| Summary: | M.A. (Social Science) === The study was undertaken based on the perception that a recently , established welfare organisation was experiencing stalemate. During the study it became apparent that an organisation can be defined in terms of an organic analogy, that is, that organisations develop in life cycles which are affected by the environment. The environmental influences affect the organisation's culture, strategy, structure, processes and services to the clients. The survival of any organisation depends on its adaptability and ability to design technology to enable it to obtain and to utilize resources more efficiently. In other words, organisations are dependent on their environment. Newly established organisations however, are ill-equipped to make the necessary assessments and forecasts regarding their environment and resources. The newness of the organisation has significance in that structures are not in place or formalised enough to monitor the environment. Additionally, the organisation could be caught up in the euphoria of the 'utopian fantasy' resulting in inferior decision-making. Using the Thomas model of research and development in Grinnell (1982) a technology was designed to facilitate not only the survival but the continued growth of the organisation being studied. The problem was analyzed by a study of the development of the organisation concerned and a comparison to organisational life cycle theory.
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