Open Systems Management Approach

Answer:

Open System Management approach belongs to a system where there are regular exchanges of feedback. Moreover, if I compare a human being is just like an open system model where sometimes he learn based on his feedback or from the feedback from the external environment (Horst et al. 2015). In the typical similar fashion, open system have porous backgrounds that allow feedbacks to function from inside or outside business. On the other hand, open system model devises more than one way to reach the goal using different operations. However, just like company Apple that sells iPhone but offers services like iMessage, iTune, iCloud, etc. to meet its ultimate goal of attaining a market leader position in the world (Reuters 2016). Moreover, as far as my knowledge goes, when result is achieved using variety of processes then it is termed as Equifinality (Brown 2015). This theory can be well explained with one of the example, when I used to work in a human resource management company where our basic work was recruitment. However, to achieve the desired target of employing people I adopted different ways that was either through a direct calling for the job, sending e-mails or hiring through campus placements. This depicts that there is no right way to accomplish important results in an organization.

Conversely, internal environment like inputs and processes and external environment like outputs and outcomes design the open system model. All these models provide the basic framework of working through feedbacks (May 2013). For an instance, if we take any product and service company like Google where the products it sells is smartphones and the services it offers is google apps, gmail, etc. which directs to tangible results of revenue and customers and outcomes that the company receive in the open market environment is the financially strong position of the company and happy customers. This process can be bidirectional as well, where already happy customers will lead to more trained customers who will provide a base for different projects and programs in the organization; once approved by the company, it can enable different inputs like people, time, money and technology to get the work done. Just in the same way, when I used to recruit someone from my sources, that person could even give me his sources so that I could recruit someone else for the required job. Overall, the feedback provided by the same person on my style of work would not only be beneficial for me but for the company as a whole. 

Nevertheless, the feedback mechanism in an open system model is only applicable if there is proper establishment of relationships between firm and external systems that help in analyse the four high order subsystems in the organization that are the economic system, technological system, politico-legal system and socio-cultural system (Norman 2015). During my time of working, when I used to shortlist the people for interview, other factors were also looked into like the background of the person, family as well as economical forefront. However, all these can be changed with the changing environment, but initially holds important in every kind of a situation. Moreover, relationships made within the firm or outside on the organizational forefront can yield better results in future as it adds to the effectiveness of the organization just like the relationships I made with my clients or my seniors at my workplace (Vexler, Bazhenov, and Bazhenova 2014).

The external environment subsystems also correspond to the internal organization system like politico-legal – controller, economic – commercial, socio-cultural – personal and technological – technical (Vexler, Bazhenov, and Bazhenova 2014). Till now I had been talking my experience in a human resource firm. Nonetheless, when we view from a larger perspective all the subsystems whether internal or the external is controlled by the senior management. The subsystems relationships holds to be importance because the framework of work was majorly based on these subsystems as I was employ people, rather shortlisting them. However, it was important the person who I employed received all the knowledge about the firm through interaction, holds the view of importance of relations with middle as well as senior human resource managers and also knows the way a work is done (marketing skills).

All these characteristics mentioned above holds to be true in the open system approach as it can be applied in any part of the firm or the firm as a whole. Moreover, this reflective essays helps in maintaining a relationship between the theories of open system model with the real life examples from my experience.  

References

Brown, R.S., 2015. Equifinality in Open Systems: Explaining the Phenomenon of Hard Money Mortgages. Academy of Accounting and Financial Studies Journal, 19(1), p.120.

Horst, D.J., Broday, E.E., Bondarik, R. and de Paula Xavier, A.A., 2015. Open or Closed? Macroergonomics Approaching Socio-Technical Systems Productivity: An Overview of the Conceptual Framework. Social and Basic Sciences Research Review, 3(2), pp.98-115.

May, C., 2013. Towards a general theory of implementation. Implementation Science, 8(1), p.1.

Norman, Z., 2015. Reflection on Organization Theory: Connecting General System Theory to Open Systems Theory. Available at SSRN.