Henk W. Volberda
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198295952
- eISBN:
- 9780191685163
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198295952.003.0055
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy, Organization Studies
The management challenge of flexibility may be observed through looking into the managerial repertoire of flexible capabilities. Since increasing the speed and variety of managerial capabilities ...
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The management challenge of flexibility may be observed through looking into the managerial repertoire of flexible capabilities. Since increasing the speed and variety of managerial capabilities proves to be a challenging goal, the firm will not be able to fully utilize its flexible capabilities without an appropriate organizational design. We thus examine flexibility's organization design challenge through identifying the organizational conditions that are necessary for utilizing the flexibility mix. Since the potential for flexibility is determined by the existing organization design, there is a need to determine whether redesigning the organizational conditions is required. The focus of this chapter is thus rooted on examining the organizational barriers to flexibility.Less
The management challenge of flexibility may be observed through looking into the managerial repertoire of flexible capabilities. Since increasing the speed and variety of managerial capabilities proves to be a challenging goal, the firm will not be able to fully utilize its flexible capabilities without an appropriate organizational design. We thus examine flexibility's organization design challenge through identifying the organizational conditions that are necessary for utilizing the flexibility mix. Since the potential for flexibility is determined by the existing organization design, there is a need to determine whether redesigning the organizational conditions is required. The focus of this chapter is thus rooted on examining the organizational barriers to flexibility.
Chris Argyris
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199586165
- eISBN:
- 9780191702426
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199586165.003.0008
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Strategy
This introductory chapter begins with brief a discussion of how we are trapped by behaviour patterns that exist at all levels of organizations. Traps are created when the problems to be solved are ...
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This introductory chapter begins with brief a discussion of how we are trapped by behaviour patterns that exist at all levels of organizations. Traps are created when the problems to be solved are likely to be upsetting and threatening to all concerned. These Traps inhibit effective problem solving and inhibit the detection and correction of errors. It then sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine the advice of thought leaders writing about organizations and their management. It focuses on three topics: leadership, culture, and organization design. An overview of the subsequent chapters is presented.Less
This introductory chapter begins with brief a discussion of how we are trapped by behaviour patterns that exist at all levels of organizations. Traps are created when the problems to be solved are likely to be upsetting and threatening to all concerned. These Traps inhibit effective problem solving and inhibit the detection and correction of errors. It then sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine the advice of thought leaders writing about organizations and their management. It focuses on three topics: leadership, culture, and organization design. An overview of the subsequent chapters is presented.
DAVID A. NADLER, michael l. tushman, and mark b. nadler
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195099171
- eISBN:
- 9780199854868
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195099171.003.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
As shown through the narrative about BOC's Industrial Gases Division, companies have to adjust to changing environments by being open to innovation, new technology, and collaborating enterprises ...
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As shown through the narrative about BOC's Industrial Gases Division, companies have to adjust to changing environments by being open to innovation, new technology, and collaborating enterprises through undermining geographic boundaries. While competition has evidently become more intense across all industries and business sectors, the need for companies to work on their competitive advantage arises. However, it is also important to note that the methods of attaining such competitive advantage also changes and organizations cannot merely rely on traditional procedures. This chapter introduces how “organizational capabilities”—the ways in which organizations structure and motivate—has proved to be one of the most fundamental sources of competitive advantage. Managers have to understand how to effectively utilize their competitive strengths and that designing organizations is a continuous process.Less
As shown through the narrative about BOC's Industrial Gases Division, companies have to adjust to changing environments by being open to innovation, new technology, and collaborating enterprises through undermining geographic boundaries. While competition has evidently become more intense across all industries and business sectors, the need for companies to work on their competitive advantage arises. However, it is also important to note that the methods of attaining such competitive advantage also changes and organizations cannot merely rely on traditional procedures. This chapter introduces how “organizational capabilities”—the ways in which organizations structure and motivate—has proved to be one of the most fundamental sources of competitive advantage. Managers have to understand how to effectively utilize their competitive strengths and that designing organizations is a continuous process.
Graham M. Winch
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198288411
- eISBN:
- 9780191684593
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198288411.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
Developing from the analysis of context in Chapter 5, this chapter analyzes the various organization designs found amongst the cases. First, it reviews the overall design of the companies and shows ...
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Developing from the analysis of context in Chapter 5, this chapter analyzes the various organization designs found amongst the cases. First, it reviews the overall design of the companies and shows the stability of functional organization. It then presents the evidence for the relative instability of deviations from this form, such as matrix and product orientated organization designs. The argument moves on to suggest that this level of analysis is incomplete, and the discussion reviews the organization designs of manufacturing and engineering separately. Here, a considerable dynamism is found, with major changes in organization design being implemented in most cases within recent years. Matrix organization within the engineering function is the predominant form. Within manufacturing, very different organization designs are reported, with the manufacturing led companies favouring a vertical division of labour between planning and operational functions, while the engineering led companies favour attaching the manufacturing engineering department to the part of the factory that it serves.Less
Developing from the analysis of context in Chapter 5, this chapter analyzes the various organization designs found amongst the cases. First, it reviews the overall design of the companies and shows the stability of functional organization. It then presents the evidence for the relative instability of deviations from this form, such as matrix and product orientated organization designs. The argument moves on to suggest that this level of analysis is incomplete, and the discussion reviews the organization designs of manufacturing and engineering separately. Here, a considerable dynamism is found, with major changes in organization design being implemented in most cases within recent years. Matrix organization within the engineering function is the predominant form. Within manufacturing, very different organization designs are reported, with the manufacturing led companies favouring a vertical division of labour between planning and operational functions, while the engineering led companies favour attaching the manufacturing engineering department to the part of the factory that it serves.
DAVID A. NADLER, michael l. tushman, and mark b. nadler
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195099171
- eISBN:
- 9780199854868
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195099171.003.0010
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
In the early 1980s, General Motors attempted to implement the GM-10 program, which entailed gathering resources from various aspects of the corporation and establishing a single unit concerned with ...
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In the early 1980s, General Motors attempted to implement the GM-10 program, which entailed gathering resources from various aspects of the corporation and establishing a single unit concerned with the entire process of producing new mid-sized cars to address the increasing competition in the market. However, the company seemingly proved to be incapable of pulling off such a setup since those that comprise GM are protective of its own bounds and resources. Chaos resulted from the attempts that GM made at reconstructing the company into two major groups. As this chapter identifies the mistakes made by GM, it examines the implementation of organization designs, specifically those that address the issue of managing organizational culture.Less
In the early 1980s, General Motors attempted to implement the GM-10 program, which entailed gathering resources from various aspects of the corporation and establishing a single unit concerned with the entire process of producing new mid-sized cars to address the increasing competition in the market. However, the company seemingly proved to be incapable of pulling off such a setup since those that comprise GM are protective of its own bounds and resources. Chaos resulted from the attempts that GM made at reconstructing the company into two major groups. As this chapter identifies the mistakes made by GM, it examines the implementation of organization designs, specifically those that address the issue of managing organizational culture.
NEIL M. KAY
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199242115
- eISBN:
- 9780191697005
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199242115.003.0012
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy, Organization Studies
This chapter discusses an approach to issues of organization design that helps to develop an integrated perspective dealing with a variety of organizational forms. These include hybrid structures ...
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This chapter discusses an approach to issues of organization design that helps to develop an integrated perspective dealing with a variety of organizational forms. These include hybrid structures such as matrix organization, as well as standard functional and divisional forms of organization. The chapter first examines the role of synergy and complementarity in coordinating resources. It then looks at the problems involved in the decomposition of various strategies into different organization designs. The chapter also reviews some problems posed by the multinational enterprise for organizational design and examines the matrix solution in this context.Less
This chapter discusses an approach to issues of organization design that helps to develop an integrated perspective dealing with a variety of organizational forms. These include hybrid structures such as matrix organization, as well as standard functional and divisional forms of organization. The chapter first examines the role of synergy and complementarity in coordinating resources. It then looks at the problems involved in the decomposition of various strategies into different organization designs. The chapter also reviews some problems posed by the multinational enterprise for organizational design and examines the matrix solution in this context.
Graham M. Winch
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198288411
- eISBN:
- 9780191684593
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198288411.003.0004
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
The organization provides the context of change within which implementation occurs. The ‘Greenfield’ site is very much a special case in the diffusion of APM; the vast majority of implementations ...
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The organization provides the context of change within which implementation occurs. The ‘Greenfield’ site is very much a special case in the diffusion of APM; the vast majority of implementations occur within existing organizations. It is, therefore, helpful to have a conceptual framework for understanding those organizations in terms of their structures and processes. This chapter tries to specify a model for understanding the organizational context of implementation. First, the way in which the organization relates to its outer context through the process of strategy formulation is reviewed. As the concern is for the core of the organization dealing with production, concepts derived from the manufacturing and product strategy literatures are deployed to aid understanding of how organizations enact their environments. Then, the main elements of internal process in organizations — flows of information and materials — are analysed to show the ways in which they, too, shape the inner context. These two contingencies are then brought together in an heuristic of the organization of production operations to form the basis for the development of specific measures of contingency deployed in the case analyses that follow.Less
The organization provides the context of change within which implementation occurs. The ‘Greenfield’ site is very much a special case in the diffusion of APM; the vast majority of implementations occur within existing organizations. It is, therefore, helpful to have a conceptual framework for understanding those organizations in terms of their structures and processes. This chapter tries to specify a model for understanding the organizational context of implementation. First, the way in which the organization relates to its outer context through the process of strategy formulation is reviewed. As the concern is for the core of the organization dealing with production, concepts derived from the manufacturing and product strategy literatures are deployed to aid understanding of how organizations enact their environments. Then, the main elements of internal process in organizations — flows of information and materials — are analysed to show the ways in which they, too, shape the inner context. These two contingencies are then brought together in an heuristic of the organization of production operations to form the basis for the development of specific measures of contingency deployed in the case analyses that follow.
Henk W. Volberda
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198295952
- eISBN:
- 9780191685163
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198295952.003.0096
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy, Organization Studies
Significant changes that redefine the competitive environment have driven various organizations to re-examine their organization designs and flexible capabilities. Since an ideal flexible form has ...
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Significant changes that redefine the competitive environment have driven various organizations to re-examine their organization designs and flexible capabilities. Since an ideal flexible form has yet to be determined and described, managers in contemporary firms have proceeded with different organizational experiments even without models or theories. However, firms in today's hypercompetitive environments have continued to develop and identify new advantages that result in a temporary disequilibrium. New organizational forms are needed so that opportunities may be explored and utilized effectively, strategic focus must be easily changed, and values and norms have to be considered. From the framework illustrated in the previous chapter, we identify three optimal organizational forms that link the competitive environments with effective organization designs and flexibility types.Less
Significant changes that redefine the competitive environment have driven various organizations to re-examine their organization designs and flexible capabilities. Since an ideal flexible form has yet to be determined and described, managers in contemporary firms have proceeded with different organizational experiments even without models or theories. However, firms in today's hypercompetitive environments have continued to develop and identify new advantages that result in a temporary disequilibrium. New organizational forms are needed so that opportunities may be explored and utilized effectively, strategic focus must be easily changed, and values and norms have to be considered. From the framework illustrated in the previous chapter, we identify three optimal organizational forms that link the competitive environments with effective organization designs and flexibility types.
Rodrigo Magalhães
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- October 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198867333
- eISBN:
- 9780191904097
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198867333.003.0002
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
The chapter starts with a historical outline of organization design featuring the following trends: • Contingency and configuration • The Simonian design tradition • Institutional organization design ...
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The chapter starts with a historical outline of organization design featuring the following trends: • Contingency and configuration • The Simonian design tradition • Institutional organization design • Cognitive, situated, and generative approaches • Systemic approaches from business economics. Next, the chapter turns to an analysis of future trends, based on three proposals. The first concerns the growth of design thinking, which although containing a host of proposals for organization design change, it is so far not seen as an organization designing trend. Second, the trend of managerial choice and action as the focus of organization design is brought back from classical organization theory but with a new twist, that is, the role of the manager is now split into three separate but integrated activities—strategizing, designing, and managing. Third, it is proposed that the turn in some management literature towards language and meaning would become the focus of managerial action under the new design-inspired paradigm.Less
The chapter starts with a historical outline of organization design featuring the following trends: • Contingency and configuration • The Simonian design tradition • Institutional organization design • Cognitive, situated, and generative approaches • Systemic approaches from business economics. Next, the chapter turns to an analysis of future trends, based on three proposals. The first concerns the growth of design thinking, which although containing a host of proposals for organization design change, it is so far not seen as an organization designing trend. Second, the trend of managerial choice and action as the focus of organization design is brought back from classical organization theory but with a new twist, that is, the role of the manager is now split into three separate but integrated activities—strategizing, designing, and managing. Third, it is proposed that the turn in some management literature towards language and meaning would become the focus of managerial action under the new design-inspired paradigm.
Rodrigo Magalhães
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- October 2020
- ISBN:
- eISBN:
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198867333.003.0004
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
In this chapter, the expression organizational knowledge-qua-design is used to convey the idea that, ontologically, the organization’s knowledge and the organization’s overall design share the same ...
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In this chapter, the expression organizational knowledge-qua-design is used to convey the idea that, ontologically, the organization’s knowledge and the organization’s overall design share the same roots and develop in tandem. Three key knowledge-qua-design development processes are put forward—intended, emergent, and perceived—each contributing with a different category of organizational meaning and a different type of organizational learning. It is posited that intended design processes contribute with the meanings and interpretations from managerial staff from every level about their own reading of the course of the organization’s development. Emergent processes contribute with the skills, competencies, and knowledge generated at the local level and emerging from the interplay between every-day practices and the creation or recreation of artefacts. Perceived design processes contribute through the feedback provided by the stakeholders about the myriad outcomes from the organization, their meanings and their consequences.Less
In this chapter, the expression organizational knowledge-qua-design is used to convey the idea that, ontologically, the organization’s knowledge and the organization’s overall design share the same roots and develop in tandem. Three key knowledge-qua-design development processes are put forward—intended, emergent, and perceived—each contributing with a different category of organizational meaning and a different type of organizational learning. It is posited that intended design processes contribute with the meanings and interpretations from managerial staff from every level about their own reading of the course of the organization’s development. Emergent processes contribute with the skills, competencies, and knowledge generated at the local level and emerging from the interplay between every-day practices and the creation or recreation of artefacts. Perceived design processes contribute through the feedback provided by the stakeholders about the myriad outcomes from the organization, their meanings and their consequences.
Rodrigo Magalhães
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- October 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198867333
- eISBN:
- 9780191904097
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198867333.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
For the past century or more, we have been taught to think of the design of organizations in terms of a legacy of principles left to us by pioneers such as Taylor, Fayol, and Weber. Names such as ...
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For the past century or more, we have been taught to think of the design of organizations in terms of a legacy of principles left to us by pioneers such as Taylor, Fayol, and Weber. Names such as Follet, Barnard, or Elton Mayo, although admired and often cited have never made it to the compendia of organization design. So, organizations continue to be designed with a logic of command-and-control, carrot-and-stick, and make-believe ethics which cause the organizational unease often reported in the literature. In this chapter, a proposal for a set of five new human-centred logics of organization design is put forward. The proposal is the result of an investigative process which starts from the realization that a number of contemporary literature trends on management and organization reveal concerns that somehow coincide with human-centred design (HCD) principles and ideas. The new logics are: identity and identification, normative, service, effectual reasoning and interactive structure.Less
For the past century or more, we have been taught to think of the design of organizations in terms of a legacy of principles left to us by pioneers such as Taylor, Fayol, and Weber. Names such as Follet, Barnard, or Elton Mayo, although admired and often cited have never made it to the compendia of organization design. So, organizations continue to be designed with a logic of command-and-control, carrot-and-stick, and make-believe ethics which cause the organizational unease often reported in the literature. In this chapter, a proposal for a set of five new human-centred logics of organization design is put forward. The proposal is the result of an investigative process which starts from the realization that a number of contemporary literature trends on management and organization reveal concerns that somehow coincide with human-centred design (HCD) principles and ideas. The new logics are: identity and identification, normative, service, effectual reasoning and interactive structure.
Rodrigo Magalhães
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- October 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198867333
- eISBN:
- 9780191904097
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198867333.003.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
The Introduction deals with four issues which summarize the aims and the reach of the book. First, the realization that organizations dominate our socioeconomic landscape, with their influence and ...
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The Introduction deals with four issues which summarize the aims and the reach of the book. First, the realization that organizations dominate our socioeconomic landscape, with their influence and their impact on the environmental, ethical, and social issues of our age, extending to our everyday lives. Second, it focuses on the widespread dissatisfaction with the way organizations are governed and managed, the lowering of moral standards, and the increase in the toxicity of most organizational environments. Third, it suggests that the prevalent theoretical paradigm of contingency and configuration not only seems to have reached a total impasse in terms of further academic development but, more importantly, it has not succeeded in creating organizations that fulfill the needs and ambitions of ordinary people. Fourth, it proposes that design, design theory, and design culture have much to offer to organization design and should indeed constitute the basis for the new, badly needed paradigm.Less
The Introduction deals with four issues which summarize the aims and the reach of the book. First, the realization that organizations dominate our socioeconomic landscape, with their influence and their impact on the environmental, ethical, and social issues of our age, extending to our everyday lives. Second, it focuses on the widespread dissatisfaction with the way organizations are governed and managed, the lowering of moral standards, and the increase in the toxicity of most organizational environments. Third, it suggests that the prevalent theoretical paradigm of contingency and configuration not only seems to have reached a total impasse in terms of further academic development but, more importantly, it has not succeeded in creating organizations that fulfill the needs and ambitions of ordinary people. Fourth, it proposes that design, design theory, and design culture have much to offer to organization design and should indeed constitute the basis for the new, badly needed paradigm.
Rodrigo Magalhães
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- October 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198867333
- eISBN:
- 9780191904097
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198867333.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
As a topic, organization design is poorly understood. While it is featured in most management textbooks as a chapter dedicated to organizational structures, it is unclear whether organization design ...
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As a topic, organization design is poorly understood. While it is featured in most management textbooks as a chapter dedicated to organizational structures, it is unclear whether organization design is a one-off event or an ongoing process. Thus, it has traditionally been understood to be the same as an organizational configuration, with neat lines of communication and distribution of responsibilities, following pre-set typologies. However, what can be said to constitute organizational structure in this first half of the 21st century? The extraordinary growth of digital communications, the decreasing relevance of hierarchical bureaucracies, and the general demise of command-and-control have all but decimated the traditional notion of organizational structure. In this book it is argued that organization design needs a theoretical revamping. Using a mix of design and social sciences theories and concepts, the new approach is divided into three parts: design logics, design processes, and design leadership. A generic definition of organization design logics is offered, as a set of beliefs shared by managers and entrepreneurs in given sectors of the economy about the way organizations should be designed. Five logics and three types of designing processes are put forward. Logics: (1) the identity logic, (2) the normative logic, (3) the service logic, (4) the logic of effectual reasoning, (5) the logic of interactive structure. Processes: (1) intended design, (2) emergent design, (3) perceived design. For the leadership part, a model of leaderful organization design(ing) is proposed, with the following distinguishing features: (a) practice-based, (b) guided by values of democratic participation, (c) places meaning-making and meaning-taking at the centre of organizational life, (d) driven by design logics, which can be adopted and adapted to suit different internal and external environments.Less
As a topic, organization design is poorly understood. While it is featured in most management textbooks as a chapter dedicated to organizational structures, it is unclear whether organization design is a one-off event or an ongoing process. Thus, it has traditionally been understood to be the same as an organizational configuration, with neat lines of communication and distribution of responsibilities, following pre-set typologies. However, what can be said to constitute organizational structure in this first half of the 21st century? The extraordinary growth of digital communications, the decreasing relevance of hierarchical bureaucracies, and the general demise of command-and-control have all but decimated the traditional notion of organizational structure. In this book it is argued that organization design needs a theoretical revamping. Using a mix of design and social sciences theories and concepts, the new approach is divided into three parts: design logics, design processes, and design leadership. A generic definition of organization design logics is offered, as a set of beliefs shared by managers and entrepreneurs in given sectors of the economy about the way organizations should be designed. Five logics and three types of designing processes are put forward. Logics: (1) the identity logic, (2) the normative logic, (3) the service logic, (4) the logic of effectual reasoning, (5) the logic of interactive structure. Processes: (1) intended design, (2) emergent design, (3) perceived design. For the leadership part, a model of leaderful organization design(ing) is proposed, with the following distinguishing features: (a) practice-based, (b) guided by values of democratic participation, (c) places meaning-making and meaning-taking at the centre of organizational life, (d) driven by design logics, which can be adopted and adapted to suit different internal and external environments.
Rodrigo Magalhães
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- October 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198867333
- eISBN:
- 9780191904097
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198867333.003.0010
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
This chapter is about the implementation of new or modified organization designs; therefore, it is about organization design leadership. We have opted to use the expression leaderful designing ...
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This chapter is about the implementation of new or modified organization designs; therefore, it is about organization design leadership. We have opted to use the expression leaderful designing instead of design leadership, thus avoiding the complicated issue of defining and establishing the scope of leadership. Leaderful designing represents an attitude towards the design of organizations, indicating a concern with action, participation, and collective action. It shares the defining features of democratic leadership, understood not in its representative sense but in the sense of distributed leadership. The second most important aspect of leaderful design concerns meaning. Meaning is constantly created, communicated, and changed in organizations; and all participants play a role in articulating the meaning(s) of what their group members need to accomplish their tasks, however the primary meaning-makers are the managers. Managers play a crucial role in extracting or providing cues that guide behaviour and transmit cultural norms to group members.Less
This chapter is about the implementation of new or modified organization designs; therefore, it is about organization design leadership. We have opted to use the expression leaderful designing instead of design leadership, thus avoiding the complicated issue of defining and establishing the scope of leadership. Leaderful designing represents an attitude towards the design of organizations, indicating a concern with action, participation, and collective action. It shares the defining features of democratic leadership, understood not in its representative sense but in the sense of distributed leadership. The second most important aspect of leaderful design concerns meaning. Meaning is constantly created, communicated, and changed in organizations; and all participants play a role in articulating the meaning(s) of what their group members need to accomplish their tasks, however the primary meaning-makers are the managers. Managers play a crucial role in extracting or providing cues that guide behaviour and transmit cultural norms to group members.
Rodrigo Magalhães
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- October 2020
- ISBN:
- eISBN:
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198867333.003.0003
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
It is argued that the epistemological foundations of organization design can be built on a dual theoretical base: design-as-practice and design-as-meaning. The first is founded upon practice as part ...
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It is argued that the epistemological foundations of organization design can be built on a dual theoretical base: design-as-practice and design-as-meaning. The first is founded upon practice as part of current sociological theory applied to organizations (Schatzki, 2001; Nicolini, 2012) and the second is based on design theory (Krippendorff, 2006). If designing is defined as ‘to create meaning’ and if the symbolic action of managers plays a central role in the social construction of organizational reality, then meaning becomes a central concern for organization designing. On the other hand, while asserting that practice provides an ontological foundation for the artefacts which constitute the organization’s design, practice theory does not contain the mechanisms of intentionality and direction required by managerial action. The chapter ends with a broad interpretation of Davidson’s (2001) three types of knowledge—subjective, objective, and intersubjective—in terms of three broad groups of meanings found in organizations: managerially generated intended meanings, organizationally generated emergent meanings, and stakeholder generated perceived meanings.Less
It is argued that the epistemological foundations of organization design can be built on a dual theoretical base: design-as-practice and design-as-meaning. The first is founded upon practice as part of current sociological theory applied to organizations (Schatzki, 2001; Nicolini, 2012) and the second is based on design theory (Krippendorff, 2006). If designing is defined as ‘to create meaning’ and if the symbolic action of managers plays a central role in the social construction of organizational reality, then meaning becomes a central concern for organization designing. On the other hand, while asserting that practice provides an ontological foundation for the artefacts which constitute the organization’s design, practice theory does not contain the mechanisms of intentionality and direction required by managerial action. The chapter ends with a broad interpretation of Davidson’s (2001) three types of knowledge—subjective, objective, and intersubjective—in terms of three broad groups of meanings found in organizations: managerially generated intended meanings, organizationally generated emergent meanings, and stakeholder generated perceived meanings.
Rodrigo Magalhães
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- October 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198867333
- eISBN:
- 9780191904097
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198867333.003.0005
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
The two conceptions of organization design—simultaneously historical legacy and dynamic change—create a major conundrum, identified by Simon’s (1996) as an important challenge to the design of social ...
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The two conceptions of organization design—simultaneously historical legacy and dynamic change—create a major conundrum, identified by Simon’s (1996) as an important challenge to the design of social organizations. The solution, according to Simon, is to design without final goals, however no advice is provided about how this might be achieved. In this chapter, it is proposed that this is possible through the use of mechanisms that bridge between the past and the future of the organization’s design. The mechanisms are formative affectual contexts and design trace. Enhanced by embodied cognition theory, the notion of formative context provides a solid background for an understanding of the processes of organizational change that co-evolve with organization designing. The notion of design trace is based on the idea that organizational interactions leave a trace that can be harnessed and used to help manage the organization’s designing effort.Less
The two conceptions of organization design—simultaneously historical legacy and dynamic change—create a major conundrum, identified by Simon’s (1996) as an important challenge to the design of social organizations. The solution, according to Simon, is to design without final goals, however no advice is provided about how this might be achieved. In this chapter, it is proposed that this is possible through the use of mechanisms that bridge between the past and the future of the organization’s design. The mechanisms are formative affectual contexts and design trace. Enhanced by embodied cognition theory, the notion of formative context provides a solid background for an understanding of the processes of organizational change that co-evolve with organization designing. The notion of design trace is based on the idea that organizational interactions leave a trace that can be harnessed and used to help manage the organization’s designing effort.
Rodrigo Magalhães
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- October 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198867333
- eISBN:
- 9780191904097
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198867333.003.0009
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
This chapter builds on the discussions in Chapter 4 about the bridging between organization design (design as a noun) and organization designing (design as a verb). Based on the key precepts of ...
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This chapter builds on the discussions in Chapter 4 about the bridging between organization design (design as a noun) and organization designing (design as a verb). Based on the key precepts of Giddens’ (1984) social theory, it is argued that the traditional notion of organizational structure can be split into the concepts of structure and structuration and that while ‘structure’ is relatively stable, ‘structuration’ is ever changing. This allows us to talk of ‘interactive structure’ as a type of structure that changes with interaction and where the emphasis is on the monitoring of interactions between human and non-human actors, by means of multiple types of traces. Thus, rather than controlling people, with interactive structure, organizations are better able to deal with the disconnect between the formal and the informal sides of organization and take full advantage of the organizational capital to be found in one of the key characteristics of informal organization, i.e. improvisation.Less
This chapter builds on the discussions in Chapter 4 about the bridging between organization design (design as a noun) and organization designing (design as a verb). Based on the key precepts of Giddens’ (1984) social theory, it is argued that the traditional notion of organizational structure can be split into the concepts of structure and structuration and that while ‘structure’ is relatively stable, ‘structuration’ is ever changing. This allows us to talk of ‘interactive structure’ as a type of structure that changes with interaction and where the emphasis is on the monitoring of interactions between human and non-human actors, by means of multiple types of traces. Thus, rather than controlling people, with interactive structure, organizations are better able to deal with the disconnect between the formal and the informal sides of organization and take full advantage of the organizational capital to be found in one of the key characteristics of informal organization, i.e. improvisation.
Phanish Puranam
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- July 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780199672363
- eISBN:
- 9780191864292
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199672363.003.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
Organization design research is a branch of organization science that is concerned with understanding how organizations work in terms of aggregating the actions of their members towards ...
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Organization design research is a branch of organization science that is concerned with understanding how organizations work in terms of aggregating the actions of their members towards organizational goals, and how to make organizations work better. The microstructural approach to organization design abstracts away from the variety and complexity of organizations to a few fundamental and universal problems of organizing (that relate to how they aggregate their members’ efforts), as well as a few reusable building blocks, called microstructures (which capture common patterns of interaction between members of an organization). The complexity and variety of organization designs, this approach claims, can be understood in terms of these simpler elements. I give an overview of the basic ideas of the microstructural approach, and its implications for theory, methodology and practice.Less
Organization design research is a branch of organization science that is concerned with understanding how organizations work in terms of aggregating the actions of their members towards organizational goals, and how to make organizations work better. The microstructural approach to organization design abstracts away from the variety and complexity of organizations to a few fundamental and universal problems of organizing (that relate to how they aggregate their members’ efforts), as well as a few reusable building blocks, called microstructures (which capture common patterns of interaction between members of an organization). The complexity and variety of organization designs, this approach claims, can be understood in terms of these simpler elements. I give an overview of the basic ideas of the microstructural approach, and its implications for theory, methodology and practice.
Rodrigo Magalhães
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- October 2020
- ISBN:
- eISBN:
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198867333.003.0007
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
Attention is focused on the instrumental uses of identity, that is, how identity affects perceptions of organization design and how it can be instrumental in changing organization designs. The ...
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Attention is focused on the instrumental uses of identity, that is, how identity affects perceptions of organization design and how it can be instrumental in changing organization designs. The concept of identity orientation is highlighted, given the crucial role it plays in the linking between the identity logic and the normative logic. In many ways, identity is also normative because, once established, it sets the standards of behaviour. Given the intimate relationship between the two logics, they are dealt with in the same chapter. The normative logic is inspired by the principle of ethics from design theory, but for purposes of organization design it finds translation in stakeholder theory, which holds that (1) enterprises have a moral duty to ensure the welfare of all their stakeholders, not only that of stockholders; (2) by acting in a socially responsible manner toward all their stakeholders, firms can enhance their performance and gain business advantageLess
Attention is focused on the instrumental uses of identity, that is, how identity affects perceptions of organization design and how it can be instrumental in changing organization designs. The concept of identity orientation is highlighted, given the crucial role it plays in the linking between the identity logic and the normative logic. In many ways, identity is also normative because, once established, it sets the standards of behaviour. Given the intimate relationship between the two logics, they are dealt with in the same chapter. The normative logic is inspired by the principle of ethics from design theory, but for purposes of organization design it finds translation in stakeholder theory, which holds that (1) enterprises have a moral duty to ensure the welfare of all their stakeholders, not only that of stockholders; (2) by acting in a socially responsible manner toward all their stakeholders, firms can enhance their performance and gain business advantage
Rodrigo Magalhães
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- October 2020
- ISBN:
- eISBN:
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198867333.003.0008
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
The service logic has important integrative potential, bringing together not only the economic and commercial concerns of organizational design but also a significant part of its normative ...
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The service logic has important integrative potential, bringing together not only the economic and commercial concerns of organizational design but also a significant part of its normative considerations. Given that service co-creation implies mutual dependence and reciprocal exchange, the service-centred view of the organization gets drawn directly into the ethical behaviour of the actors involved. Moreover, service integrates also the logic of ‘effectuation’, a concept put forward to explain entrepreneurial action in terms of the processes of creation and development of firms. However, most managers reason in terms of a logic of planning or causation, leading most organizations to be dominated by a traditional, finance-biased mind-set rather than an entrepreneurial one. This chapter highlights that in order to excel at service design, which entails cooperation, networking, and meaning-making, managers should be taught to think primarily as entrepreneurs and only secondarily as financial managersLess
The service logic has important integrative potential, bringing together not only the economic and commercial concerns of organizational design but also a significant part of its normative considerations. Given that service co-creation implies mutual dependence and reciprocal exchange, the service-centred view of the organization gets drawn directly into the ethical behaviour of the actors involved. Moreover, service integrates also the logic of ‘effectuation’, a concept put forward to explain entrepreneurial action in terms of the processes of creation and development of firms. However, most managers reason in terms of a logic of planning or causation, leading most organizations to be dominated by a traditional, finance-biased mind-set rather than an entrepreneurial one. This chapter highlights that in order to excel at service design, which entails cooperation, networking, and meaning-making, managers should be taught to think primarily as entrepreneurs and only secondarily as financial managers