On Assessing Organizational Priorities: Concept and Method

Abstract

Criticisms of the concept “organizational goal” are summarized. An alternative formulation is proposed wherein organizations are viewed as open systems. Through continual interaction incumbents seek to manipulate, and are manipulated by, expectations that they, and persons within various environmental sectors, hold for the organization regarding its mission, authority relations, relative status, affective expressions and sanctioning activity. Organizational missons include sets of social expectations which define appropriate tasks, priorities, territoralities, processing procedures and evaluation criteria. Behavioral observations of police communication officers are used to explore one aspect of mission—organizational priority. Three types of criteria appear critical in understanding priority rankings: 1) feedback intensity, 2) environmental capability to influence recognition and acceptance of feedback, and 3) sequential requirements.