Resource Dependence Theory Perspective †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Resource Dependence Theory Perspective. Answer: Introduction: Strategic choices are related to organizational success. This is shown in instances where organizations that make choices strategically end up being more efficient that those that do not make strategic decisions. There are also different deterministic theories that aid in explaining how organizations work. Some of these theories include; Resource Dependency Theory and the Institutional Theory. Population ecology also assists in explaining the different organization actions and outcomes (Sderberg, 2013). Philosophically, determinism states that all events are determined by causes that were previously in existence. These take different factors into account such as moral choices. It is said to preclude human free will. This is because it entails that humans cannot act in a manner that is different from the way in which they normally do(Silvestre, 2016). Conversely, indeterminism holds the view that some of the events in the universe do not have a cause that is deterministic but they simply occur at random. In turn, this brings in a moral responsibility and leads to the creation of an external cause that is deterrent, and that can then affect the actions that will take place after that. Therefore, determinism says that all actions are as a result of preceding factors and this makes behavior unpredictable. Science is based on this causal law of determinism. On the contrary, free will is the human ability to choose the manner in which they will behave which means that they are self-determined (Fekadu, 2014). Incidentally, people choose whether they will commit a certain crime or not. The Resource Dependence Theory arose from the work of Gerald Salancik and Jeffrey Pfeffer in the year 1978. This theory is made up of different arguments. First, it says that organizations have power over a focal firm. As a result, the organizations can influence the way in which different firms behave, if they have control of the vital resources in the firms ongoing operations and if these resources cannot be acquired elsewhere (Narain, 2014). Second, the external environment of an organization is made up of other organizations which have their specific interests and objectives(Drees Heugens, 2013). Resource dependence also helps organizations to come up with strategies that can be used in dealing with dependence relationships that are problematic. The resource dependence theory, therefore, relies on the principle that organizations need to interact with other organizations that are in its environment with the aim of acquiring resources (Biermann Harsch, 2016). These transactions are beneficial to the different organizations but they may also bring about dependencies that are not good. The resources that are required by organizations are scarce and may not be readily available. These resources may also be controlled by actors who are uncooperative. This in turn may bring unequal exchanges and result in power differences. To reduce these high dependency levels that may be in existence, it is paramount for organizations to develop strategies that will enhance their position when it comes to bargaining in transactions where these resources are involved. These strategies may include; development of links with other organizations, diversifying their production, increasing their production levels, and making use of political actions(Singha, Sum Chuong, 2011). Diversification is an important strategy because it will result in a reduction of the dependence levels that an organization has with other firms, and it will also increase its leverage and power. Making use of political actions is also a good strategy because it will bring in government control which will reduce the monopoly power of these organizations that have power and get rid of any cartels that may be in existence. There are also different adaptations that different organizations take in relation to dependencies. Some organizations align their internal elements with the pressures that they face from their environments while other organizations attempt to alter their environments. In reference to organizational actions, Research Dependence Theory, therefore, explains how organizational behavior works. Three concepts that can be explained in an organization with the use of the Research Dependence Theory are; organizational constraints, effectiveness, and the organizational environment (Malatesta Smith, 2014). Organizational effectiveness is the efficiency with which an organization creates actions and outcomes that are acceptable. Moreover, the level of an organizations effectiveness can be measured by how well an organization can meet its stakeholder demands. The factor that holds the most significance in depicting how effective an organization is is its level of external judgment in its organizational activities(Sahlin-Andersson, Greenwood, Oliver Suddaby, 2012). The use of an external perspective is important in describing how effective an organization is as opposed to the use of an internal perspective which conversely shows efficiency levels. Organizational environment is another concept in the contextual perspective. The environment consists of all events that affect the actions that take place in an organization as well as the outcomes. However, different events influence organization actions in different ways. Some organizations are isolated from certain events in the environment which in turn reduces the impact of the events on the organizations. On the other hand, other organizations are not aware of the changes that are occurring in the environment. The third concept used in the contextual perspective is that of constraints. This concept shows the probability of an action being taken in response to a situation. If there is a higher probability of one response being used, this means that this action is constrained. Therefore, a constraint exists when a response to a given action is not random but is a choice that is properly argued. This concept assumes that the different effects on the behavior depicted in organizations face the constraint of situational contingencies (Malatesta Smith, 2014). This concept of constraint requires for the organization to make use of strategic choices to determine the optimal course of action that should be taken. These three concepts that are of the contextual perspective are the major components of the Resource Dependency Theory. This theory also uses two very important variables which are uncertainty and dependency. The institutional environment in which an organization is situated can affect the manner in which formal structures develop in the organization to a higher degree than even market pressures. Structures that are innovative and increase the technical efficiency of the organizations that adopt them earlier on are legitimized (Sahlin-Andersson, Greenwood, Oliver Suddaby, 2012). At the point of the legitimization level, if there is a failure to adopt the innovations, it is considered to be negligent and irrational. The existing and new organizations will adopt these structural forms regardless of the fact that they may not increase efficiency. Different institutional myths are accepted without good reason, for the organization to have legitimacy in the environment related to the institution. Organizations use the structures that are being used by others in their environment. These include; organizational roles, procedures, and job titles. The prominent display and use of these different institutional trappings of legitimacy aid in the preservation of an atmosphere whereby actions taken by organizations are based solely on good faith. This legitimacy that is in existence in the institutional environments aids in the survival of the organizations. These structures can, however, lead to reduced efficiency in the organization and lower the level of competitiveness that an organization has in its technical environment. Some organizations therefore put different measures in place in a bid to lower the negative effects. Incidentally, many organizations will separate their technical activities from their legitimizing structures. The net effect brought about by institutional pressures is to raise the homogeneity levels of the structures in an organization in an institutional environment. There are three different types of pressures that make firms to adopt similar structures. These include the normative pressures, coercive pressures, and the mimetic pressures. Normative pressures occur when this similarity arises from the presence of professional groups who possess the same approaches and attitudes. This comes about due to the hiring process where the workforce hired have similar characteristics. Conversely, mimetic pressures come from the existence of uncertainty in the organization. Finally, coercive pressures are as a result of influence or legal mandates that come from other organizations that they depend on (Malatesta Smith, 2014). There was a research that was conducted in California to examine how three administrative services that are in public schools in California have grown from the Institutional Theory standpoint. It was concluded that whenever there exists high cooperation and consensus levels within the institutional environment, the process of adoption of structures that are innovative is long-lasting and steady (Rodriguez Sanders, 2015). However, in circumstances where the institutional environment was found to be unfocused and contentious, the diffusion of innovative structures was seen to be tentative and low. This research also showed that during the periods of high coercive pressures, organizations tend to adopt new structures quickly. When the coercive pressures are low, they adopt the new structures in a much lower rate. The increased levels of adoption, however, bring about legitimacy in the institutional environment which in turn accelerates the rate at which the new structures are adopted (Malatesta Smith, 2014). It is therefore evident that the early organizations usually adopt new structures with an aim to improve their efficiency levels while later organizations adopt the structural forms in a bid to maintain legitimacy. Population ecology is a branch of ecology that explain the dynamics and structure of different populations. It explains how populations interact with their environment and how they change over time. Population ecology is an important concept in conservation biology because it aids in the prediction of whether a given species will persist in a given habitat. The simple population models make use of four very important variables. These are; birth, death, emigration, and immigration. In the 18th century, Darwin spoke about the struggle for existence. This was seen to come about due to the exponential population growth and the arithmetic growth in food supply. Over time, population outgrows the existing resources which in turn leads to the survival of the fittest species (Oord Witteloostuijn, 2017). This is the phenomenon whereby the fastest and strongest species survive while those that are unable to compete become extinct. Organizations can be classified as generalist or specialist organizations. Specialist organizations exploit their environment to the maximum and take on the risk of undergoing changes in their environment. On the contrary, generalist organizations do not largely exploit their environment and thus have a greater level of security. Organizations are also normally classified into various species that live together in an environment and continually change over space and time. These different changes which usually occur in the environmental level lead to the best fitting organizations being selected over time(Rodriguez Sanders, 2015). Therefore, the organizations that survive are those that best fit the environment in which they are in. There are other routes that organizations may take in order to survive. These include the use of sustainable systems and adaptations. Organizations ecology also deals with how much an organization is diversified. There is a need to view the ways in which the existing social conditions affect the rate at which new organizations and organizational forms are created, the rates at which organizations end, and the rate at which changes occur in organizations. With a basis on population ecology, the focus of these activities is on evolutionary dynamics of the different processes that affect the diversity of organizations (Oord Witteloostuijn, 2017). Learning institutions are challenging the way traditional methods of learning looked like. Today, due to the presence of technology, many institutions of learning have adopted technology in the learning process. The focus on learning is now focused on students with an emphasis on experiential and engaged learning. There are also more teachers who have taken up self-regulated, problem based, and authentic learning methods into their curriculums. As the ecology of the learning population continues to evolve, there are new players who come in. For instance, in the recent past, distant learning is a tool that has been widely used by many learners. It is important for organizations to take into consideration the value added by these new actions. It is vital for learning institutions to ensure that the learning process is sustainable and that the needs of all the learners are met (Malatesta Smith, 2014). In businesses today, technology has been widely used by different firms in a bid to ensure that they survive and remain competitive. Incidentally, many firms have made use of technology in their supply chains. Many firms make use of RFIDs and GPS trackers to ensure that they can track the movements of their consignments and to be able to provide their customers will good customer services. Technology is also being used in the production and manufacturing processes of organizations. Therefore, it is paramount that organizations continually adapt to their environment to remain competitive and avoid being replaced by other better-adapted organizations. Organizations that have an effective process of making strategic choices can make strategic decisions that ensure sustainable growth. Proper strategic planning enables organizations to identify the issues that are most important and then address them. Therefore, organizations need to adapt continually to remain competitive. They also need to take measures that ensure that they are not fully dependent on other organizations by using different suppliers as well as diversifying their production. By so doing, they will be able to survive turbulent periods and remain ahead of their competition. References Biermann, R., Harsch, M. (2016). Resource Dependence Theory.Springer Link. Drees, J., Heugens, P. (2013). Synthesizing and Extending Resource Dependence Theory A Meta-Analysis.Journal Of Management; Sage Journals. Fekadu, K. (2014). The paradox in environmental determinism and possibilism: A literature review.Journal Of Geography And Regional Planning,7(7). Malatesta, D., Smith, C. (2014). Lessons from Resource Dependence Theory for Contemporary Public and Nonprofit Management.Wiley Online Library. Narain, V. (2014). Determinism, Free Will, and Moral Responsibility.The Humanist.Com. Silvestre, R. (2016). Karma Theory, Determinism, Fatalism and Freedom of Will.Springer Link,11(1). Oord, A., Witteloostuijn, A. (2017). The Population Ecology of Technology: An Empirical Study of US Biotechnology Patents from 1976 to 2003. Rodriguez, A., Sanders, I. (2015). The role of community and population ecology in applying mycorrhizal fungi for improved food security.The ISME Journal. Sahlin-Andersson, K., Greenwood, R., Oliver, C., Suddaby, R. (2012). Institutional theory in organization Studies. Singha, P., Sum, D., Chuong, C. (2011). A resource dependence theory perspective of ISO 9000 in managing organizational environment.Journal Of Operations Management,29(1,2). Sderberg, J. (2013). Determining social change: The role of technological determinism in the collective action framing of hackers.New Media Society; Sage Journals.