04 Apr READ THESE three student responses to the original question you need to answer each student SEPERATELY – this is for discussion participation credit- just give your opinion- per stu

STUDENT RESPONSES FOR ORG 817

ORIGINAL QUESTION- Topic 1 DQ 1

Properties of systems theory include communication mechanisms, boundaries, goal orientation, inputs, outputs, throughputs, and feedback. Of these, which do you believe are most relevant to organizational leaders? Why? Which are most relevant for organizational development? Why?

STUDENT 1-

Joesph

All of the properties of organizational systems are relevant to organizational leaders and no one particular element is more relevant than another. This is because systems consist of the interactions of the distinct parts of an organization, along with the environment, to create a complex whole (Van Assche et al., 2019). As Kast and Rosenzweig (1972) describe, systems are transformation models. They take in environmental inputs, transform them via throughputs, which result in outputs. When an output interacts within the system and with the environment it can produce a positive or negative feedback loop with inputs, resulting in the correcting of any errors or the reinforcing of existing processes (Chatterjee et al., 2021). Boundaries refer not only to the structures and borders of the organization but also the limits of the environmental knowledge input that is used in organizational analysis (De Souza, 2022). Leading and developing an organization requires a thorough comprehension of all of these properties. A deficiency in one area will lead to system inefficiency and breakdown.

STUDENT TWO –

Kell

Feedback, communication mechanisms, and goal orientation are the most relevant for organizational leaders. Without these, a leader is not able to assess their effectiveness and the effectiveness of the organization. Open communication is important for an organization to thrive. Goal orientation gives both the leader and followers direction and something to strive for. Feedback tells the leader how the organization is doing from the perspective of the employees. For organizational development, the inputs, outputs, and throughputs are essential as well as feedback. These are the changes made by the leaders and followers that assist in the development of the organization. Feedback can incorporate changes and often shows whether a change will "stick". Each theory of the system is applied to the organization. These theories correspond to segments of the organization in the empirical world (Boulding, 1956,p.197), which corresponds to the experience of man (p.197). General systems theory (GST) is a body of systematic theoretical constructs (p. 197), and these systems can be hard, soft, or critical (Rousseau, 2015, p. 528). Organizations involve many stakeholders, and these stakeholders and their surrounding environments are complex (Jian et al., 2022, p. 20), and the more negative the consequences of an action, the greater the risk (Golebiewski et al., 2022, p. 1). Boundaries are also important to have, but they are more easily moved and changed than some of the others.

STUDENT 3- Ilian

Communication, feedback, and goal orientation are the properties of systems theory most relevant to organizational leaders and organizational development. Communication mechanisms facilitate knowledge exchange between individual systems in an organization. An organization’s structure emerges from stable, ongoing communication between units within a system (Arif, 2015). An understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each unit creates transparency and interdependent relationships that support trust in the wider organization (Norqvist & Arlestig, 2020). Shaked et al. (2018) suggest that larger organizations incorporate decision-makers at each level of the organizational system to eliminate information exchange gaps within traditional hierarchical systems. When information remains within a single subsystem, trust and transparency are jeopardized. 

Aligning feedback and communication mechanisms with organizational goals is critical to development and growth. Feedback, action planning, action taking, and evaluation are major components of translating systems thinking to organizational goals (Bui & Galanou, 2021). This demonstrates that a lack of feedback can stunt dialogue and action related to goals and improved results. Feedback aligned with organizational goals can improve an organization’s ability to gain and use insight into earlier behavior to predict upcoming needs (Norqvist & Arlestig, 2020). The role of management within the systems theory framework is to organize action toward a common purpose or goal (Pourahmadi & Kalkowska, 2022). Aligning feedback and communication with organizational goals supports organizational growth and development.