Environments are critical for the management process because they contain a multitude of influential factors. Managers, as agents of order, effectiveness, and efficiency, need to be able to function within these environments. The conditions can differ depending on the specifics of a particular industry, where there are task and general environments. Therefore, companies’ and organizations’ managers must be competent enough to understand and adapt to the corresponding environments.
The first statement means that managers must be capable of operating inside the chaotic environments without avoiding them unnecessarily. In other words, the art of management lies in being able to work with the elements provided and not seek perfect conditions. The second statement’s underlying meaning is that some managers might face a unique set of challenges due to the specificities of their industries. The internal environment of the organization is the source of its life force. It contains the potential that enables an organization to function, exist, and survive in a certain period of time. However, the internal environment can also be a source of problems and even destruction of the organization if it does not provide the necessary functioning of the organization.
The external environment is the source that feeds the organization with the resources necessary to maintain its internal potential at the proper level. The organization is in a state of constant exchange with the external environment, thereby providing itself with the possibility of survival. There is always the possibility that the organization will not be able to obtain the necessary resources from the external environment. This can weaken its potential and lead to many negative consequences for the organization. The challenge of strategic management is to ensure that the organization interacts with the environment that would allow it to maintain its potential at the level necessary to achieve its goals (Hueske et al., 2015). This would thereby give it the ability to survive in the long term.
IT industry is an outstanding example of an environment comprised of several components. Any organization has an external and internal environment, where the former can be further divided into the task and general environments (Griffin, 2016). The general environment is comprised of technological, sociocultural, political-legal, international, economic dimensions, whereas the task environment consists of elements, such as customers, suppliers, regulators, strategic partners, and competitors (Griffin, 2016). Any major IT company, such as Facebook or Twitter, is always faced with these environment-related issues by adhering to its key tasks. However, it also needs to be involved in the general environment’s dimensions, where many political, integration, and sociocultural problems being influenced by these types of organizations. Any organization must not only adapt to the external environment by adjusting its internal structure and behavior in the market but also actively shape the external conditions of its activities. This is necessary in order to survive and develop in modern conditions, constantly identifying threats and potential opportunities in the external environment. This provision formed the basis of strategic management used by leading firms in a highly uncertain external environment.
In conclusion, it is important to point out the fact that managers must always consider and assess the environment. These specialists must be able to operate within chaotic systems by using what is available in order to bring effectiveness and efficiency to the relevant organization. In addition, they must analyze the environments where they separate the elements of the task environment from the general environment. Such a case can be seen in the IT industry, where all these environment-related dimensions are present.
References
Griffin, R. W. (2016). Management. Cengage Learning.
Hueske, A. K., Endrikat, J., & Guenther, E. (2015). External environment, the innovating organization, and its individuals: A multilevel model for identifying innovation barriers accounting for social uncertainties. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 35, 45-70.