Organizational Development: A Manual for Managers and ... - FPDL

But some survived. One can find now amusing specimens inherited from that time in some former
state enterprises and local governments
However, in many cases the reorganization of organizational processes by substituting multiproduct
mono-functional subdivisions (which could only execute commands that somebody would
give them) for mono-product multi-functional units (which were able to carry out whole the process
of producing a certain product or service based on an external request, or internal client) were
successful. It allowed a much more clear definition of responsibility, and much less cross-functional
complaints and ‘justifications’. Very soon this new way of structuring was embraced by the writers
of a new version of international standards - ISO9000 - that in the year 2000 fixed ‘management by
processes’ among eight basic principles of management applicable in all types of organizations
(see Chapter 2.3).
However, the most important outcome of such reorganizations was the possibility of creating selforganizing
units, or real teams within processes, which was previously very difficult to do when
people were aggregated in subdivisions merely because they performed similar functions, although
for different products or services.
A function may be performed in correctly accordance with an order and instructions. Such orders
or instruction could come from the controller or boss only. Line workers could not be responsible
for the final results, since results depended on a combination of many functions. Everyone should
be responsible to his boss. Small functional bosses were responsible to their higher level boss.
Only the top boss could gauge performance and provide feedback.
Those who work together in one process through its final result can measure their performance by
real outcomes: perfectly or imperfectly manufactured articles, happy or unhappy clients. When
performing all functions together, they do not need a boss to coordinate and evaluate their actions.
Coordination and evaluation comes from other members of the team, and from clients. And it is
great. A new modern term soon appeared – High-Performing Self-Managed Work Teams (Yeatts
and Hyten, 1998). One more triumph of old truth.
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