Organization Theories Essay

The company’s product mix comprises of roasted as well as handcrafted premium tea, coffee, various fresh foods, and beverages. The company also supplies a different variety of tea products and coffee as well as license their trademarks through different channels like grocery, licensed stores, and national foodservice accounts. Also, the company markets its products mix using other brand names in its portfolio companies which includes, Tazo, Teavana, Starbucks Refreshers, Starbucks VIA, Seattle's Best Coffee, La Boulange, Evolution Fresh and Verismo (Varma & Packard, 2012). This paper assesses how different organization theories fit and apply as well as how they can be used to describe how Starbucks functions. Connection with the Organization I previously worked at the Starbucks branch in Newfoundland, Canada as a Barista for a few months during summer vacation.

Thus, an appropriate approach to management is normally contingent on the situation of the organization. In the current business world, all organizations seem to be operating in an environment that is highly uncertain. Therefore, organizations are involved in an important transition period where organization theory and design concepts are consistently in evolution like they did at the beginning of the industrial revolution. The contingency theory thus rejects the notion that an organization can only be managed in one way. The theory suggests that managers should assess every situation and make decisions that are unique to those situations. Managers are required to be ready to evaluate different inputs that might be influencing an issue (Daft, 2015). For instance, the manager may realize that poor ventilation and lighting are not the only influences to an issue rather it may be because of the production bonus program of the company, loss of benefits, employee recognition and outdated equipment which may contribute to a single issue.

Thus, the theory needs managers to bend policies or override them depending on situations that demand new decisions to be made. Meso Theory The meso theory is about the incorporation of the macro and micro levels of analyzing an organization. Both individuals and groups may impact an organization which in turn impacts the two groups (Daft, 2015). Afterward, the company's customers may begin losing their business because of changes in their suppliers. By applying the chaos theory to organizations, it is evident that short-term changes within an organization may have a disastrous impact on the system's organization as a whole. Using Theories to Explain How Starbucks Functions Using the contingency theory, Starbucks has been able to implement both a successful business plan and a helpful functional plan that has allowed the company to almost monopolize the coffee industry.

Such an approach has enabled the company to adopt in the current patterns and new regulations in the market. Thus, the organization usually focuses on sustaining the level of energy that is required to maintain its business strategies and its daily operations (Donaldson, 2006). Some people may argue that Starbucks was once a victim of the chaos theory. It is however not certain if their troubles were due to setting up numerous stores quickly, increased gas prices, or focusing on credit cards and music rather than customers and coffee among many others (Starbucks). Such issues resulted in a pattern that had a predictable outcome. Starbucks has updated its identity to include serving more than just coffee in its menu. The company plans on serving beer and regional wine in a few of its Seattle location.