Theory and Practice - Images of Organization

Yet another colleague, this time Jenna, asked even more about helping organizations be open to change. Specifically she asked if I had heard of some of the theories presented in Morgan's (2006) book before our class and in my opinion how practical was Morgan's text in contrast to the others that we've read? Her second question was if I've seen put the theories into practice? 

Usually what I've found when reading many of the less academic/more transactional books on leadership, there are very concrete processes, tools and procedures that would be immediately useful to managers and leaders looking to make changes in their organization. Although it's possible to glean some immediate tools and techniques from Morgan's (2006) book, I think we can all agree it's far more theory and more academic in nature. 

That being said, many of those tools, techniques, procedures, etc that are listed in those leadership books I've read are grounded in theory and usually couched in analogies, and stories from past experiences that provide real life color and lessons learned. How practical was this text? Extremely, in my opinion. I was mentioning to another student the other day how much I enjoyed Morgan's text if only because it provides so much more background and theory to what is usually only a few paragraphs in typical leadership books. I think if a typical mass market leadership book offered so much theory and background as Morgan's (2006) book does, the reader would be turned off and find another. There's a real desire, at least among my peers, to have concrete solutions and to have these presented so they can be crafted for their own organizations. 

Have I seen these theories put into practice? Yep. Quite a bit. My COO is a huge fan of understanding and promoting Matrix organizations and ensuring the teams understand their roles precisely. This is spelled out in detail by Morgan (2006). Additionally, having been a part of many re-organizations, and mergers, I've seen times when outside influences (usually other organizations or consultants) have come in and pinpointed problem areas and given recommendations for change, going from a closed, insular organization to a open system, for example. 

I think however, the biggest benefit of having read Morgan's (2006) book, is that all future books on business and leadership I might read will have deeper meaning and resonance with me. So all in all, it was a great text in my opinion.