Introduction A manager must manage organisational behaviour. That means that he or she must have the capacity to
• understand the behavioural patterns of individuals, groups and organisations,
• predict the behavioural responses that will most probably follow managerial actions, and
• use this understanding and these predictions to achieve control. The models or implicit theories that managers develop from everyday life to achieve the above mentioned results, are often inadequate because it depends on personal experience that may be narrow or static, and they vary in quality, sophistication and validity Therefore, a roadmap or guide for analysis and action is necessary. Any model influences the kinds of data we collect and the kinds we ignore; models guide our approach to analysing and interpreting the data we have; models help us to choose our course of action. We aim to present a model here that is build on the premise that for an organisation to be effective it subparts must be consistently managed to approach a state of congruence. It is an open systems model. A system is a set of interrelated elements and an open system is one that relates to its environment. It takes inputs from its environment, transforms them and produces outputs. General characteristics of systems As systems organisations display the following characteristics. Internal interdependence: Changes in one component of the organisation have repercussions for other parts. Capacity for feedback: Information about the output can be used to control the system. Equilibrium: When an event puts the system out of balance, the system reacts and moves to bring itself back into balance. Equifinality: Different system configurations can lead to the same end. Adaptation: To survive, a system must produce a favourable balance of input and