment individuals have to the tasks of the organization as wants frustration increases.  Efficiency is determined in part by the level of commitment.  I identify a level of want frustration I call the frustration limit, where the efficiency is zero and with further frustration becomes negative.  This implies the individual is actively working against the organization.   I allow that the wants satisfaction and the wants frustration limit is different for each individual. 

I allow that there are some individuals in an organization who have a strong desire to be at the head of the naturally occurring mammalian power hierarchies.  When not at the alpha position or some other high level that they feel is their due they become frustrated.  This is sometimes a conscious behavior and sometimes unconscious.  Let us call these the alpha types.

Since no organization can meet the wants of all stakeholders there is always some level of wants frustration.  There exists a wants frustration limit such that the organization will cease to exist or collapse if the limit is exceeded.  If an organization has survived its initial formation struggles, then we can assume that it is operating such that the average wants frustration level is on the low side of the limit.  The organization tends to remain much the same as long as the average wants frustration level is well short of the limit.  There are 2 things that can cause the average wants frustration to move toward the limit.

1. As the external world changes the organization will need to adapt to those changes.  If the organization is not successful in adapting to external changes then it will naturally be less able to provide for the wants satisfaction of its members.  The organization will move toward the wants frustration limit. 
2. If the organization control structure is such that resources are progressively moved more and more toward the power elite, the organization will move toward the wants frustration limit. 
3. If the power elite structure is so rigid as not to allow opportunity to its non-power elite members who are of an alpha type to move into the organization power structure, wants frustration will increase.

If, however, the organization structure is too flexible and the alpha types find it too easy to enter, the organization tends to enter a state of chaotic oscillation and will also disintegrate.

ç  Prior Page of Text     Next Page of Text è
(C) 2005-2014 Wayne M. Angel.  All rights reserved.