Ontological Definition
Organization is a form created by a subject or subjects, in which distinguished elements of activity are connected relative to the achievement of a goal.
Every element of this definition is essential:
- organization is a form;
- the form is created by a subject or subjects;
- it links distinguished elements of activity;
- a goal is the foundation for creating it.
Organization as Form
Organization is a form because it fixes distinctions and relations:
- who does what;
- what relates to what;
- where boundaries run;
- which actions are permissible;
- who makes which decisions;
- which resources are used where;
- which actions follow each other;
- which routes have already been established;
- which elements are connected.
Organization gives form to activity relative to a goal.
But not every form is organization. A circle is a form. Classification is a form. A contract is a form. For a form to become an organization, it must connect distinguished elements of activity relative to a goal.
One can represent this through successive refinement:
form
→ form directed at a result
→ form of relations between distinguished elements of activity relative to a result
→ organization
Subject and Goal
The goal logically precedes organization. Organization does not discover a goal from itself.
The subject distinguishes a certain state of reality, forms a representation of a desired result, and fixes it as a goal. Then the subject creates a form through which movement toward this result becomes possible.
subject
→ distinction
→ intention
→ goal
→ creation of form
→ organization of actions within the form
→ result
Minimal Organization of One’s Own Activity
A second person is not required for an organization to arise. One subject can create a minimal organization of their own activity, concentrating all functions in themselves.
ORGANIZATION ≠ distribution of functions among multiple subjects
Distribution among several subjects is one way of organizing, not a condition for its appearance.
At the same time, subject and organization do not become identical:
subject
≠
form of activity created by the subject
One and the same subject may:
- distinguish a goal;
- determine a form of action;
- make decisions;
- use means;
- perform actions;
- compare the result with the goal.
These are different positions within the organizational form, even when all are occupied by one subject.
For example, to buy bread a subject may link a sequence of actions:
take a means of payment
→ walk to the store
→ choose bread
→ pay
→ bring the bread home
This form already distinguishes actions, their sequence, means, conditions, and a criterion for completion. One subject performs all the functions.
Functions and their relations do not necessarily have to be formally named or described. A subject can organize activity in practice without using the terms “function,” “authority,” “responsibility,” or “organization.”
However, the existence of a goal and an isolated action does not necessarily create an organizational layer. Organization arises not from a mere multiplicity of actions but from establishing a form of their mutual arrangement relative to a goal.
A precedes B;
B enables C;
C requires means X;
D is performed under condition Y;
A, B, C, and D are connected relative to result Z.
It is the form of relations between actions, means, conditions, or functions held by the subject that constitutes the minimal organization of activity. The foundation is not the number of functions or actions, but the organized nature of the relations between distinguished elements.
As it grows more complex, this form may develop:
one subject + connected elements of activity
= individual organization
multiple subjects + distribution of functions among them
= collective organization
stable distribution of functions
→ roles
stabilization of roles
→ positions, departments, and regulations
legal formalization
→ company, institution, or legal entity
The appearance of a second subject does not create organization for the first time. It permits functions of an already distinguished organizational form to be distributed between subjects.
Consequently:
Organization does not require a plurality of subjects. It requires a form of relations between distinguished elements of activity created by a subject relative to a goal.
Organization Is Not a Mere Collection of Elements
Suppose a subject intends to deliver cargo between cities.
While only an intention and goal exist, there is no organization yet.
Then there appear:
- people;
- vehicles;
- warehouses;
- roles;
- authorities;
- routes;
- schedules;
- rules;
- information systems;
- connections between elements.
But merely having this collection of things does not constitute an organization either.
Fifty people, one hundred trucks, and a warehouse standing alongside one another are a plurality of elements. Organization arises when the subject draws and fixes a structure of distinctions:
this subject performs this action;
this resource is used here;
this action follows that action;
this subject makes this decision;
this flow is directed from here to there.
All these distinctions must be connected so that a target result is produced through them.
Consequently:
Organization is not a collection of things and people, but a form of connecting them relative to a goal.
The Rails of Organized Activity
Organization can be represented as rails created by one or more subjects for activity relative to a goal.
The rails do not perform movement instead of subjects. They establish distinguished routes, connect actions, and make certain transitions stable and reproducible.
A subject or subjects do not turn into an organization and are not exhausted by their functions and roles. They remain subjects. Organization establishes the form within which actions are connected to one another relative to a goal.
The Structure of Organizational Form
Organizational form may include:
- people and other acting elements;
- means and resources;
- distinguished functions;
- roles;
- authorities;
- responsibility;
- relations;
- processes;
- rules;
- decision-making procedures;
- ways of transforming inputs into results.
Coordination is one of the mechanisms or effects of this form, but does not exhaust its ontological essence.
The formula responsibilities, authorities and relationships describes the structure of an already created organizational form. It shows some of an organization’s internal distinctions but does not explain its ontological emergence.
Ontologically, before this internal structure stand:
subject → goal → need to organize action → creation of organizational form
Collection, Organization, and System
These concepts cannot be identified with one another.
Collection of Elements
Elements simply exist side by side. Their presence does not yet entail organization or direction toward a shared result.
Organization
Elements, means, and actions are given form by a subject relative to a goal.
System
A plurality of distinguished elements and relations is considered as an interacting whole.
For example, twenty people are in a room. This is a collection of people.
If they distribute roles, means, authorities, and actions to build a house, organization arises.
If the resulting totality of people, processes, resources, and connections is considered as an interacting whole, a system is distinguished within it.
The same organization may be considered as a system, but the concepts of organization and system do not thereby become identical.
Final Formula
Full definition:
Organization is a form created by a subject or subjects, in which distinguished elements of activity are connected relative to the achievement of a goal.
Short definition:
Organization is a goal-directed form of relations between distinguished elements of activity, created by a subject.
