Individual and organisational models within organisations : implications for organisational change

Despite the apparent diversity within the disciplines that make up the broad category known as the social sciences, there is evidence of an emerging strong convergence of theoretical concepts within these disciplines. This thesis outlines the core elements of this convergence, shows how they apply to both individuals and organisations, and explores some of the implications. The core concept of the convergence is very simple. The major function of the mind is to develop an abstracted of the real in which we live. This core concept is not new and has been expressed in different ways by many authors. One purpose of this thesis is to show that this statement, while simple enough at face value, is profoundly complex in terms of unweaving its implications. The thesis is in four sections, Sections I and II present theoretical material at an individual and organisational level, Section III explores the application of this theoretical material to an specific organisation, the Queensland Police Service, and Section IV presents the results of the organisational analysis and draws conclusions. Section I of the thesis presents theoretical evidence for this modelling process through consideration of a number of representative theories from the fields of philosophy and psychology. In philosophy, the discussion focuses on the realism-idealism debate, and the philosophical systems of Stephen Pepper and Jurgen Habermas. Idealism suggests the possibility of reality being mind-dependent, that what we continually operate with is our mental model of the world, never the world directly. The implications of this have been developed by many philosophers, of whom Pepper and Habermas have been chosen as representative examples. Pepper showed the underlying importance of simple common-sense metaphors in our development of world understanding, while Habermas discussed the different contexts of action which bring different conceptions of validity to our actions on the world. Despite the differences in the detail of their theses, both authors have in common a consideration of the importance of underlying mental models of the world, both for our understanding of the world and our actions within it. At the psychological level, this view is even more explicitly expressed through self-concept research and through the work of George Kelly. Initially what we have to operate with in the world is a •mass of undifferentiated sensory input, what William James referred to as a buzzing booming confusion. From birth, we start to impose a structure on top of this undifferentiated input, a structure which becomes more sophisticated as we develop. The development of self-concepts, or beliefs about ourselves and our world, are a way of making sense of this sensory input. Kelly's personal construct theory is one of the major attempts to present an explanation of our mental models. Section II considers the same theoretical concepts at the organisational level, at the macro level through a review of organisational myths and belief systems, and at the micro level through a review of the concept of self-esteem and its effects on the organisation's effectiveness. At the macro level of organisations, the concept of belief systems and organisational myths are considered. Belief systems permeate our organisations through myths, cultural factors, rituals and historical anecdotes. Any organisation undergoing a process of change has not only to contend with the fears and belief systems of the many individuals within the organisation, but also with the belief system, the ethos, of the organisation itself. Recognition and documentation of these belief systems can assist in making the process of organisational change more efficient. Micro theory is more concerned with the smallest element of organisations, human behaviour. This thesis looks at the issue of self-esteem and considers its organisational implications. There is a need for an integrative framework which draws upon both the macro and micro perspectives to help resolve the complex problems which organisations encounter. Knowledge about the history, culture and processes of an organisation is an essential part of explaining the totality of organisations, but such macro-level knowledge suffers in that it is hard to relate those aspects of human behaviour which directly affect organisational goals. This suggests that, in the typical human organisation, we should construct a new and integrated reality which combines the individual and the organisation. One such integrative framework is the concept of individual and organisational belief systems as presented in this thesis. Section III combines these diverse elements into a study of the Queensland Police Service, an organisation which is undergoing changes at the very core of its belief system. More traditional approaches to policing have been based on a reactive approach, with police reacting to incidents of crime as they occur. Police have done this very well, but there is evidence emerging that suggests that this form of policing is no longer efficient or appropriate. There has been a move towards a more proactive community based policing service which works more directly on crime prevention and community relationships. Even the use of the word police service, rather than police force, is an example of this philosophy. One of the more problematic issues discussed. in contemporary police literature is the relationship of the police to the community. While examinations of the role of the police in the community have occurred in the past, relatively little attention has been systematically directed at the nature of the community to which the police service is delivered. Over the past two decades or so it has been increasingly realised that the traditional reactive policing is largely unsuccessful in either reducing the incidence of crime or increasing citizen perceptions of safety. Community policing is a problem-solving partnership between the police and the community, incorporated throughout a police department's culture and operations, and based on the knowledge that police capacity to solve or prevent crimes, or improve the quality of community life, is severely limited without citizen collaboration. Community policing is also based on the finding that individual incidents to which police respond are usually related to larger, ongoing problems at a specific address or within a community. Responding to such incidents as if they are isolated events is not likely to eliminate a future need for more action. In community policing, the police and the community collaboratively analyse problems, set operational priorities, and implement strategies appropriate for the resolution of each problem. Following the examination of this change in organisational orientation, an analysis of the individual belief systems of the police officer is conducted, drawing on some research in the psychological and police science literature. Some practical implications of these individual belief systems are outlined for both the organisation and the community. Drawing on the results of informal interviews with member of the police service, and participant observation within the service itself, Section IV then ties the various threads together and suggests some future developments for the theoretical direction outlined. The analysis of the police service in the light of the theoretical considerations in the first two sections revealed five fundamental differences between the• core beliefs of a traditional, reactive service and a modern, pro-active service. These are: • continuing need to maintain reactive procedures alongside pro-active strategies; • strong command structure versus decentralised authority; • strong distinctions between specialised elements of the service; • self-esteem needs of individual officers; • strong socialisation processes encouraging conformity to police .norms. The concept of humans as conceptual model builders, at both individual and organisational levels, is a powerful one. As demonstrated in this thesis, problems of organisational change and development can be usefully considered in terms of clashing world views or mental models. The process of changing individual mental models is based on identifying the elements and implications of the models most of us take for granted, and educating individuals to the implications and consequences of holding such models. Similarly, organisational models are abstracted entities built up from thousands of individual models contained in space and over time. If sufficient individual models can be modified, large scale organisational change is not only possible, but possible in a positive way, without undue threat to the individual's self-esteem levels. The thesis proposed here is exploratory in nature. The next major phase in the process will be the development of methods of identifying and recording the fundamental beliefs and propositions contained within individual conceptions of the world. Some evidence suggests that cognitive science and artificial intelligence research holds some promise here if it can be brought closer to the reality of each individual's life. It is in this direction that further work can proceed. Apter believed that the invention of the computer was as important an event for psychology as the invention of the microscope was for biology. Using the computer as a general purpose modelling domain analogous with human modelling may yet make this belief realisable.