Management Without Control Essay

The effective functioning of organizations is possible only on the condition when their objectives are achieved. In this respect, organizations need to have a clear strategic plan and goals they need to achieve since they indicate the direction in which organizations should progress and develop. However, the achievement of organizational objectives can encounter numerous obstacles because the contemporary business environment is constantly changing and organizations can face new challenges which they have not expected to encounter when they developed their strategic plans. The risk of the emergence of such unexpected obstacles increases dramatically when organizations, industries or economies are affected by a crisis. In such a situation, organizational strategic plans and objectives are likely to be changed or, at any rate, it is necessary to introduce consistent changes in strategic plans in order to achieve objectives set by organizations. In such a situation, many specialists (Northouse, 201) argue that it is necessary to implement unparalleled, extraordinary measures in response to unexpected problems or crisis. In this respect, it is particularly noteworthy  to refer to the position of Howard Greenwald, who argues that organizations need to resort imperative forces in case of a profound crisis or force major circumstances, but, on the other hand, he admits the possibility of the achievement of organizational objectives using the internal resources and potential of the organization, though he remarks that the achievement of goals grows extremely problematic if imperative forces are totally ignored (Greenwald, 271).

On analyzing the position of Howard Greenwald, it is necessary to take into consideration several factors. First of all, the use of imperative forces should be justified by the actual business environment or the situation within the organization. What is meant here is the fact that the use of imperative forces is unnecessary and even illogical when the market situation is stable and the organization does not suffer from any serious internal conflicts or other problems. In such a situation, the use of conventional measures is sufficient to improve the organizational performance and introduce changes essential for the achievement of organizational objectives.

On the other hand, the use of imperative forces can be justified by force major circumstance or by a profound crisis in the industry or within the organization or both in the industry and organization. In such a situation, the business environment or organizational culture can change dramatically can the use of conventional measures or the precise fulfillment of the plan developed by the organization and its leaders cannot be effective anymore. As a result, the use of imperative forces may be needed since they can accelerate the introduction of radical changes within the organization and facilitate structural changes to ease the external or internal pressure on the organization. In such a way, the organization can overcome a crisis in the industry or economy as well as it can overcome serious internal conflicts which prevent the organization from the achievement of its objectives.

However, it is necessary to underline that the use of imperative forces is not a set of measures which can be applied when the organization faces serious difficulties. In fact, imperative forces should be applied when conventional means of the achievement of organizational objectives do not work or have already proved to be ineffective in the changed environment.

In such a context, the question concerning the extent to which conventional measures can be effective in overcoming serious crisis or internal conflicts, if imperative forces are not used to solve organizational problems. At this point, the circumstances, in which conventional measures are used to achieve organizational goals, are crucial. Normally, the use of imperative forces can be omitted, if the market situation is stable and the organization progresses steadily without any serious conflicts. However, the achievement of organizational objectives becomes highly problematic if a serious economic crisis begins or when internal conflicts seem to be irresolvable.

For instance, the current economic recession in the US forces many companies to undertake unprecedented measures to save costs and maintain a stable marketing performance. Among these measures it is possible to name considerable job cuts, which are considered to be quite effective if the economic crisis progresses (Greenwald, 274). Obviously, this measure is not applied by organizations in a normal business environment, but it is justified in the situation of a profound crisis. At the same time, if the organization fails to apply such radical measures as consistent job cuts, for instance, than it is likely to fall to bankruptcy and ruin since conventional measures cannot reduce costs consistently, while the reduction of job places can enhance conventional measures and make their application more effective.

However, the use of conventional measures is essential since they lay the foundation for the normal organizational performance and if the organization possesses considerable resources and internal potential, while the crisis is short-running, than conventional measures can allow the organization to survive and maintain its position even without the use of imperative forces. Nevertheless, it is obvious that the use of imperative forces can help the organization to overcome the crisis.