YVONNE NKANSAH ASIAMAH - BBAS-WD-172765

QUESTION 1A

INTRODUCTION

Systems thinking is an approach to problem solving, by viewing “problems as parts of an overall

open systems. Open systems thinking is a system that regularly exchanges feedback with its external
environment. Healthy open systems continuously exchange feedback with their environments,
analyze that feedback, adjust internal systems as needed to achieve the system’s goals, and then
transmit necessary information back out to the environment. The diagram below shows how an
organisation reacts with its environment.

An Organisation in interaction with its environment

Sources of
Energy, Material,
Information, Inputs Transformation Outputs Users
Human Resources Mechanism

External Interface
Feedback
Internal Interface Mechanism
Feedback
Mechanism

Fig 1: A system in interaction with its environment

Inputs, Transformation, and Outputs. From Fig1, Organisations as open systems take in inputs
such as (customer requirements, people, ideas, time, money, facilities raw materials, capital,
information, govt. regulations technologies, customers, location, or collaborators). These inputs are
then increased in value through the transformation process by the subsystem such as (tools,
techniques, methods of production or service delivery methods, after sale services). the tangible

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result of what is transformed by the organisations subsystem is then released back into the
environment as outputs (finished goods, services, trained customers, revenue, cured patients,
completed apartments etc.)

Boundary, Environment and Equifinality

As shown in Fig1, Open systems have porous boundaries through which useful feedback can readily
be exchanged and understood. For any organization, the environment includes a wide variety of
needs and influences that can affect the organization, but which the organization cannot directly
control. In an open system, a highly effective organization will regularly exchange feedback with
its external environment and try to understand their environments and may even try to influence their
external environment through use of public relations, advertising and promotions, lobbying and
advocacy, and educating industry and local leaders. Equifinality means that there are multiple ways
to arrive at a particular outcome or state as, the same or similar results can be achieved by using a
variety of different processes. For example, management can achieve the same results by using
different inputs or by using different processes with the same inputs. Equifinality suggests that there
is no one right way to accomplish important results in an organization

Conclusion. Open systems thinking is a system that regularly exchanges feedback with its external
environment. It involves inputs, processes, outputs, goals, assessment and evaluation, and learning.
For an organization to effectively function as a whole system, boundary permeability between an
organization and its environment and among subunits within the organization must be maintained at
a favorable level.

QUESTION 1B

Organizational effectiveness can be defined as the degree to which an organization realizes its goals.
within the given resources and means. Five organisational elements that can aid in organisational
effectiveness are as follows:

a. Strategy. This encompasses the mission, vision, role, purpose and the strategic direction of an
organisation. It must be clear, appropriate and achievable.

b. Leadership. Good and capable leadership is essential to drive the organisation to achieving its
objectives.

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c. Structure, Capacity and Capability. It is essential to have the right people doing the right work
to ensure success.

d. Employee Engagement. To ensure success, an organisation must engage its employees in order
for them to feel a part of the organisation and thus, give of their best performance.

e. Culture and Values. A set of shared values, assumptions and behavior will ensure that all
employee activities are aligned to the organisations business strategy.

QUESTION 3A

Five actions that could have been taking by the management of Methodist University College to
minimize resistance from the student body are; Analyze potential effects of new policy; Participation
and involvement; Effective change management policy; Educate and communicate and Negotiation
and agreement.

Analyze potential effects of new policy. First, the College authorities should have carefully
analyzed the potential effects of implementing a new fee payment policy for the University. This
would have enabled the authorities

Participation and Involvement. In deciding the new fee payment policy, the school authorities
should have involved the major student bodies in the school such as the SRC, and other faculty
student groups as well as identified certain influential individuals (opinion leaders) at all levels.
Involving them would have made reduced resistance significantly as fellow students would buy in
the views of their leaders.

Effective change management policy. From the very beginning, having decided to implement the
new policy, the university authorities should have considered, adopted and implemented a carefully
laid out change management strategy. Had this been done, overall resistance by the students would
have been drastically reduced.

Educate and communicate - To reduce resistance to change, communication about the proposed
fee payment policy should have been carefully prepared and worded by the School authorities, so
that unnecessary fears may be allayed. Also, the students should have been informed as early as
possible and convincingly well-educated with respect to the necessity and logic of the change using
group discussions, memoranda, reports etc.

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Negotiation and agreement. Incentives could be offered to actual or potential change resistors in
the school. This could be offered in a negotiation and agreement method. Additionally, trade-offs for
special benefits could be arranged with potential resistors. The above measures could have helped
reduce the resistance from the students’ body.

QUESTION 3Bi Open and Blind spot of the Johari window

Johari Window is a technique for understanding and enhancing communication between the
members in a group, and improving self-awareness within an individual. It helps in understanding
your relationship with yourself and others, and helps a person to learn and discover things about
themselves. Below is a diagram of the Johari Window Model.

The Johari Window Model

Each person is represented by the Johari model through four quadrants or window pane. Each of
which signifies personal information, feelings, motivation and whether that information is known or
unknown to oneself or others in four viewpoints.

Open/self-area or arena. This is the quadrant/area for instance, where information about me, my
attitudes, behavior, emotions, feelings, skills and views will be known by me as well as by others.
This is the area where I openly communicate, and the larger the arena becomes the more effective
and dynamic the relationship will be.

Blind spot or Blind self. Blindspot is the area in which certain information on my personality is
known to others but that information is not known to me. I am blind to that information. People may

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interpret my personality different than I might have expected. For efficient communication, this area
must be reduced through example, feedback from other members in the group.

QUESTION 3Bii. Forming and storming stages of team development.

Effective Team building in the work place is crucial to the success of every organisation. Most high
performing teams go through five stages of team development. These are; forming, storming,
norming, performing and adjourning.

The forming stage involves a period of orientation and getting acquainted. Interactions are social as
members get to know each other. Uncertainty is high during this stage, and people are looking for
leadership and authority. A member who asserts authority or is knowledgeable may be looked upon
to take control of the group. Members also tend to focus on group identity and purpose.

The storming stage is the most difficult and critical stage to pass through. It is a period marked by
conflict and competition as individual personalities emerge. Team performance may actually
decrease in this stage because energy is put into unproductive activities. Members may disagree on
team goals, and subgroups and cliques may form around strong personalities or areas of agreement.
To get through this stage, members must work to overcome obstacles, to accept individual
differences, and to work through conflicting ideas on team tasks and goals.