The Self Managing Organization

Table of Contents

In a self-managing organization, the team members are collectively responsible for the team result. Team decisions are made by consensus, with each team member also taking individual responsibility for the agreements made. This makes a world of difference to the everyday functioning of the organization. More and more directors are becoming aware of the advantages of self-organization, but the thought of making changes to the organizational structure seems so daunting that they don't know where tot start. This practical guide explains how to make the transition from hierarchy to self-management. We discuss the implications for team members, team coaches, managers and supporting staff, as well as the skills they need in order tot caary out their work effectively as part of a self-organization. We also give concrete tools to aid in effecticve communication, such as the Solution Diveren Method of Interaction, solution-oriented meetings, and approaches for handling conflict.

"The way we manage organizations seems increasingly out of date. Deep inside, we sense that more is possible. We long for soulful workplaces, for authenticity, community, passion, and purpose. In this groundbreaking book, the author shows that every time, in the past, when humanity has shifted to a new stage of consciousness, it has achieved extraordinary breakthroughs in collaboration. A new shift in consciousness is currently underway. Could it help us invent a more soulful and purposeful way to run our businesses and nonprofits, schools and hospitals? A few pioneers have already cracked the code and they show us, in practical detail, how it can be done. Leaders, founders, coaches, and consultants will find this work a joyful handbook, full of insights, examples, and inspiring stories."--Page [4] of cover.

Empowerment programs swept through corporate America in the last two decades. Unfortunately, bolting empowerment programs onto existing power structures often led to the appearance of empowerment--without the actual power. Going beyond empowerment means that people have all the power they need from the very moment they join a company--regardless of the level of responsibility or complexity. They are immune from threats or coercion. They are free to seek any needed resources and relationships on their own initiative. And they are held fully accountable for results by themselves, their colleagues and the organization's mission.

`This book is a must for scholars and practitioners interested in managing work teams in organizations.... Yeatts and Hyten have written an excellent reference work. The book synthesizes a wealth of prior research into a testable model of Self-Managed Work Team performance' - Management Learning`The work is wide-ranging in its scope but retains a clear focus and coherence throughout.' International Journal of Public-Private PartnershipsSince the mid-1970s, pressure from international competition has forced business in the United States to look for better ways to achieve and maintain a competitive position. One popular tool is the self-managed work-team (SMWT). This book provides a thorough examination of SMWT both at the level of theory and at the practical level of when to use work teams to find solutions and how to develop successful teams.By examining the most widely accepted theories of work-team performance, illustrated by 10 case studies from the areas of manufacturing, public service and health care, the authors define: how high-performing self-managed work teams differ from work groups and short-term teams; the problems which compel an organization to create such teams; the factors which explain successful self-managed work teams; and how to develop high performing cost-effective teams.

What does leadership look like in a company with no bosses? How do you develop a culture that allows self-managing organisations to thrive? What mindset and relational shifts are required? In this book, the authors share stories and insights from nearly twenty years of coaching teams and organisations to become self-managing. Rather than looking at complicated self-management frameworks and models, these pages reveal a perspective of organisational transformation based on the simple but powerful premise of facilitating different kinds of dialogues.

This book offers practical insight into the changing ways in which organizations operate today. Building on a groundbreaking concept of teal organizations, the book illustrates the practicality of advocating a lack of hierarchy of predetermined positions and the introduction of roles that come with clear responsibilities constantly defined according to current needs. First described by Frederic Laloux, a teal organization is a ground-breaking approach to managing organizations that is being adopted around the world, which turns everyone into a leader. This new paradigm rests on the ideas of wholeness, evolutionary purpose, employee autonomy, and self-management based on peer relationships. Its main assumption is the empowerment of the employee resulting in a change in workplace relationships and a more soulful and purposeful work environment. Drawing on the authors’ research across six different countries, it presents the evolution of self-management and entrepreneurial culture in the current age of Economy 4.0 and examines how the teal concept has been implemented around the world. It examines misconceptions surrounding this novel approach and diagnoses the practical problems connected with implementing it in the current uncertain times. It will be of value to researchers, academics, managers, and students in the fields of management and organizational studies.