Parallel Organization: Practice and Issues

Abstract

Parallel organization is a system-wide strategic change intervention valuable and relevant to organizational challenges today and in the future. A parallel organization finds and solves problems ignored, overlooked or suppressed by the formal operating organization. Parallel organization process induces norms for wide-ranging inquiry: e.g., openness; questioning of goals, methods, and evaluation criteria; contribution based on knowledge rather than level of authority, constructive analysis of dissent, and a consensual decision process. Parallel organization structure uses flat, cross-unit, cross-functional networks with membership synthesizing subject expertise, representation of affected parties, and authority to act. Many OD scholar-practitioners have argued that participative, democratic structures should (or will) replace directive, hierarchical structures, inferring that a parallel structure will be unnecessary. This symposium is designed to discuss and examine Parallel Organization (PO) practices and issues relating to the original, fundamental concept of PO, recent design and process variations, and extensions and challenges to PO theory and intervention. Panelist’s remarks will range across the following questions. 1. What different forms or modes has parallel organization taken in your practice and/or research? What was the context? Industry? Organization Culture? Country? Country Culture? 2. Why was a parallel organization the selected intervention? What worked well? What did not work well? 3. How well does parallel organization theory fit and work in current circumstances? 4. What issues do you see in parallel organization going forward? All the symposium panelists have experience with parallel organization interventions and have published empirical research on the subject. Moving Beyond “Parallel”; Moving Beyond “Intervention” Presenter: Susan A. Mohrman; U. of Southern California Exploring Parallelism in Parallel Organization: Some Insights from the Italian Context Presenter: Luca Solari; U. of Milan