Organizational Design Principles Research Articles

Розробка і впровадження нових організаційних структур в публічному секторі

Розробка і впровадження нових організаційних структур в публічному секторі

Redesigning Educational Countermeasures to Increase Virginia Drivers’ Road-Sharing Safety Knowledge

The lack of alignment between drivers’ and cyclists’ road-sharing knowledge results in unsafe interactions. To address this issue, educational countermeasures must clearly present and apply evidence-based practices to increase the likelihood that drivers will learn how to share the road safely with cyclists. In this study, we redesigned an existing Virginia road-sharing safety educational handbook to support a series of experiments. The redesign was based on established principles of instructional, organizational, and visual design. Virginia drivers completed a comprehension test after reviewing road-sharing educational material online. Results showed that reviewing the redesigned brochure did not improve global comprehension, law-based knowledge, and procedural knowledge about sharing the road with cyclists. However, the improved design of the educational material enhanced drivers’ declarative knowledge of road-sharing laws and safety. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of transferring these design choices to other transportation domains, so policymakers and instructors can effectively prioritize approaches for improving road safety.

대학 내 한국어 교육기관의 직제와 조직에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study is to investigate and analyze the organizational status of Korean language centers in universities as one of the basic tasks for establishing the organizational infrastructure of Korean language centers in universities, and to present the principles and standards for designing educational support organizations in Korean language centers. In other words, the ‘organization of office’ and organization of Korean language education institutions in universities, the organizational form and name of the general organization of language education as a higher organization, and the organization and composition status of educational support organizations in Korean language centers were investigated on a case-by-case basis. The Korean language centers in the university were organized and operated in various ways according to the history and circumstances of the parent university, and it was analyzed that the form of organization and organization operation had a certain tendency depending on the size of the students and Korean language trainees. Accordingly, four organization-based preliminary considerations and four organizational design standards and principles for building an educational support organization for Korean language educational institutions were suggested.

The Impact of the Covid‐19 Pandemic on Firms’ Organizational Designs

The Impact of the Covid‐19 Pandemic on Firms’ Organizational Designs

Expert assessment systems to support decision-making for sustainable development of complex technological and socio-economic facilities

In this paper, we investigate problems of decision making in management systems for the sustainable development of complex technological and socio-economic facilities. We show both the limitations of traditional expert systems and decision support systems, and the necessity of using expert evaluation technologies to find possible development strategies. Based on that we substantiate the need of creating a new class of systems, i.e. Automated eXpert Assessment Systems, and propose their organizational structure and design principles. We substantiate the level of automation of the work performed during the examinations and describe the composition of models and computer programs we recommend for creating effective automated expert assessment systems and corresponding technology. In the paper, we give examples of using the proposed method for various areas of human activity, in the management of urban infrastructure and e-learning at the universities, and show the effectiveness of the developed approach.

Catalyst Organizations as a New Organization Design for Innovation: The Case of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies

The crucial contingencies surrounding organization design for innovation are experiencing drastic shifts. First, environmental uncertainty is rising with the increasingly connected nature of innovation. Second, the internet provides an almost costless supply of external knowledge. Current organization design theory does not provide adequate frames for studying organizations attempting to simultaneously leverage shifts of uncertainty and the costless supply of external knowledge. In the process of qualitatively examining one such organization—the crowd-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Inc. (HTT)—we find that HTT’s design does not fit existing design schema. We label this new design form a “catalyst” organization, clarifying how HTT’s design challenges existing organization design principles while simultaneously showing researchers a way forward to new theorizing. We derive implications for theories of organization design, exploration, and online knowledge-creating communities.Whiteboard Video AbstractAOM Video Player5966343293001

A Socio-Technical Perspective on the Design of IT Architectures: The Lowlands Lens

The paper aims at developing a more comprehensive design theory for designing effective IT architectures based on organizational design principles. It builds on the sociotechnical systems design theory (STS-D) for the design of work, workplaces, and organizations as developed in the Lowlands (The Netherlands and Belgium). Traditional sociotechnical approaches study the effects of the technical system on the social system and try to jointly optimize both systems by end-users’ participation. The Lowlands STS-D approach focuses on creating organizational conditions for developing humane and productive organizations. Organizations are considered as social systems. Technical systems need to support the effective functioning of work and control of work within that social system. Therefore, the division of labour is central in the Lowlands STS-D approach. It is articulated in designing the execution tasks (production structure) and control tasks (control structure). Furthermore, it claims that the design of IT architecture follows after organizational design of the production and control structure. This boils down to the design of provisioning of information needed at workplaces and between workplaces. To understand the Lowlands approach for designing IT architecture, called archipelago, we will first in-depth explain its organizational design principles and sequence, and its application for designing IT architecture, which is becoming ever more feasible with new technologies. Furthermore, with this paper we attempt to bridge the different languages used by organizational and IT designers as they should jointly work on the same outcome: humane and productive organizations.

Organizing for teamwork in healthcare: an alternative to team training?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how organizational design could support teamwork and to identify organizational design principles that promote successful teamwork.Design/methodology/approachSince traditional team training sessions take resources away from production, the alternative approach pursued here explores the promotion of teamwork by means of organizational design. A wide and pragmatic definition of teamwork is applied: a team is considered to be a group of people that are set to work together on a task, and teamwork is then what they do in relation to their task. The input – process – output model of teamwork provides structure to the investigation.FindingsSix teamwork enablers from the healthcare team literature – cohesion, collaboration, communication, conflict resolution, coordination, and leadership – are discussed, and the organizational design measures required to implement them are identified. Three organizational principles are argued to facilitate the teamwork enablers: team stability, occasions for communication, and a participative and adaptive approach to leadership.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings could be used as a foundation for intervention studies to improve team performance or as a framework for evaluation of existing organizations.Practical implicationsBy implementing these organizational principles, it is possible to achieve many of the organizational traits associated with good teamwork. Thus, thoughtful organization for teamwork can be used as an alternative or complement to the traditional team training approach.Originality/valueWith regards to the vast literature on team training, this paper offers an alternative perspective on how to improve team performance in healthcare.

Reconfigure

Background. Organization design is a subject that is covered in business school courses such as strategy implementation, organizational theory, and organizational behaviour. However, students sometimes perceive organization design concepts as abstract. Aim. To develop and pilot a simulation that may improve participants’ understanding of two key organization design concepts - work process interdependency and coordination cost. In addition, to develop an approach that may contribute to better operationalization of these concepts in future research. Method. Participants are divided into groups representing departments and are then asked to reconfigure the groups while considering both benefits (reduced coordination costs) and costs (of reconfiguration). The exercise is supported by a MicrosoftExcelTM tool, quantifying the concepts of interdependency and coordination cost. Results. The pilot application of the simulation achieved its pedagogical aims. The participants performed somewhat better than anticipated (some possible causes are discussed). Conclusions. Experiential simulations can be used to convey complex organization design principles to students and managers. They may also be used to study the capacity of individuals and groups to take into account multiple interdependencies in optimizing a design at the individual, group and system level. Recommendation. Simulations should be used to enhance the pedagogical value of organization design lectures (or seminars for employees in organizations).

Structure, Strategy and Organizational Design in Albanian Context

This research paper will try to understand and explain how much and how is understood the nature, the importance and factors that affect the business organizational structure and design in Albanian Organizations, compared with theoretical factors researched from the literature. How a business does structure in our country, knowing how important are the theoretical factors in business organization performance and therefore how much and how the principles of organizational design are applied in Albanian Organizations. Why structure, strategy and organizational design? Organizational design and organizational restructuring remains one of the most important issues that management of organizations, in the global era and information technology, must deal with, for the fact that businesses today face some unprecedented challenges: increased competition, globalization, growing of social responsibility, technological changes, changes in taste and consumer’s exigency, new strategic thinking, etc. Referring the literature and contemporary researchers, a constant topic during these recent years has been the one of how globalization and economic crisis have obliged the organizations to review their strategies and to change the way they operate, trying often therefore to structure for surviving and achieving success. These challenges should be carefully managed in order to build and hold a high performance organization, to deal with tough competition and endless problem that this era we live does bear. It is also important to understand correctly that organizational structure and design, by dictating roles connection in an organization and consequently how people function, may often be the main cause of the problems, but also one more reason of success. The way that organizations structure or the specific model of business, may constitute their competitive advantage, or special strategic skills, so it can make a business organization unique and competitive in the market. For many researchers the prevailing conclusion is that the organizations either neglect the importance of organizational design, or they just do not know what to do about it and therefore they evolve in an indirectly, spontaneous or intuitive way. From what the paper identifies, most of organizational structuring in Albania are made in a hasty way, without seeing or paying attention to full frame or circumstances. This may result in some partial and fragmentary initiatives instead of aiming in organizational designing and general structuring. This is not surprising as the subject is complex, often poorly explained and not rightly understood even though the academics and the consulters have made a great work to address the organizational design topic. However the paper shows that entrepreneurs and managers still lack a practical and systematic framework in order to guide their choices of organizational structure. To find a practical approach for the organizational design, can be difficult, even though some business schools have tried to simplify the things. The study will try to achieve this task, through careful research, in order to diagnose the organizational design process and restructuring situation in Albania, highlighting the effect of the current challenges which have an impact on this difficult process, mainly based on a survey of 200 organizational businesses in Albania.

The Evolving Functions and Organization of Finance Ministries

There is relatively little literature that analyses the role, functions, and organization of finance ministries. The purpose of this working paper is to review international experiences in this area, in an effort to formulate guiding principles of organizational design and the allocation of functions, while recognizing the crucial importance of each country’s history and institutional context. Over the past 30 years many finance ministries have moved from a “traditional” to an “emerging” model of organizational design in which there is greater openness and transparency, more flexible management practices, and a broader focus on strategic policy issues. In addition, many operational functions have been devolved to arm’s–length agencies or line ministries. The paper describes the challenges facing developing countries in strengthening their finance ministries, and the principles, approaches, and strategies that can be applied.

The Evolving Functions and Organization of Finance Ministries

There is relatively little literature that analyses the role, functions, and organization of finance ministries. The purpose of this working paper is to review international experiences in this area, in an effort to formulate guiding principles of organizational design and the allocation of functions, while recognizing the crucial importance of each country’s history and institutional context. Over the past 30 years many finance ministries have moved from a “traditional” to an “emerging” model of organizational design in which there is greater openness and transparency, more flexible management practices, and a broader focus on strategic policy issues. In addition, many operational functions have been devolved to arm’s–length agencies or line ministries. The paper describes the challenges facing developing countries in strengthening their finance ministries, and the principles, approaches, and strategies that can be applied.

PLACE: an open-source python package for laboratory automation, control, and experimentation.

In modern laboratories, software can drive the full experimental process from data acquisition to storage, processing, and analysis. The automation of laboratory data acquisition is an important consideration for every laboratory. When implementing a laboratory automation scheme, important parameters include its reliability, time to implement, adaptability, and compatibility with software used at other stages of experimentation. In this article, we present an open-source, flexible, and extensible Python package for Laboratory Automation, Control, and Experimentation (PLACE). The package uses modular organization and clear design principles; therefore, it can be easily customized or expanded to meet the needs of diverse laboratories. We discuss the organization of PLACE, data-handling considerations, and then present an example using PLACE for laser-ultrasound experiments. Finally, we demonstrate the seamless transition to post-processing and analysis with Python through the development of an analysis module for data produced by PLACE automation.

Public Value Dimensions: Developing and Testing a Multi-Dimensional Classification

Further integration of the public value literature with other strands of literature within Public Administration necessitates a more specific classification of public values. This article applies a typology linked to organizational design principles, because this is useful for empirical public administration studies. Based on an existing typology of modes of governance, we develop a classification and test it empirically, using survey data from a study of the values of 501 public managers. We distinguish among seven value dimensions (the public at large, rule abidance, balancing interests, budget keeping, efficient supply, professionalism, and user focus), and we find systematic differences between organizations at different levels and with different tasks, indicating that the classification is fruitful. Our goal is to enable more precise analyses of value conflicts and improve the integration between the public value literature and other parts of the Public Administration discipline.

Based on a Crawler Type Walking Mechanism Analysis and Research

Caterpillar walk agency is the supporting a large walk machinery, used to support the weight of the whole machine, inherit institution in engineering work force produces in the process, and complete the machine in March, backward, also, the mobile. Homework Therefore, to average large engineering machinery chassis general design into tracked drive structure, and tracked down the vertical center symmetrical layout. This paper mainly studied and discussed crawler walks the organization design principles and exercise stress analysis, summarized the influence factors of walking organization for the future, the design of the machine can achieve reasonable structure, safe and reliable, action flexible have laid a good foundation.

Structure, Governance, and Organizational Dynamics of University Medical Centers in the Netherlands

The Netherlands, a country of 16 million people, is home to eight university medical centers (UMCs), institutions that are closely analogous to U.S. academic health centers and play in important role in Dutch society. The authors' purpose was to test the extent to which an analytical framework developed in one setting can be transferred to another and to yield fresh insights into the value and limitations of different theoretical perspectives on organizational design in the specific context of the academic-clinical enterprise. The authors applied a conceptual framework originally developed in the U.S. context to analyze UMC structure, governance, and organizational dynamics. Three UMCs, selected for their differences, were used as case studies, and data were gathered through interviews and document review. A multilevel approach is used to present the data. At the highest level, an overview of the composition, functions, and accountabilities of UMC boards is provided. Below this, the authors describe how functional integration for delivery of the tripartite mission is achieved at the sub-board level. Finally, the authors describe some of the detailed mechanisms used to bind together different interest groups within the UMCs. The authors found that the U.S.-derived framework for analysis required modification for the context of the Netherlands, but that the study validates the view that many challenges involved in the management of the academic-clinical enterprise are international.

Administration and Institutional Provisions of Water Sharing Agreements

The effectiveness of any law, regulation, contract, or legally enforceable agreement, regardless of the subject matter, depends on how effectively it is administered and how rigorously its provisions are enforced. Water sharing agreements are no different. The importance of the administration and institutional provisions of a water sharing agreement cannot be overemphasized. Without effective administration, implementation of the agreement to share water will falter and enforcement of its provisions will be limited. Without an effective institutional framework, the parties will spend much of their time and resources in dispute resolution rather than effective water management. These institutional provisions will involve far more than just engineering management of the water resources in question. They must also involve establishing procedures to manage complicated coordination among a number of private and public institutions, addressing critical social and cultural issues, and responding to complex environmental and ecological sustainability needs. A review of the historical record of both international and American water sharing institutions provides specific organizational design principles that are important for developing effective water sharing agreements. These organizational design principles should provide the framework for the agreement. Within this framework, the specifics of the water sharing agreement will be based on certain salient features of governance, to include agreement purposes and objectives, rules of decision, assignment of powers and duties, accountability and responsiveness, compliance, and dispute resolution.

Oakland a's (B)

The general manager of the Oakland A's professional baseball team must evaluate two salary and bonus plans proposed by the A's star pitcher (see the A case, UVA-QA-0282). The plans call for the pitcher to receive a bonus if the next season's home attendance exceeds a specified number. Historical data are provided on team performance (number of games won), attendance, and the general manager's preseason forecast number of wins. Global Paper is a major player in the worldwide office-products market. It has served Entertainment World, a West Coast business, for many years. Entertainment World has issued an RFP for a global supply of its office products, asking for a proposal with maximum mutual partnership benefits. How should Global Paper respond to this request? This case is part of a series of cases on value-based selling. The A case provides the background. The B case (UVA-M-0720) provides the value mapping and value proposition. A newly appointed vice president for Corporate Communication at the U.S. subsidiary of a Japanese multinational corporation must choose among different methods for aligning corporate philanthropy programs with long-term corporate philosophy and business strategy. This case illustrates the key strategic role of corporate communication in enacting social responsibility. This note introduces basic principles of organizational design and the advantages of several common organizational structures. The principles of design are fit, differentiation, integration, technology, size, span of control, staffing, unity of command, and line versus staff. The structures diagrammed and described are functional, product, customer, geographic, divisional or M-form, matrix, amorphous, and hybrids. The note also discusses the new emerging Information Age organizational forms, which the author calls infocracies.

The Paradigmatic Shift in Organizational Design Principles from a Knowledge Perspective

Seen with a knowledge paradigm or from a knowledge perspective this study is to discuss new design principles of organizations, comparing classical design principles of organizations from the industrial paradigm. Based on the languages of the knowledge paradigm that are different from those of the industrial paradigm; ‘Knowledge vs. Labor,’ ‘Coordinative and Collaborative Relationship vs. Vertical Control-oriented and Strict Line-Staff Relationship,’ ‘Network vs. Frictional Departmentation,’ ‘Complexity Absorption vs. Complexity Reduction,’ and ‘Unlimited Span of Control vs. Limited Span of Control,’ the concepts of knowledge, organizational knowledge and the rationales for the new organizational design, and five new organizational design principles are discussed in details. The designers or organizers of organization need to have eyes to see where organizations are going to, and how to make organizations effective in terms of the new principles of organizational design based on the knowledge paradigm that is applied and implemented to all of current and future organizations.

Integrating ‘lean’ and ‘high reliability’ thinking

This paper illustrates how recent tragedies have been shown to be threatening to the medium-term sustainability of organizations designed and developed solely on the basis of short-term efficiency gain. Over the past 30 years, Western organizations have institutionalized this emphasis on efficiencies through the implementation of Japanese management philosophies, such as lean thinking. This situation has assisted the removal of vital adaptive and responsive capacity or ‘organizational slack’, necessary for organizations that need to contend with complex and dynamic environments. The authors argue for the need to challenge managerial mindsets and re-engage a pluralist metaperspective both at the level of strategic purpose and organizational configuration. In particular, it suggests that, in addition to the efficiency model, a complementary and to some extent alternative set of ‘high-reliability’ organization (HRO) design principles are required. They focus on the notion of creating an HRO that privileges integrity in the achievement of medium- and long-term goals over short-term efficiency gains. Integrating both ‘lean thinking’ and ‘high-reliability’ principles is a requirement for post-modern managers operating in their roles as organizational engineers, if mission accomplishment is to be realized.