| Course | PSY-3600 Organizational Theory |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Written assignment: the nature of organizations and organizational theory |
| Length | About 484 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PSY 3600 Module 1
Three Lenses on One Moving Company: What Organizational Theory Reveals
Student Name
Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership, Thomas Edison State University
PSY-3600: Organizational Theory
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Three Lenses on One Moving Company: What Organizational Theory Reveals
What Is an Organization?
Tolbert and Hall (2009) define organizations as collectivities with relatively identifiable boundaries, rules, authority structures, communication systems and coordinating mechanisms that exist on a continuing basis in an environment and engage in activities related to a set of goals. Our company matches every piece of that definition. It has boundaries, employees versus customers and subcontractors; rules, such as packing standards; an authority structure from the owners to crew chiefs; and goals, moving customers' goods safely and profitably. The definition also reminds us that organizations exist in an environment, which matters greatly for a moving company.
Weber's Bureaucracy
Weber, whose writing on bureaucracy is reprinted in Shafritz et al. (2016), described bureaucracy as an ideal type marked by fixed jurisdictions, a hierarchy of offices, written files, trained officials and general rules applied impersonally. He argued that bureaucracy is technically superior to other forms of administration for precision, speed and reliability. Our dispatch office is the most bureaucratic part of the company: jobs are scheduled by written rules, every move has a file and estimators follow a standard pricing guide. When those rules are followed, moves run on time and customers are billed consistently.
Three Perspectives
Organizational theory has developed several broad perspectives. The rational system perspective treats organizations as instruments designed to pursue specific goals through formal structure. The natural system perspective sees organizations as social groups whose members have their own goals and whose informal relationships shape what actually happens. The open system perspective emphasizes that organizations depend on exchanges with their environment for resources and survival.
The natural system view explains our crews well. Crew chiefs have strong informal authority; experienced movers decide among themselves who carries the piano, and new hires learn "how we really do it" from the crew, not the manual. The open system view explains the company as a whole: our volume follows the housing market and contracts for moving military families, and a slow spring for home sales affects every department. Emery and Trist (1965) argued that organizations increasingly face turbulent environments, where change comes from the interaction of many outside forces rather than from a single competitor; mortgage rates, military transfer cycles and fuel prices interact in exactly that way for us.
| Perspective | Where it fits our company | What it explains |
|---|---|---|
| Rational system | Dispatch, estimating, billing | Why schedules and prices follow rules |
| Natural system | Moving crews | Why crews protect their own pace and pick their own partners |
| Open system | The whole firm | Why the business rises and falls with home sales and military relocations |
Conclusion
No single perspective captures our company. The rational system view explains dispatch, the natural system view explains crews and the open system view explains the business's dependence on its environment. Organizational theory is most useful when its perspectives are used together, which is the approach this course takes.
References
Emery, F. E., & Trist, E. L. (1965). The causal texture of organizational environments. Human Relations, 18(1), 21-32. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872676501800103
Shafritz, J. M., Ott, J. S., & Jang, Y. S. (Eds.). (2016). Classics of organization theory (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Tolbert, P. S., & Hall, R. H. (2009). Organizations: Structures, processes, and outcomes (10th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall.
Reading the PSY 3600 Module 1 assignment instructions
PSY-3600 grades ten discussions at 15 percent, six written assignments at 35 percent and two proctored essay exams at 25 percent each, using Tolbert and Hall's Organizations and Shafritz, Ott and Jang's Classics of Organization Theory. With six modules and six written assignments, this page shows the one for Module 1. The exams use essay questions similar to the written activities, so these assignments are also preparation. You will define an organization, compare major perspectives in organizational theory and apply them to a real organization. Show where each perspective fits and what it misses, using the classic readings and the textbook. Treat each perspective as a lens for a question about your organization.
Inside the PSY 3600 Module 1 example
The paper opens with Tolbert and Hall's definition and checks the company against each part of it. Weber's bureaucracy, read in the classics collection, explains the dispatch office. Three perspectives, rational, natural and open system, are introduced and placed in a table where each fits the company best. The natural system view explains crews' informal authority, and Emery and Trist's account of turbulent environments supports the open system view of a firm tied to housing and military moves. A margin note explains why the perspectives work as lenses. The conclusion argues for using them together. Its summary table doubles as a study aid for the essay exams. Emery and Trist's account of turbulent environments explains the firm's exposure to outside forces.
PSY 3600 Module 1 rubric: what earns full marks
Mentors grade PSY-3600 written assignments on accurate understanding of organizational theory, application to a real organization, analysis and clear writing in APA style. Papers that apply each perspective to a specific part of the organization show more understanding than papers that summarize theories. Recognizing what each theory misses shows critical thinking. Drawing on the classic readings, not the textbook alone, matches how the course is built. Because the exams ask similar essay questions, clear organization and concise explanation in these assignments also build exam skills. Mentors also look for a clear thesis about how the perspectives fit together, which turns description into argument. A paper that admits what each lens misses earns more than one that praises all three.
PSY 3600 Module 1 help from the desk
Students lose marks by summarizing Weber and the system perspectives without applying them, by forcing one theory onto the whole organization or by describing the organization without theory. Use a definition of organization and test it against your workplace, place each perspective where it explains something real and name what it leaves out. Practice writing clear essay answers, since the proctored exams ask similar questions. Name the organization you know best and a free PSY-3600 Module 1 draft can be built around it. Write as you would for the essay exam: a clear claim, evidence from the readings and an example from your organization in every paragraph.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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PSY 3600 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free PSY 3600 Module 1 sample paper?
The written assignment above applies Weber's bureaucracy and the rational, natural and open system perspectives to a moving company.
What textbooks does PSY-3600 use?
Tolbert and Hall's Organizations: Structures, Processes, and Outcomes and Shafritz, Ott and Jang's Classics of Organization Theory.
What are the rational, natural and open system perspectives?
Views of organizations as goal-directed formal structures, as social groups with informal dynamics and as systems dependent on their environments.
What are the features of Weber's bureaucracy?
Fixed jurisdictions, hierarchy, written files, trained officials and general rules applied impersonally.
How is PSY-3600 graded?
Discussions 15 percent, six written assignments 35 percent, and proctored midterm and final essay exams at 25 percent each.