27
life-cycle is the business idea itself and clearly this is capable of being modified and adapted in the light of experience. Bhattachary, on the other claims that the company overall has a life-cycle and has the capability of passing through a period of early struggle, to one of motivation, followed by complacency and ultimately decline. In his
t, terms, organizational renewal is not, an easy option.
Structure
In essence, the structuralists seek to find rational ways to build an organisational structure best suited to match the company to its chosen environment. Bums and Stalker (961)25 found that in stable environments the so-called mechanistic organisation (bureaucratic, impersonal, formal communication channels and a high division of labour), was more successful than what they termed the 'organic' organisation (non-bureaucratic, informal with multi-path communication channels). When the environment became more volatile, however, the
reverse was true.
Lawrence and Lorsch (967)26 took a different view and put forward
their ideas about differentiated and integrated companies, differentiation being the degree of separateness within the total organisation of the various systems, subsystems and specialist functions. Integration was the process of achieving unity of effort among these various subsystems, in the accomplishment of the organisation's goals. They claimed that the amount of differentiation and integranon should relate to that of the company's environment.
The structuralists, however, do not appear to accept the possibility that
the wayan organisation is shaped is often the result of political ambitions of senior executives who have sufficient power and influence.
Culture and politics
A number of works were studied and the following overall conclusions ~ were drawn:
~ 1. A company's history has a significant impact on its culture and,
i;. because of this, influences many of the decisions which are made.
l 2. A company's learning is inextricably tied up with its history, as a result
~: of things that have worked, or problems that have been overcome, in
'" the past.
l, 3. Senior executives are the 'culture carriers' and as such can either
~. reinforce or work to change the existing culture.
~. 4. Organisational myths and heroes sustain the culture and with it
~. existinz nolitical Dower structure.