Flat Organization Structure for Improved Communication

Human resource function is a basic function for organizations success. The increase in the level of understanding on the integral role played by employees in organizations has seen many organizations come up with new strategies for handling employees through the adoption of better human resources practices.

Among the changes that have come as a result of this awareness is the fact that employees become more productive if they are given more autonomy in their duties. The need to implement these new strategies has necessitated structural changes in organizations to give employees more control over their actions in as far as their jobs are concerned(Wilkinson & Johnstone, 2016).This paper will focus on some of these human resource strategies based on Mark and Spencer Case study.

Based on the case study it can be said that Mark and Spencer follows a flat organization structure which was necessitated by numerous challenges that the company experienced with other Organization structures that it was using before. The initial structures brought numerous limitations for the organization’s success. Communication forms a very significant component of organizations success, depending on how effectively or ineffectively communication is handled ( Adeniyi,2007).

The new structure was necessary in order to improve the communication process in the organization. Part of the reason for the adoption of the new structure was also in order to decentralize decision-making from the top management to other levels. This was aimed at speeding up the process which had been quite slow initially. The new structure was also aimed at doing away with other challenges that were in existence such as the failure by the management to consider the input of employees in decision making.

The new structure was also aimed at presenting employees with numerous opportunities such as making it possible for them talk about their performance with their managers in order to identify their areas of improvement and facilitate comparison of their achieved results against the actual results. These were all aimed at improving the overall employee performance (Aquinas, 2010).

Organizations adopt different cultures depending on their needs or what they want to achieve. Person, Role, Task and power are the four main types of cultures that are adapted by different organizations. Role culture is a culture that involves the delegation of duties and responsibilities according to individual’s specializations and skills. This is the corporate culture that is used by the organization being analyzed in this piece of writing. In M&S all employees are assigned duties by their line manager based on their areas of specialization.

Role Culture: Delegating Duties and Responsibilities

This is as per the requirements of role culture. The adoption of the new structure by the organization has seen the duties allocated to employees increase compared to the period under the previous organization structure. There has also been increased autonomy for the for employees under the new structure which has also made them accountable for their actions (Stanford, 2011)

There are various management styles used by different organizations. While some organizations might find it worthwhile to adopt an Autocratic management, others might tend to align themselves with participative management style. This is the particular leadership style that is used by M&S. An organization that uses participative or democratic leadership style values the input of employees and hence considers their inputs in decision-making. This management style significantly applies the principle of discussions and participation in which every individual is given an equal chance to be heard before any decisions are made (Flamholtz & Randle,2011).

 When employees are able to get in touch with their managers and freely consult on various issues within their organization, their level of organizational commitment is bound to increase and the overall impac6t will be increased employee productivity. Unlike under other styles, participative leadership style involves the delegation of duties and responsibilities as well as the power to carry out those duties. It makes it possible for employees to make decisions on their own as they go about their duties. Decision-making ability allows them to adopt the strategy those best suits them without having to rely on any pre-established format. The major benefits of participative management style are that it improves employees creativity, morale and overall productivity (Palmisano,2008).

The process by which organizations facilitate continuous upward and downward communication in the organization for the accomplishment of organizational objectives is referred to as performance management. Performance management is an ongoing process that is carried out by organizations throughout the year for them to facilitate maximum productivity among the employees and the organization at large (Wilkinson & Johnstone,2016).

M&S has adopted a yearly performance appraisal system that facilitates interactions between employees and their line managers and keeps employee performance in check in order to identify areas of improvement or the gaps that need to be filled for san employee to move from their current output to the desired output.

Continuous training and development for employees is very important for monitoring employee’s performance and ensuring that they have up to date skills as per the requirements of their assigned duties and responsibilities(Aswathappa,2013)It is also a way of preparing them to assume higher roles within the organization trough improvement of current as well as future skills. Employee training does not only improve employees skills to enable them to perform their duties efficiently but it also plays a role in changing their attitude about themselves, their work, other employees and their organization. This strategy has worked effectively for M&S.

It has enabled the organization to prepare its employees to handle both their current as well as their future roles. By facilitating frequent interactions with their managers, employee’s productivity levels will also improve (Takahara & Mesarovic,2014).

Conclusion   

Based on the above analysis, organization success depends on a number of factors among them the organization structure that the organization uses. The change of organization structure by M&S, For example, has brought the organization a lot of benefits that would not have been possible under the previous structure. Participative management style has a significant role in improving the overall morale and productivity of employees which is also affected by organization culture.

Reference List

Adeniyi, M. A. (2007). Effective leadership management: an integration of styles, skills & character for today’s CEOs. Bloomington, IN, AuthorHouse

Aquinas, P. G. (2010). Organization structure and design: applications and challenges. New Delhi, Excel Books.

Aswathappa, K. (2013). Human resource management: text and cases. New Delhi, McGraw Hill Education.

Flamholtz, E., & Randle, Y. (2011). Corporate Culture: the Ultimate Strategic Asset. Palo Alto, Stanford University Press.

Palmisano, D. J. (2008). On leadership: essential principles for success. New York, NY, Skyhorse Pub.

Stanford, N. (2011). Corporate culture: getting it right. Hoboken, N.J., John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Takahara, Y., & Mesarovic, M. (2014). Organization Structure. Boston, MA, Springer US. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0213-1.

Wilkinson, A., & Johnstone, S. (2016). Encyclopedia of human resource management. Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Pub. Ltd.