Flatter Organizational Structures Research Articles

A Flat Organizational Structure for an Inclusive, Interdisciplinary, International, and Undergraduate-Led Team

Here, we describe our team’s approach to fostering an inclusive laboratory culture that executes a study in accordance with funder guidelines and research regulations, as well as provides volunteers with targeted mentorship, skill-development, and leadership opportunities. Our approach is five-pronged: (1) applying the principles of transformational leadership and kaizen, (2) establishing a strong mentor-mentee relationship and fostering community, (3) expanding the role of the research volunteer, (4) identifying volunteer leaders to (a) oversee and work alongside members of existing committees and (b) create new interconnected/interdisciplinary teams, and (5) using technology effectively. Our team is large; at the time of the initial submission we had 104 undergraduate/post-baccalaureate students with no graduate student supervision, and we have since grown to 118 members. Volunteers are diverse and come from 14 countries spanning 4 continents and numerous intersectional identities. We attribute our rapid expansion and diverse membership to our unique flat organization structure, which allows students from diverse backgrounds to work alongside the PI and contribute to improvements within the team, while fostering their own leadership skills. All volunteers are encouraged to take an active role in the lab, based on their strengths, experiences, and goals, and promote continuous improvement within the organization. Volunteers report feeling valued and have recruited new members from other groups they belong to, creating a self-sustaining system that allows aspiring professionals to learn from and lead their peers.

Reluctant innovators? Inter-organizational conflict and the U.S.A.’s route to becoming a drone power

ABSTRACT Few innovations have marked the late-20th and early-21st centuries more than unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones. Drones’ current preeminence leads many to assume that their development was teleologically determined by technological advances. The empirical record, however, belies such assumptions and is filled with vicissitudes. The Air Force’s and Naval aviation’s pilot-dominated hierarchies never prioritized drones over manned aircraft of their own accord. Politicians, meanwhile, lacked the expertise to judge what technologies could achieve and therefore could not compel the military to embrace drones. It was, thus, competition from other organizations – the CIA, the Navy’s surface warfare community and the Army –that obliged reluctant aviators to embrace drones. My study’s key original finding is that inter-agency competition impels militaries to embrace technologies that they would otherwise reject. Warfare’s evolution means that non-military bodies – intelligence agencies, interior ministries and paramilitary forces – develop capabilities that rival those of traditional military services in specific domains and these organizations can prove more agile at adopting certain new technologies because of their flatter organizational structures.

The Disruptiveness of Technology: A Case Study of Google Dominance

This case study examines the disruptive nature of Google’s strategy in the marketplace to assist researchers and practitioners in future endeavors. From this research analysis, Google has been able to exploit its strengths of being an industry leader by way of new products as well as by the open lanes of communication of its flat organizational structure, which allows for creativity and design. Not all of the products have been winners, but that must not be a deterrent to the future progress of the company. This research is significant because Google’s competitors may obtain additional information to level the playing field, thereby dethroning Google’s superiority in the market.

JOB SATISFACTION IN THE CONTEXT OF TEAL ORGANIZATION

In recent years, a significant number of studies has been conducted to definesatisfaction and its impacting factors. This research aims to assess whether the employees of tealorganizations show higher satisfaction than their equivalent in traditional organizations. That could be due to various features like: friendly work environment, value culture, flat organization structure, workers empowerment, relationships, self-management. Each of those on its own is considered to improve work satisfaction and therefore the question is, if in an organization, where all of these factors are accumulated, the work satisfaction is significantly higher? To verify that hypothesis, the pilot research was carried out during a conference dedicated to teal organizations.

Reshaping the Business Incubator Model: The Case of the Value Chain Model of Innovation Works in China

Since the late 1980s, the business incubator model in China has been evolving—from the early traditional model that focused mainly on providing basic services, such as office space and one-stop administrative services, to an emerging value chain model (value position, value creation, value transfer and value capture), which efficiently combines the profits of an incubator with the success of its incubating tenant ventures. This article analyses the case of ‘Innovation Works’, which is one of the pioneers of the value chain model in China. It raises the following research questions: (a) how does the incubator business model evolve over time in China? (b) What differentiates the value chain business incubator model from the traditional model? (c) What are the critical elements that contribute to the success of a value chain business incubator model? Using primary data gathered through interviews, on-site visits and surveys, the study found that the incubator business model in China has been reshaping towards more complex value propositions and more efficient value chain models. The study also found that specialisation, flat organisational structure and professional management team are the critical elements that contribute to the success or efficient performance of the value chain business incubator model. This article makes significant contributions to the literature and draws policy implications for future business incubator development—both in China and in other emerging economies.

Structure, Culture, and Agency: Examining Succession Planning in California State University (CSU) Libraries

The Library and Information Science (LIS) literature in the last few decades has made clear that academic libraries have experienced deep budget cuts, hiring freezes, and an aging workforce. In response to this situation, many libraries have reorganized and flattened the hierarchy in their organizational structures, leaving far fewer middle management positions. An unfortunate consequence of this situation is that, as Baby Boomer library administrators/deans retire, there are few qualified applicants to succeed them. Thus, many in the LIS field have called for better succession planning by current library deans, while others have pointed out the difficulty of succession planning in libraries with flat organizational structures. Few studies, however, have directly addressed this issue by examining deans’ perceptions or behavior in regard to succession planning. This study attempts to begin filling this gap in the literature by conducting a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with library deans in academic libraries with flat organizational structures. Findings include an examination of the structure, culture, and agency of the individuals involved, which impact how and why the participant-deans engage or do not engage in succession planning.

Knowledge management in knowledge-intensive organisations: Understanding its benefits, processes, infrastructure and barriers

Background: Knowledge management aims to improve organisational performance and it marks the beginning of organisational transformation. Most knowledge-intensive organisations engage and practise knowledge management without a full understanding of its benefits. A knowledge-intensive organisation is an organisation whose services and operations are heavily reliant on professional knowledge. The study, therefore, provides a solid understanding of knowledge management benefits, processes, infrastructure and barriers in knowledge-intensive organisations.Objectives: To understand knowledge management, its benefits, processes, infrastructure and barriers in knowledge-intensive organisations. The research objectives extend our understanding of knowledge management in organisations, identify and describe knowledge management benefits. Identification of the most important knowledge management process and associated infrastructure are among other objectives.Method: A survey was used to solve the problem. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from 112 participants from knowledge-intensive firms in Namibia. The quantitative data were analysed using Microsoft Excel 2013 spreadsheet package.Results: The study has revealed that the prime benefit of knowledge management in knowledge-intensive organisations is to allow improved knowledge flow, thereby enhancing the capability of the organisation to manage change with more than 50% representation of the participants. In addition to that, the study also found that knowledge sharing is the most important knowledge management process, among other processes such as knowledge creation, knowledge capture and knowledge reuse. All the participants (100%) concurred that a flat organisational structure supports knowledge sharing. The research findings have further discovered that the biggest barrier to effective knowledge management is the lack of budget to support knowledge management efforts. This was represented by 67.9% of the participants. Lack of executive support and lack of time were also among the great barriers with 57.1% and 52.7%, respectively.Conclusion: Knowledge management allows improved knowledge flow in knowledge-intensive organisations. We can, therefore, conclude that the participants believed that knowledge sharing is more important than creation, capturing, transferring and reuse. It is, therefore, important to underscore that knowledge sharing should be taken as a priority if organisations are to remain competitive. Research results have also revealed that a flat organisational structure is the best for knowledge sharing. For improved organisational performance, knowledge management barriers must be removed with the assistance of management.

Linking justice perceptions, workplace relationship quality and job performance: The differential roles of vertical and horizontal workplace relationships

Due to decentralization, flat organizational structures and prevalence of team work, employees interact more frequently and intensively within horizontal relationships with coworkers than within vertical relationships with supervisors. The present study contributes to a more complete understanding of antecedents and outcomes of local, interpersonal workplace relationships by simultaneously investigating employee–supervisor and employee–coworker relationships. Drawing on organizational justice theory and social exchange theory as well as data collected from 571 employees at two points in time, this study explores how justice perceptions affect social exchange relationships with supervisors and coworkers, and identifies mechanisms through which these, in turn, enhance employee job performance. Results suggest that informational and interpersonal justice differentially affect the quality of employee–supervisor and employee–coworker relationships, underlining the relevance of considering both supervisors and coworkers as sources of justice. Moreover, the findings indicate that employee–supervisor and employee–coworker relationships contribute to job performance, but through distinct paths. Job satisfaction mediates the link between both social exchange relationships and job performance, while quality of employee–coworker relationships further enhances job performance through employees’ motivation to engage in learning and knowledge sharing.

Kajian Struktur dan Komunikasi Organisasi Universitas Padjadjaran (Unpad)

In 2016, Rector of Universitas Padjadjaran (Unpad) issued a regulation on the organization and working procedures of Unpad managers. In the framework of university management in a formal context, the academic community of Unpad involves organizational communication. Organizational communication is used primarily within the structural scope of university or faculty managers. The messages dissemination from leaders to subordinates, inputs and suggestions from subordinates to leaders, and exchange of messages between officials is done through organizational communication. The research method used in this study is a descriptive-qualitative method. Using documentation method, the author seeks to explain and focus on how the structure and communication of management organization in Unpad. The results of the study indicate that Unpad's organizational structure is included in the organizational structure carrying out organizational levels between two and three levels, called flat top organization structure. Based on the organizational structure chart, Unpad adheres to a form of centralization in its organizational structure. While organizational communication that can be applied to Unpad's communication structure includes internal communication within the organization and external communication to/from outside the organization which are based on Unpad's organizational culture, RESPECT.

The Influence of Organization Social Capital on Strategic Performance in Role of Technological Uncertainly in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industries Iran

In the past, social capital was not considered as a necessary quality for organizations but nowadays, due to fast environmental changes, growing need to information and education, essential needs for creativity and innovation, continuous progress, change to the design of a flat and flexible organizational structure, close connection between organization and customer networks, suppliers and competitors, social capital is considered as an organizational quality by leaders of organizations.

The Role of Organizational Structure in facilitating Communication and Collaboration within teams: A Quantitative Study

Any team's success depends on effective communication and collaboration. The team's organizational structure is a major component that may have an impact on collaboration and communication. The division and assignment of duties within a team is referred to as organizational structure. Communication inside an organization can be impacted in several ways. For example, teams with a hierarchical organization may have communication barriers since information may need to travel through numerous tiers before it reaches the intended recipient. As team members have greater direct access to one another, teams with flat organizational structures could experience fewer communication hurdles. The organizational structure can also affect how well people collaborate. Teams having a functional structure—in which individuals are grouped according to the function or area of expertise—may have a more specialized knowledge base, but they might have trouble working across functions. Teams with a cross-functional structure, in contrast, may have more potential for cross-functional collaboration but may encounter difficulties coordinating efforts across several domains of knowledge. To emphasize, organizational structure is essential for promoting teamwork and communication. Teams may choose the optimal strategy for the needs and realize the full potential for communication and collaboration by understanding the advantages and disadvantages of various organizational structures.

Security of the business organizations as a result of the economic crisis

Global economic crisis is one of the most significant environmental changes influencing all managerial functions – including entrepreneurs and organization. In this paper, we study how entrepreneurs used organization to deal with the security and sustainability issues stemming from the global economic crisis. Crisis forced managers to undertake various organizational changes that led to a sharp reduction in the number of employees and thus flat organizational structure are the trend among structures. Organization is focused more on designing. One of the newest and fastest growing business trends is the creation of networks and clusters. We conducted research on a sample of 115 foreign and domestic companies running their business in Slovak Republic. We were interested in the perception of lean management, project management and strategic alliances creation during the crisis and in nowadays. We provided an analysis of changes in span of management and managerial level reduction. To analyse the companies, we used descriptive and inductive statistical methods on the lowest possible significance level. Based on our research we found that the optimization of the organizational structure can be the way for helping business companies to overcome economic insecurity in the times of the crisis.

COMPARITIVE STUDY OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF ENGINEERING STUDENT TEAMS AND TEAM EFFECTIVENESS

Abstract – Design-and-build competitions are integral to effective higher engineering education. Yet, there is not much research investigating if the organizational structures of engineering student teams and team effectiveness follow any trends. 
 This paper delves into the possibility of this correlation by measuring parameters that contribute to effective teams. This research provides data that is used to judge best practices for engineering student teams. The findings from this paper can then be used as a basis for action when the students find a need for organization development in the future. Additionally, this analysis provides insight into teamwork in engineering. This could benefit 4th year design (a.k.a capstone) projects as well as innovative companies with similar settings. 
 The core contributors to a team's effectiveness are leadership, direction, planning, knowledge transfer, and meetings for engineering student teams. Although parameters like communication and team culture are important, student teams generally have no problems in these areas. By comparing three organizational structures, it is concluded that in general engineering student teams are best when they follow a holocratic or flatter organizational structure as opposed to a strictly flat organizational structure.

Developing a winning sport team culture: organizational culture in theory and practice

This case study reviews strategies for identifying, establishing and influencing sport team culture and leadership, based on Edgar Schein’s three-level theoretical model of organizational culture integrating artefacts, values and beliefs and core assumptions. Specifically, we examine the success of a professional rugby team in New Zealand, the 2014 ITM Cup champions, the Manawatu Turbos. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with past and present coaches (N = 3) and captains (N = 3). Key findings include the need to formally recognize culture, including establishing and reinforcing values, as a tangible element of sport team management practice. A flat organization structure has helped facilitate a suitable environment for collective leadership to flourish. Implications for sport and business teams are the need to acknowledge culture as a core component, and conduct a culture audit to establish the current and desired culture through an aligned combination of informal and formal transformational leadership.

Jak zmieniał się Wydział Matematyki, Informatyki i Mechaniki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego w latach 1991-2016

W artykule przedstawiono ewolucyjne zmiany, które zachodziły na Wydziale Matematyki, Informatyki i Mechaniki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego w latach 1991-2016. Wynikały one z uwarunkowań zewnętrznych (zmiany ustrojowe), rosnącego znaczenia informatyki, a także refleksji środowiska. Katalizatorem zmian stało się w 1991 r. przeniesienie Wydziału do innego budynku, wymagającego modernizacji na jego potrzeby. W nowej siedzibie podjęto program większego upodmiotowienia pracowników, integracji środowiska Wydziału oraz wykorzystania efektu synergii wynikającego z obecności matematyków i informatyków w ramach jednego Wydziału. WMIM starał się o utrzymanie spoistości Uniwersytetu m.in. poprzez zainicjowanie i przeprowadzanie wspólnej rekrutacji na studia, wprowadzenie Uniwersyteckiego Systemu Obsługi Studiów, a także zabieganie o zajęcia usługowe dla innych wydziałów. Ponadto przedstawiono wspólne przedsięwzięcia WMIM z innymi ośrodkami matematycznymi w kraju. WMIM na długo przed formalnym przyjęciem wymagań procesu bolońskiego wprowadził licencjat, a także uelastycznił program studiów, ułatwiając studentom wybór przedmiotów oraz zapewniając transparentność studiów. Wyzwoleniu inicjatywy młodych badaczy służyło spłaszczanie struktury organizacyjnej, prowadzenie transparentnej polityki kadrowej oraz funkcjonowanie systemu motywacyjnych dodatków do wynagrodzenia. Podkreślono, że globalny charakter nauk matematycznych i tradycja warszawskiej szkoły matematycznej stanowią zasadniczy czynnik kształtowania hierarchii wartości i ambicji środowiska.

On Filling and Squeezing a Sponge

An increasingly complex, dynamic, and interdependent organizational environment has driven many organizations to favor leaner and flatter organizational structures. This is often accompanied by the...

Reward and threat in the adolescent brain: implications for leadership development

PurposeIn the last 10 to 15 years, research studies have focused on the effects of differences across generations that result in differences in cultural expectations within the workplace (e.g. Arsenault, 2004). Different generations create shared attitudes to work and preferences for types of work which result in differences in their perception of, for instance, what makes a good leader or even the value of leadership within an organisation. While these generational differences are real, these analyses do not take into account differences that might result from the age, and therefore developmental stage, of the populations being assessed. The neuroscience literature clearly shows that there are maturational differences in the brain which are not complete until late teens to early 20s. It is therefore possible that some of the generational differences result from differences in processing ability resulting from structural immaturities in the brain. In particular, there are differences in the rate of maturation of areas of the brain related to reward sensitivity, threat sensitivity and regulation of behaviour which result in substantial differences in behaviour from adolescence through into adulthood. The purpose of this paper is to consider the effect of maturational changes in the brain on behaviours related to leadership and to outline ways in which these changes can be addressed in order to encourage young people to develop as leaders. This will include providing suitable experiences of leadership to encourage the faster development of the neural structures which underlie these capabilities.Design/methodology/approachRecent advances in neural imaging have resulted in a substantial increase in research investigating the development of the brain during adolescence. A literature review was conducted to find adolescent research that investigated decision making and risk taking. The data obtained were integrated and implications for leadership were drawn from an analysis of the resulting theoretical framework.FindingsThe research into decision-making processes in adolescents and younger adults points to a number of ways in which these differ from mature decision making. Younger people: (find it harder to inhibit behaviours) are more responsive to immediate reward; are more optimistic about the outcome of risky decisions; and are more responsive to social rewards (Jones et al., 2014). They also lack the experiences that adults use to distil the gist of a situation and therefore are more dependent on conscious, cost-benefit analysis of the outcome of decisions.Practical implicationsAn understanding of the differences between adult and adolescent decision making points to the role of experience as a key factor in mature decision making. If adolescents are to make mature decisions, they have to be offered suitable challenges in safe environments from which they can gain expertise in leadership decision making. These can be designed to account for differences in sensitivity to reward and punishment in this group. In addition, young adults would benefit from learning the gist interpretations that have been extracted from situations by experienced leaders. This suggests that adolescents and adults would benefit from simulated leadership experiences and leadership mentoring.Social implicationsThe Baby Boomer generation who currently hold many of the leadership positions in organisations are coming close to requirement. They will have to be replaced by members of Generation X and the Millennial Generation resulting in potentially younger leaders. In addition, flatter organisational structures that are currently being implemented in many organisations will require leadership at many more levels. Thus, we need to be able to develop leadership skills in a more diverse and younger section of society. Understanding how the brain develops can help us to design appropriate leadership experiences and training for this upcoming generation of young leaders.Originality/valueRecent advances in neuroscience of adolescence provide a unique opportunity to bring new evidence to bear on our understanding of decision making in young adults. This provides practical implications for how to develop leadership within this group and to support them as they gain experience in this domain. The evidence also points to a benefit for the increased risk taking seen in adolescence since this leads to greater motivation to try new, and potentially risky, ventures. Through a better understanding of the differences in decision making, we can both help adolescents to develop more mature decision making faster while benefitting from the optimism of youth.

Impact of Product Modularity on Mass Customization Capability: An Exploratory Study of Contextual Factors

This study examines how the impact of product modularity (PM) on the mass customization capability (MCC) is moderated by several contextual factors, such as the firms’ information system capacity (ISC), teamwork (TW), multifunctional employees (MFE), and organizational structure (flat or hierarchical) (OSF). Data from 238 firms located in multiple countries across three different industry groups were analyzed to test the moderated regression models and the hypotheses. The results showed that the product modularity strongly impacts the MCC. Compared to ISC, the social contextual variables, such as TW, MFE, and OSF, have stronger moderating effects on the impact of the product modularity on the mass customization capability. In addition, ISC helps MCC solely for firms with flat organizational structures. Overall, our study suggests that manufacturers who desire to become mass customizers should create flat, nimble organizations with employees who are trained in several different tasks and are adept at teamwork.

Going Flat: Pursuit of a Democratic Organizational Structure

A 2010 MBA graduate explored her options for full-time employment. She found Ethical Business Company (EBC) and was instantly intrigued. Not only did the company consult on many of the ethical issues that were important to her, but it also had a flat organizational structure. Although it was a riskier choice than going with a larger and more established firm, she was excited about being able to use her skills in direct interaction with clients and senior executives, rather than having them hidden beneath multiple layers of hierarchy. But after three weeks at EBC, she wonders if a flat structure is right for all companies and all employees or if there are certain companies and people who fit better in the hierarchy more than others. Excerpt UVA-OB-1041 Rev. Nov. 5, 2018 Going Flat: Pursuit of a Democratic Organizational Structure Bella Wilfer graduated from the Darden Graduate School of Business in 2010, ready to become a principled leader in the world of practical affairs. Wilfer had pursued the consulting track while at Darden and had spent her summer internship at a large, prestigious management consulting firm. After being offered a full-time job and deciding that her summer employer was not a good fit, Wilfer had taken time in the fall of her second year to explore other options for full-time employment after graduation before accepting her offer. In her off-grounds search, Wilfer had found Ethical Business Company (EBC) through an alumni connection and was instantly intrigued. Not only did the company consult on many of the ethical issues that were important to Wilfer, but it also had a flat organizational structure. When she compared it with the other large, hierarchical organizations, she decided she would have a greater impact earlier in her career and more control over it at EBC. Although it was a riskier choice than going with a larger and more established firm, Wilfer was excited about being able to use her skills in direct interaction with clients and senior executives, rather than having them hidden beneath multiple layers of hierarchy. After long consideration, she turned down the offer from her summer employer and signed with EBC. Company History . . .

Linking employee boundary spanning behavior to task performance: the influence of informal leader emergence and group power distance

Driven by fierce global competition, flatter organizational structures and the growing complexity of tasks, boundary spanning behavior (BSB) in externally dependent work teams has increasingly been emphasized in both theory and practice. The current study aims to answer the questions of whether, when and how an individual’s BSB impacts his or her task performance within a team. Based on a sample of 272 employees from 57 new product development teams in China, we found that informal leader emergence mediated the relationship between an individual’s BSB and his or her performance within a team. Moreover, group-level power distance positively moderated the association between BSB and informal leader emergence. An overall mediated moderation model of the effect of the interaction between BSB and group power distance (PD) on task performance via informal leadership emergence was also confirmed. In particular, the relationship between BSB and task performance via informal leadership emergence was stronger for teams with less PD than for those with more PD. The implications of the research are discussed.