Analysis of the Organization (Apple Inc.)

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Analysis of the Organization (Apple Inc.)

Introduction

To arrive at the right perspective regarding the performance and the future position of a business venture is complicated hence, the application of metaphors come in handy to assist in analyzing the business progress and future feasibility. For example, according to Morgan (2006), the basic organizational analysis entails diagnostic reading; aimed at improving an understanding regarding a particular phenomenon facing an organization; therefore evaluation should be more open-ended, and the evaluator should be open mind for all possibilities. On the second note, a critical evaluation is more comprehensive, and according to Morgan (2006, p. 349), it entails integrating fundamental concepts. In effect, the analysis is more focused on particular indicators and drivers.

The company under analysis is Apple Inc., which was established in 1967 as Apple Computer in Los Altos, California under the leadership of Jobs and the company has grown into a highly competitive multinational competitor. At its inception, Apple Company aimed at providing computers that could be used efficiently. Even though its concentration in the line of computer production posed a significant threat to other market players such as Macintosh Computers, Apple's break though come with the adoption non-PC production lines. Such Non-PC products entail iPod, iPhone, and iTunes which improved the company's financial position (David, 1996). This essay aims at evaluating Apple Company using the lenses presented by Morgan in his book, "Images of Organization."

Interpreting the Apple Inc., based on Morgan’s metaphors

Morgan has proposed eight metaphors which act as the lens that can be used to view, analyze, and interpret an organization. The proposed metaphors entail; the machine, the political aspects, the flux and transformation, the organism, the brain, the domination, psychic prison, and the culture metaphor (Morgan, 2006, p. 350). The process of selecting a metaphor to apply in analyzing an organization determines, to a greater extent, the how perception about the firms and reality are mapped based on the problems facing an organization and how such shortcomings can be mitigated.

1.      The machine Metaphor

Under this point of viewing an organization, the focus is based on perceiving the problems faced by an organization and proving the solution by running operations just as one would run a machine (Morgan, 2006). The mechanistic mode of operation, according to Morgan enables an organization to perceive problems as workable by setting measures and performance matrices that can facilitate how stakeholder perceive the organizational problems. However, for an organization to fruitfully employ this metaphor, it should pose a high level of unity of command and well-coordinated span of managing the organizational resources, human resource inclusive. In this case, activities within the firm are shared amongst the stakeholders; this division of work promotes productivity. Just the same as a machine would accomplish a particular work; the Apple Company is set in the same way where every participant plays a specific role.

For example, in conducting the operations of the Apple Inc., Wozniak played the role of technical support while Jobs was the manager whose vision was to "change the world through technology" (David, 1996, p. 2). In...