Organizations do not simply stick with a structure for almost in its whole existence; they need to adapt to changes that occur within and outside the organization. Restructuring an organization may seem like a negative action, but in reality restructuring often times spell the success of an organization. By restructuring an organization you are able to discover new capabilities or even fully developing those that you have already discovered and have been using. But you must also take into consideration that a proper restructuring is important for the success of the organization.
One way of restructuring an organization is via the participative design workshop which was created by Fred Emery. It is defined as the redesigning of the organizational structure that gives the main role to the employees. By giving the employees the power to restructure the organization, they are able to align the structure with their work flow resulting to a more self-managed organization.
The purpose of the participative design workshop is basically to create an organizational system that encourages the participation of every member, thus making it a democratic system. By doing so, organization members achieve a higher level of assumptions that in turn affects their actions positively. Every member is given a responsibility and a role that he/she is entitled to fulfill; and creates a trust and bond between the interdependent members of the organization.
The participative design workshop has 3 basic steps that each organization, that are using this method, must fulfill. First, organization must be able to analyze its system or structure. It begins with the top management being introduced to the mechanics, and after doing so a facilitator discusses the 6 requirements for motivating work.
(1) Autonomy – Members should be able to be given the feeling that they have power over their selves as well as their work. They should be pushed to make decisions that they can fully stand by with and to be able to defend it.
(2) Learning – Most organization members learn from experience. The members should be given the proper environment for learning because their gained knowledge would eventually lead to the success of the organization.
(3) Variety – Members should be given the flexibility to be able to work at their own pace that will also increase their productivity. The members of the organization must be enthusiastic in what they do.
(4) Mutual Support and Respect – A common bond must tie every member of the organization together. They must be able to realize that by working together, they can achieve goals faster.
(5) Meaningfulness – The members of the organization must know their role in the organization so that they would be able to identify how their works attributed to the success of the organization. In other words, the organization must show the members their value.
(6) Desirable Future – Being able to identify what you want to achieve helps everyone focus on a specific path that would lead them to their desired destination.
After they have been introduced to the 6 requirements, top management scrutinizes the purpose of the organization. They are also presented a matrix that would map the various team skills. Second, the democratic redesigning process is introduced by the facilitator and encourages the participation of every vital member. After familiarizing themselves with the important aspects of the workshop, they are then allowed to redesign the organization. To kick things off, they must create a diagram that shows the current structure and work flow. After this, they must design a new structure that would best fit everyone. With the different designs at hand, groups are required to present what they have designed to everyone via a plenary session; here, feedback and suggestions are encouraged to further develop the design. Last, groups must be able to draft what they expect and their goals for the new organization structure. One of their goals must be a proper negotiation with middle management; this ensures that the design would still be inline with the organization’s mission and vision.
The participants of the workshop range from 15 to 200 people; which include every member of the department or team that is being redesigned. The workshop may last for 17 days from the preparation, 2 weeks, to the event itself, 1-3 days. After the workshop, the process must be sustained during the duration of the design.
The participative design workshop is recommended only for organizations who wish to increase the productivity of ever member and also of the whole organization. And most importantly everyone must have agreed to participate in the workshop.
After the event, it must be sustained through a learning organization which promotes the learning of every member of the organization and emphasizes on the role of each individual. A new culture must also be established that is aligned to the desires of the members that are also reflected in the new design. Aside from this, a proper communication system must also be established to have good flow of information.
Reference:
Participative Design Workshop Presentation
http://www.vaughanconsulting.com/pdw.html
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/34479329/Participative-Design-Workshop
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