Viewing The Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation Through Organizational Essay

Viewing The Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation Through Organizational Theory - Essay Example It will then analyze how these theories apply to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BGMF) and how they impact this unique organization. The paper addresses some specific aspects of institutional theory and network theory and develops an understanding of how BMGF utilizes these theories and how they are reflected in the foundation's philosophy, governance, and strategy. "Organizations are technical instruments designed as a means to definite goals. But they also have a natural dimension. They are products of interactions and adaptation, they become the receptacles of group idealism...". Organizational analysis is relatively new among the sciences as a field of study, coming out of the latter years of the 19th century as industrialization became more technological (Scott, 2004). Originators of organizational management, among them Taylor, Weber and Mayo, believed there was one best way to manage an organization, and all recommended single, universal solutions to management problems, though they did not agree on what the solutions should be. There are many theories and models offered by researchers that delve into the inner workings of organizations and provide a rich and complex view of organizations. Zucker (1987) believed that normative pressures that arise from external factors such as the state and factors from within the organization drive organizations (p.443). Some have believed that there is only a single best way to define an organization, but it has eluded theorists and modern organizations have presented new challenges. 3. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: An Overview The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) was instituted as a philanthropic institution to relive the suffering of the poor and deprived people across the world. Beginning in 1997 as a foundation to aid education in the Northeast, it diversified in 2000 to focus more effort toward improving global health (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 2007). The foundation has a substantial endowment fund that it dispenses to the poor and needy and helps to