The Worldwide Benefits of Organizational Theory
David Thurman
COMM / 112
January 15th, 2012
Dr. Dmitriy Voloshin

THE WORLDWIDE BENEFITS OF ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY Organizational Theory is the key to solving many of the problems in modern society. It is a practice that, at its core, is used for the benefits of people and the betterment of groups of people operating towards a common goal (Greenwood, Miller, 2010). These groups of people can include businesses, neighborhoods, nations…anything. The reach of the Theory is broad and when it is executed correctly it can have a monumental level of effectiveness, ideally a positive one (Greenwood, Miller, 2010). The concept of Organizational Theory is far from new, and as such, this proposition is not meant to propose a new idea so much as make the reader aware of the often overlooked and underexploited potential of Organizational Theory and the power it can have in relation to improving conditions of people the world over. In this paper, the basic definition of Organizational Theory will be explained, its importance will be asserted, and ways in which it can be used to advance the well being of many will be proposed. First, we must establish what Organizational Theory actually is. The idea of “Organizational Theory” is defined as the study of organizations (a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal) for the benefit of identifying common themes for the purpose of solving problems, maximizing efficiency and productivity, and meeting the needs of stakeholders (Greenwood, Miller, 2010). It means that the practice involves taking a group of people and categorizing them by common interests (organizing them), researching what they want / need, and after having figured out those wants / needs, using the information gathered and implementing the best available methods in order to satisfy them. The value of this practice cannot be overstated. Now that you have a basic understanding of what Organizational Theory is, the author can address specific examples of the concept in practice. The dawn of the 21st century brought with it increased worldwide famine (Toussaint, 2009) and drought (Rumore, 2011), new wars around the globe, political discontent (evident in the overthrowing of established regimes such as the 2011 ousting of Libyan and Egyptian dictators and also peaceful protests such as the Occupy Wall Street movement), worldwide economic crises, the ongoing threat of global warming and many other socioeconomic, natural, and political issues. As this time, there are nearly seven billion people on Earth (U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.). Attempting to solve each person’s problems individually would be an admirable yet futile endeavor due to the enormity of the task. The most efficient way to alleviate the stressors of civilization is to group the large issues the peoples of the world are facing into distinct categories and create a plan to solve those larger, long-standing problems. The successful diagnoses of said problems, and execution of the decided solution are the very definition of successful Organizational Theory on a global scale (Greenwood, Miller, 2010). The sheer magnitude of people who can be helped at once is staggering, and very possible…as it has been done many times before. The large-scale use of Organizational Theory to solve current global problems is a proven strategy that has deemed itself successful in many instances. A recent example of this strategy played out in the late 2011 ousting of the long-standing Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi was the ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic (located on the Northernmost portion of the continent of Africa). He seized control of the nation by way of military coup in 1969 and ruled the country until he was ousted and killed by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) forces in 2011 (Al Jazeera, 2011). During his forty-two year rule, Gaddafi was both hated and feared for his harsh dictatorship. He was responsible for the deaths of thousands upon thousands of innocents and oppressing his country by ruling with an iron fist (Al Jazeera, 2011). This decades-old problem was in need of a solution. The step in Organizational Theory that is most important is organization, to come together as a people and be of a single mind working toward a shared goal. After over four decades of tyranny, the peoples of the nation of Libya were fed up with the oppression. They employed the first step of Organizational Theory when they organized in an attempt to overthrow Gaddafi in February 2011(Al Jazeera, 2011).
After several weeks of protesting and rioting, the world took notice. After witnessing the Libyan rebels fight back against their dictator, NATO forces decided it would be in the world’s best interest to join them in their efforts to oust Gaddafi. The NATO troops combined with the rebels created a powerful military might, a powerful organization. What came next was the plan of attack. What would be the most appropriate way for this newly formed organization to solve the problem at hand? Diplomacy was the first attempt at a resolution, an honorable peaceful attempt. However, negotiation attempts proved themselves ineffective as Gaddafi refused to peacefully step down.
Trial-and-error is an expected step when exercising effective Organizational Theory. The next attempt was a show of force that ultimately proved itself successful when Muammar Gaddafi was killed by rebel forces on 20 October 2011. As of writing, Libya is a nation rebuilding. Free of oppression, the citizens of that country can finally live in peace. The regional and global threat that Gaddafi posed had been eliminated, all as a result of organizations coming together for the benefit of identifying common themes and the purpose of solving problems, maximizing efficiency and productivity, and meeting the needs of stakeholders. The Libyan revolution was a perfect example of Organizational Theory at work. While the aforementioned event was a very large-scale demonstration of Organizational Theory, it is important to understand that the concept is quite dynamic, meaning it is very flexible. The violent overthrowing of a dictator in the name of justice is one example, but the Theory can be applied in many different scenarios. Take, for example, the online video rental / streaming service Netflix. In 2011, Netflix announced that it would raise its monthly subscription fee by 60% (Chansanchai, 2011). Naturally, this dramatic increase in price angered consumers, and as a result a grassroots movement to boycott the organization went underway (Chansanchai, 2011). Through social media and viral marketing, groups of people called for Netflix subscribers nationwide to cancel their subscriptions and instead become members of competing rental / streaming companies such as Hulu, Redbox, and brick-and-mortar video rental chains (Chansanchai, 2011). This is an example of a more organic demonstration of Organizational Theory. There were no governments or officials in charge of the movement, it was simply a large group of angry consumers united under a central cause. The cause led to their organizing. People from all walks of life with nothing else in common joined together to boycott Netflix. This movement was so massive and impactful - over two million subscribers canceled their accounts near simultaneously (Chansanchai, 2011) – that after only nineteen days, Netflix CEO Ted Hastings issued a public apology and promised to rectify the situation by offering more acceptable prices for the service. This is yet another example of the phenomenal effectiveness of Organizational Theory. The examples stated were both very effective, but what is just as impressive is the speed in which they produced results. The conflict in Libya ended mere months after NATO intervened, and the Netflix price-hike lasted barely three weeks before it was formally addressed. Organizational Theory unifies people and produces realistic results in a manageable timeframe. So, why doesn’t the world employ this Theory more often? That is a fabulous question with a myriad of potential answers, the most straightforward being that people simply do not get along. Organizational Theory promotes the unity of peoples in order to tackle a shared issue. Whether this issue is global conflict (Libya) or simply a matter of unfair practices against consumers (Netflix), getting any group of people, large or small, to cooperate and work toward the same goal is taxing. It is human nature to not get along with others. Everyone has his or her own agenda, angle, motivation, boundaries, restrictions and grievances. Try getting a group of friends to arrive on-time for a dinner and take note of how many people cancel at the last minute, arrive late, or simply do not show up at all with no prior notice…and those are your friends, not strangers. With that being said, it is not hard to see why successful implementation of Organizational Theory on a can be a very difficult feat. In spite of its difficulty, it is quite easy to see the benefits of the successful execution of Organizational Theory. If the people of the world put their differences aside and their heads together and organized to tackle major global issues (famine, hunger, disease, global warming, genocide, political discontent, etc.), it is realistic to assume that many, if not all of those problems could be solved relatively quickly. Organizational Theory is the key to solving many of the problems in modern society, and that is not a theory, it is a fact. The sooner the world comes to understand this, the sooner everyone’s lives can change for the better. Including and especially your own.

References
Al Jazeera. (2011, August 22). Profile: Muammar Gaddafi - In Depth - Al Jazeera English. AJE - Al Jazeera English. Retrieved February 15, 2012, from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/2011/02/201122117565923629.html.
Chansanchai, A. (2011, July 25). Technolog - Report: 2 million+ subscribers will cancel Netflix. Technolog. Retrieved February 15, 2012, from http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/25/7160773-report-2-million-subscribers-will-cancel-netflix.
Greenwood, R., & Miller, D. (2010). Tackling Design Anew: Getting Back to the Heart of Organizational Theory. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 24(4), 78-88.
Rumore, D. (2011, April 19). Study: U.S. drought risk to increase with climate change - MIT News Office. MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved February 15, 2012, from http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/drought-risk-climate-change.html.
Toussaint, E. (2009, May 12). Why is there Rampant Famine in the 21st Century? - STWR - Share The World's Resources. Share The World's Resources - STWR. Retrieved February 15, 2012, from http://www.stwr.org/food-security-agriculture/why-is-there-rampant-famine-in-the-21st-century.html.
U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). U.S. & World Population Clocks. Census Bureau Homepage. Retrieved February 15, 2012, from http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html.

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Originality Report * Processed on: 22-Feb-2012 8:23 PM CST * ID: 231111645 * Word Count: 1712 * Submitted: 1
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