Organizations are integrating of complex elements. To understanding organisations, there are assorted positions. Metaphors help to depict the nature and behaviours of organisations. Among all these metaphors, the encephalon metaphor and the civilization metaphor are two effectual attacks to understand today 's endeavors in peculiar hi-tech endeavors. The encephalon metaphor takes an endeavor as a encephalon which has the capacity to larn and to pull off itself.
Constructing a atilt organisation is the nucleus of this metaphor. The civilization metaphor takes an endeavor as a civilization which influences all its members. This metaphor is of significance since corporate civilization is proved to be a cardinal to success. The encephalon metaphor and the civilization metaphor focal point on different facets of an endeavor. However, there is certain relationship between them. This essay concentrates on the analysis of the two metaphors and makes a instance survey of Ultrapower Software Ltd.
, a listed company in China, to explicate the usage of these metaphors. As an IT endeavor, the Ultrapower extremely depends on invention and acquisition. To construct a learning organisation, the endeavor makes enterprises to set up an advanced and value making corporate civilization. These attempts have been proved to work good. The company presents a strong capacity of acquisition and developing. A series of new merchandises have been launched continuously to the market and aid to better the market portion and market place of the endeavor.
By and large talking, the instance of Ultrapower reveals that the encephalon metaphor and the civilization metaphor are really utile to steer the development of an organisation.
Analysis
The encephalon metaphor emphasizes the acquisition and ego managing capacity and the civilization metaphor emphasizes the corporate civilization and societal world. These two metaphors match the characteristics and patterns of the Ultrapower which is a hi-tech endeavor pursuing for quality package service for its clients through invention and value making corporate civilization.Background of Ultrapower Software Co. Ltd.Ultrapower Software Co. Ltd. is the biggest supplier of IT operations and care direction solution and service in China. It was found in 2001 and grows quickly since its foundation. Nowadays, the endeavor has more than 3000 employees among which 80 per centum are proficient applied scientists.
It has been a care service provider of the China Mobil and developed Fetion concern, a existent clip pass oning tool for the Mobiles, as its major concern. In October 2009, Ultrapower became a listed company. Its stock monetary value rose surprisingly high in 2010 with the first-class fiscal public presentation and the great potency of its concern. The endeavor has realized the importance of invention. As a hi-tech IT endeavor, the Ultrapower emphasizes the importance of uninterrupted acquisition and value making through invention.
Employees are divided into ego pull offing squads to develop new merchandises and better the quality of their service. Team acquisition is supported and encouraged by the endeavor. Each ego pull offing squad has a flexible infinite to develop new thoughts and new ideas. To guarantee the smooth operation of such theoretical account, the Ultrapower besides pays attending to building of its corporate civilization so as to make a good environment for larning and invention. The attempts of the Ultrapower have been proved successful. It has established an advantage place in Chinese market and led the development of IT package in this state.
In late, the endeavor launches its new merchandise Ultra-EOMSv4.0 to the market and programs to better its market portion further with this invention.Discussion of the encephalon metaphor and the civilization metaphorMetaphors help to understand organisations from different positions. Two metaphors are chosen to analyse the Ultrapower.
One is encephalon metaphor stressing its characteristic of acquisition and self direction and the other is civilization metaphor concentrating on making societal world ( Morgan, 1998 ) . To be detailed, the encephalon metaphor takes an organisation as a human encephalon. It integrates all information together, analyzes the information, learn from it and develop its service and merchandises consequently. The indispensable thing of the encephalon metaphor is constructing the `` whole '' into all parts of an organisation.
To construct the `` whole '' into all parts, an organisation needs to set up and keep its corporate Deoxyribonucleic acid, web intelligence, construct holographic constructions that reproduce themselves, and concept holistic squads and diversified functions ( Morgan, 1998 ) . In add-on, equal variegation and excess of labour and other resources are besides of necessity. The encephalon metaphor is widely used in pattern. Assorted theoretical accounts have been presented to research the ways to better the maps of the `` encephalon '' by constructing a learning organisation. Senge ( 1990 ) presented a theoretical account of five subjects for a learning organisation including personal command, bettering mental theoretical accounts, edifice shared vision, squad acquisition and systems believing. A more specific theoretical account says five distinguishable elements should be integrated to construct a learning organisation and better the quality of the organisation, viz.
larning, organisation, people, cognition, and engineering ( Marquardt, 2002 ) .The civilization metaphor is the other metaphor adopted in this essay to depict organisations. This metaphor implies that an organisation is influenced every bit good as a consequence of civilization. From this position, organisations are both a portion of societal world and the manufacturers of societal world. Corporate civilization is the indispensable component of the civilization metaphor.
Corporate civilization facilitates direction of an organisation. `` From the direction point of position, this formalization measure constitutes besides the footing for the establishing of the corporate regulations of behaviors aˆ¦ The corporate civilization is another illustration of formalisation procedure. '' ( Gensse, 2007, p31 ) These words reveal the practical value of corporate civilization. Corporate civilization is paid particular attending by many corporations and thought to be a survival usher ( Schein, 2009 ) . No topic is more of import to the success of today 's concern organisation than corporate civilization ( Want and Want, 2006 ) . Sing the influence of corporate civilization in lasting the cut-throat competition, the civilization metaphor is of significance.
Except for the encephalon metaphor and the civilization metaphor, there are assorted metaphors to understand organisations including the machine metaphor, the organismal metaphor, the political metaphor, the psychic prison metaphor, the flux and transmutation metaphor, and the domination metaphor ( Morgan, 1998 ) . However, encephalon metaphor and civilization metaphor are the fittest metaphors to fit the characteristics of IT industry and the Ultrapower. As a hi-tech endeavor, the Ultrapower has a high dependence on acquisition and invention. It is besides a immature endeavor with lone 10 old ages history. Therefore, it tends to see things with fresh ways. The traditional metaphors such as the machine metaphor and the organismal metaphor are non the meet with the manner of the endeavor.
In add-on, the most valuable assets of the endeavor are intangible assets including cognition, engineering, rational belongingss, and advanced civilization. Apparently, the encephalon metaphor and the civilization metaphor range to the nucleus of the endeavor. Therefore, it is sensible to take these two metaphors.Analysis of utilizing the metaphorsThe Ultrapower has practiced the encephalon metaphor in its direction. In fact, constructing a acquisition organisation is the end of the Ultrapower.
To accomplish this end, the endeavor takes a series of steps. First, the endeavor develops a theoretical account with high grade of ego direction. Undertaking squads are functional units in the Ultrapower. The undertaking squads are endowed the rights to pull off themselves.
Resources including human resource, fiscal resource and other resources are distributed to project squads. Each squad has a strategic end. The squad leader and squad members communicate often and work together to set up the resources and the working programs for themselves. Therefore, the ego managed squads are flexible which can assist the endeavor to accommodate to the selling kineticss. Second, the holographic system is established within the Ultrappower. Information system has been set up to roll up and incorporate all information produced by both the external environment and the internal sections.
Interfaces are established for employees to utilize the information and recover thoughts and regulations from the enormous information. As a consequence, the endeavor can be sensitive about the alterations of the market state of affairs and set its scheme to accommodate to them. Third, the squad acquisition is emphasized in this endeavor. Team acquisition is a really of import and effectual manner to construct a learning organisation. In the Ultrapower, preparations are provided to all employees sporadically and aperiodically.
In add-on, squads have the right to make up one's mind their preparation frequence and contents and can do preparation programs for themselves. Communication and treatment are emphasized in the Ultrapower. Members are encouraged to show their ideas and thoughts. Fresh thoughts may be produced in this procedure.
By and large talking, these steps pushes foreword the development of the Ultrapower. Learning has been absorbed in the endeavor as an of import component of its corporate Deoxyribonucleic acid. Each member of the endeavor is influenced by this corporate Deoxyribonucleic acid.Except for the encephalon metaphor, the civilization metaphor is besides really utile in patterns of the Ultrapower. The endeavor has presented a motto of `` Create value, persevere in end, strive collectivity '' to depict its corporate civilization.
Since its foundation, the endeavor aims to supply quality service for its clients. On recognizing the pharynx cutting competition in package industry, the Ultrapower decides to make value for its clients. Innovation is a major attack. To back up invention, the building of larning organisation is strengthened. However, the undertakings can merely be finished with the support of corporate civilization. In fact, corporate civilization helps to construct a quality organisation by run intoing client outlooks, transcending client outlooks, pleasing clients, and making new possibilities ( Fairfield-Sonn, 2001 ) .
Therefore, the Ultrapower makes attempts to better its corporate civilization. First, corporate civilization is taken as a strategic component finding the hereafter of the endeavor. When a new employee enters the Ultrapower, he or she will be told that invention, uninterrupted acquisition, making values for the clients, and hardworking are the liquors of the endeavor. In pattern, the endeavor holds activities to beef up such a corporate civilization and allow the employees be impressed by the civilization. Second, advanced corporate civilization is linked with value creative activity. The Ultrapower purposes to set up a flexible, loosen uping, friendly and just corporate civilization environment so that employees are encouraged and simulated to do invention.
Communicationss are encouraged so that employees can interchange their thoughts freely to bring forth the new thoughts. Third, corporate duty is emphasized in corporate civilization of the Ultrapower. From the civilization metaphor, organisations are closely related to societal world. In Ultrapower, corporate duty is thought a manner to act upon the societal world. It calls on the employees to lend to the society and better it with their engineering and accomplishments.
As a consequence, employees get greater satisfaction from their work and are proud of their work.EvaluationBy and large talking, usage of the encephalon metaphor and the civilization metaphor in the Ultrapower are successful and fruitful. The encephalon metaphor leads the endeavor to better its capacity of acquisition and invention. Following this logic, the endeavor pays particular attending to team acquisition and building of ego pull offing groups. As a consequence, the construction of the endeavor is flexible but orderly.
It allows the Ultrapower to accommodate to the selling kineticss and maintain its advantageous place in the market. In fact, the public presentation of the endeavor remains hearty and grows quickly. It now occupies a dominant market portion in the package industry and shows a promising chance. Its success is mostly attributed to invention and quality service.
The endeavor acts merely as a human encephalon which integrates all information together to maintain sensitive about the concern environment. However, there are besides some failings. The encephalon metaphor emphasizes the map of the maps of the `` encephalon '' but non those of the organic structure. This causes jobs in the Ultrapower. The endeavor does hold a intelligent encephalon distributing good orders. But in pattern, the execution of these orders is non so hearty.
Therefore, both some employees and some of the client complain about the endeavor sometimes.Except for the encephalon metaphor, the civilization metaphor besides works good. A successful corporate civilization should assist to construct a platform of unity ( Johnson and Phillps, 2003 ) . The patterns of the Ultrapower meet with the demands to a big extent. The corporate civilization stimulates the employees promoting and pressing them to larn and introduce continuously.
This provides a beginning of the endeavor 's competitory advantage. In add-on, the coherence of the Ultrapower is strengthened. Many of the employees feel satisfied in working in the endeavor and willing to function it with their engineering and invention. The internal environment of the endeavors is loosen uping and friendly.
It contributes to better the societal world to some extent. At the same clip, the endeavor is active in affording its corporate duty. It donates to assist hapless people and pursues the end of bettering the societal world. In malice of all the advantages of the civilization metaphor in the Ultrapower, it does hold some deficits. In fact, the civilization metaphor provides a span between the endeavor and the society.
However, the utilizing of this metaphor in the Ultrapower is chiefly limited in itself. The angle of its civilization metaphor utilizing should be widened to see more societal factors so that the endeavor can be more sensitive about non merely the market and the industry but the whole society. Therefore, it can develop its corporate civilization every bit good as merchandises and service to run into with the of all time altering demands and demands of the society.
Decision
Metaphors are helpful to understand the behaviours and natures of organisations.There are assorted metaphors supplying different position angles of organisations. The pick of metaphors should see the characteristics of an organisation. In this essay, the encephalon metaphor and the civilization metaphor are adopted to analyse the patterns of the Ultrapower, the biggest supplier of IT operations and care direction solution and service in China. The encephalon metaphor emphasizes the edifice of larning organisation and self direction, and the civilization metaphor emphasized the corporate civilization building and the linkage between an organisation the societal world. The Ultrapower has adopted these two metaphors to beef up its market place and leading in the package industry.
A construction of ego managed squads is established to guarantee the flexibleness and squad acquisition. In order to back up invention, corporate civilization is improved to let free exchange of thoughts and inventions. With the guidelines of these two metaphors, the endeavor has made great accomplishments in market by establishing new merchandises uninterrupted and fulfilling their clients with quality service. Generally speech production, the encephalon metaphor and the civilization metaphor are utile for the Ultrapower to maintain its rapid growing.
However, there are besides some failings such as hapless execution of orders and restrictions of corporate civilization.
