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Olmstead writes from an open systems perspective-a viewpoint of organizations that adapt quickly to turbulent, uncertain business environments-offering an integrated, understandable, and highly practical way to analyze, assess, and improve organization performance. He demonstrates how organizations actually function, and shows how they can identify and overcome obstacles by creating organizational competence-the critical elements that give organizations the ability to perform effectively in the modern business world.
Upper level students, scholars, and teachers will find Olmstead's book an important addition to their academic reading lists. For practitioners, particularly those in rapid response organizations, this book will be an indispensable aid in the struggle to keep their organizations up to date and abreast of the competition.
List of contents
Introduction
Functionally Competent Organizations: TheoryOrganizations and Their Functions
Theoretical Background
Research Results
Functionally Competent Organizations
Requirements for PerformancePerformance of Individuals
Performance of Groups
Functionally Competent Organizations: ApplicationIntegration in Organizations
Competence Operationally Defined
A Model for Organizational Effectiveness
Elements of Organizational Effectiveness
Summary and Conclusions
Annotated Bibliography
Index
About the author
JOSEPH A. OLMSTEAD is Vice President, Product Development, at the Vanguard Research Group, Columbia, S.C. He earned a doctorate in psychology from the University of Texas, and served as Senior Staff Scientist and Program Director at the Human Research Office of the George Washington University. Earlier, he was Chief of Training and Management Development at Eli Lilly and Co. Among his more than 50 papers, monographs, and technical reports is another book published by Quorum, Creating the Functionally Competent Organization (2002).
