Informal organizations within a hierarchy are as important
as the formal organization where the hierarchy exists; it’s as simple as that.
First, let’s discuss the difference between the two. A formal organization is the job you work and
the classes you take. Someone is in charge because they have to be. They tell
you what to do because that’s how things get done. You have tasks at work, you
have tasks in class. There may be
several levels of people being in charge of other people, but it all breaks
down into you do what your boss says because you have to.
The informal organization is your group of friends you study
with. It’s the coworkers you go to lunch with. It’s who you ask when you have a
problem; it’s who comes to you when they are stuck. They are the phone numbers
you have not because you have to, but because you want to.
Often the informal organization is the reason why you
tolerate the formal organization as long as you do. Imagine if you went to work
and had no friends to talk to, it was just work-related banter with your superiors,
colleagues and charges. Or if you went to school and had no friends, how long
do you think you could last? We as humans need a sense of belonging, which is
why informal organizations exist. But beyond that, you have a sense of empathy
and attachment to those in your informal group, which is why you help them with
more verve than someone you work with because “that’s the way it has to be.”
Informal organizations are also not bound by section like
formal organizations, so by interacting with a group of individuals that may
not be in the same area of work as you, additional perspectives can be gained. Well-rounded
individuals are usually more desirable for many reasons (think back to extra-curriculars
on your college application), and this rounding comes primarily from informal
organizations.
No comments:
Post a Comment