Sources of Organizational Dysfunctions

Dysfunctions understood as long term, significant inefficiencies causing wastage have accompanied organizations since their beginnings. A dysfunction disrupts the smooth functioning of organizations, hinders or even prevents proper management of a selected organizational system. Sources and areas of organizational dysfunctions are varied, but some regularities can be observed. It is vital to come to know them in the context of globalization, which forces companies and their managers worldwide to deal with similar problems. This paper aims to present selected dysfunctions in organizations and management, with particular emphasis on the sources and mechanisms of their formation. The paper was written on the basis of qualitative partially-structured interview surveys. The intended outcome of the surveys was the development of an open catalogue of such dysfunctions. The choice of the research method was a consequence of the purpose and object of the study. Gaining knowledge of organizational dysfunctions requires the closest, sometimes even informal, contact with respondents. The surveys were conducted among 35 purposefully selected entrepreneurs, managers, and specialists of various levels. The interviews, ranging from 30 minutes to 6 hours in duration, were recorded and transcribed. The respondents were asked about and requested to indicate dysfunctional phenomena in their organizations, at the interface between the organization and its environment, or in the immediate surroundings. The surveys allowed for identifying certain organizational dysfunctions, finding their sources, and determining areas of occurrence. The most crucial identified sources of dysfunctions include: autonomization, conflict between long- and short-term perspectives, extreme economization, organizational mismatch, lack of systems thinking, fragmentation, and lack of binding actions.