In early classical organizational theory, organizations are conceptualized as closed rational systems.
Weber’s (1922) theories on bureaucracy and Taylor’s (1916) on scientific management view organizations
as highly formalized rational collectivities pursuing agreed-on organizational goals. The
organizational ideal was an isolated unit that served internal objectives and had no external resource
dependencies. In this way, an organization was conceptualized as an island. An organization was
separated from the rest of the world with its workers carrying out only its organizational objectives
set by those at the top of the organizational hierarchy. The resources needed to carry out those objectives
were owned by the organization, materializing within organizational boundaries as if appearing
from nowhere. Subsequent organizational theory provided insights into just how unrealistic the ideal
of the organization as an island is by highlighting the role of employees’ personal motivations, external
resource dependencies, and external cultural pressures.