Complex Organisations: A Model for Survival
Abstract
A series of projects were undertaken on the inter-relationship between career trajectories and decision-making in large organizations. The projects compared and contrasted the results from similar sized industrial and defense organizations. In following a number of individuals through to Director level, or the defense equivalent, it was noted that there was a complete change in the level of decision-making capability. The level dropped dramatically in many of the cases examined. As a consequence, the focus shifted from individuals to organizations since the problem was not personal but was related to the organization itself. A number of studies also were made of large high technology companies and the effect of a significant technology change on their survival. In one study, 5 out of 27 companies survived one change, with further depletion of their ranks with a second change. The conclusion reached from this and other studies is that the survival rate over the periods required for defense systems is on the order of 5 percent. This paper examines the reasons behind this survival rate, both for the survivors and the nonsurvivors, and develops a model based on the need to survive, changes in technology, and long-term obligations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA467864
Entities
People
- Fergus O'brien
- John O'neill
Organizations
- Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science