Introduction
The rapid development of technologies and the appearance of new devices impacted all spheres of human activity; however, the scale of changes the business world experienced could be compared to a revolution. The majority of all approaches were replaced with the new ones that guaranteed better outcomes and demanded fewer resources and effort to achieve a particular goal and promote organizations or companies further evolution. At the same time, under the impact of technological advancements, customers acquired new demands for the quality of the suggested products, their content, and creativeness. For this reason, it is critical to alter and evolve to reconsider a companys functioning and be able to implement change, innovations, and cultivate a new organizational culture, which are the central elements of a successful organization that has a significant competitive advantage and the basis for the further evolution because of the wide use of digital devices and other technologies.
Technologies
The fact is that the most successful and powerful contemporary companies benefit from the utilization of unusual approaches to the cultivation of organizational culture and the creation of unique products that will be demanded by target population groups. For instance, Facebook is one of the most potent and prosperous companies working in the sphere of social networks, Internet technologies, and innovations. The company managed to fill a niche by providing multiple opportunities to communicate using diverse digital devices and platforms (Ross et al. 54). The innovativeness and creativity of the given idea facilitated Facebooks rapid development and becoming the top player in its sphere. However, the emergence of these perspectives and their realization can be possible only if there is a specific environment, culture, and structure that stimulate workers to use unconventional approaches to solve critical tasks and provide efficient solutions (Huong 87). For this reason, the reorganization of the companys functioning should be based on the appropriate structure and organizational behavior that are tied to each other and help to achieve particular goals.
Organizational Structure
The organizational structure is one of the fundamental elements of any company as it describes relations between its members, introduces hierarchy, regulates the functioning of multiple departments, and preconditions the final success. At the moment, there are many different models that might be used to organize the Work of the company and attain positive outcomes. These models might presuppose diverse types of coordination, subordination, and relations between employees (Luftman 43). The choice of the approach is critical for the future success of the company as it determines the ability to evolve or fail. However, to compete with Facebook and ensure the wide use of innovation, an organizational structure that promotes creativity and offers numerous opportunities to all members of the team should be suggested.
In this regard, a flat structure can be suggested. The given model presupposes few or no levels of middle management between staff and executives (Beach 45). There are several advantages that precondition its choice. First, the flat organization presupposes lower levels of control and supervision, which cultivates increased involvement in the decision-making process and the companys functioning (Beach 49). Moreover, the absence of mid-level and low-level managers means reduced levels of stress among workers as they do not have to meet their diverse requirements. Second, the utilization of the given model helps to save costs by eliminating extra expenses because of salaries paid to managers of all levels, organization of their working environment, and rewards (Ross et al. 92). Third, the flat structure cultivates a high level of responsibility among employees who have to control their functioning on their own, and, at the same time, it results in increased levels of motivation and satisfaction (Beach 90). In accordance with the research, workers who feel autonomy and freedom to act in their own way demonstrate much better results because of their commitment and high responsibility (Beach 91).
Moreover, the flat structure helps to improve communication and coordination between all specialists working in the company. The fact is that a significant reduction of micromanagement procedures contributes to the overall improved outcomes and reduces the time needed to perform a particular action (Robbins and Judge 575). It is achieved by direct communication between employees who discuss existing issues and find appropriate solutions together (Robbins and Judge 578). Finally, the flat structure creates a positive atmosphere within the collective and improves creativity in workers by encouraging them to make their own decisions and suggest their solutions to existing issues (Robbins and Judge 76). For this reason, the flat organizational structure becomes the only possible option to reconsider the functioning of the company and attain success.
Another critical element of the suggested organizational structure is the group or teamwork. Some authors state that the introduction of cooperative teams characterized by the high levels of collaboration has a positive influence on the degree to which creativity and innovation take place in multiple organizations regardless of their nature and the sphere in which they function (Denison et al. 89; Epstein and Buhovac 45). For this reason, the company will benefit from the creation of cross-functional teams that presuppose the interaction between developers and implementers to facilitate innovation and creativity (Robbins and Judge 65). At the same time, the focus on the group work will help to improve the atmosphere within the collection because of the high need for trust and respect between team members to attain a certain goal and promote the further evolution of the company and benefit from positive results. Finally, team members skills and abilities, along with the shared values, will help to foster cooperation at all levels.
The organizational structure of the company should also presuppose a high level of autonomy. It is one of the core values that stimulate creativity, innovation, and commitment (Denison et al. 89). At the same time, efficient decision-making depends on the level of freedom provided to workers and their ability to act independently to achieve current goals by utilizing innovative approaches. The high autonomy peculiar to organizations presupposes that all staff members can work in a creative way within the outlined guidelines to ensure their enhanced performance (Driskill and Brenton 90). Top management should also respect employees freedom and desires to act in the ways they want. In this regard, the high autonomy becomes the central element of the organizational structure as it is demanded to stimulate the appearance of a particular culture and elimination of outdated approaches that presuppose the strict hierarchy that suppresses the desire to act in ways different from the accepted ones.
Organizational Culture
The flat organizational culture supported by the high levels of autonomy and group work should be considered the most efficient model to organize the functioning of the company and transform it into a leading actor that can compete with Facebook by suggesting innovative ideas generated by its staff. However, specialists ability to generate new ideas results from the atmosphere in which they function and the existing set of values accepted by the company (Hervas-Oliver and Peris-Ortiz 29). These can be considered the critical elements of the organizational culture. It is determined as a set of behavioral patterns, beliefs, assumptions, and ways of interacting that is utilized by the company to create a collective and make employees work together to attain a particular goal (Hervas-Oliver and Peris-Ortiz 15). The organizational culture should be tied to the suggested organizational structure to cultivate the qualities needed to meet specific objectives.
The first critical element of any organizational culture is a particular set of values that is promoted within the collective to ensure that all workers have common perspectives on the companys goals and current objectives. Concerning the need for innovative ideas and significant effort to compete with Facebook, the value system should be focused on independence, innovation, enhanced performance, and decision-making. These core aspects should be cultivated at all levels of the companys functioning to ensure that workers correctly realize existing tasks and expectations (Hervas-Oliver and Peris-Ortiz 89). At the same time, the introduction of a specific set of values helps to create a unique code of conduct that will help specialists to differentiate themselves from other employees working at numerous companies and cultivate the feeling of belonging to a particular unit that promotes certain ideas and qualities.
As it has already been stated, independence, or workers autonomy, should be one of the core components of the existing value system. There are several reasons for this assumption. First, it is closely connected with creativity that is fundamental for improved outcomes. In accordance with the latest research, specialists that have an opportunity to select the methods to perform their tasks or elaborate new approaches demonstrate a higher level of satisfaction, motivation, and creativity (Epstein and Buhovac 45). At the same time, the choice of the flat model means that the company is focused on the creation of an environment that stimulates workers to act independently, as the absence of mid and low-level managers implies that all decisions should be made by a specialist. This combination of the organizational culture and structure helps to promote a new approach to performance-focused on innovative solutions, autonomy, and enhanced decision-making.
Innovation is another element of the organizational culture that becomes essential regarding the rise of technologies and the wide use of multiple digital devices. The majority of the efficient decisions made by the contemporary leading companies resulted from the utilization of digital tools and their integration with many processes (Hervas-Oliver and Peris-Ortiz 87). For this reason, any company that wants to preserve its powerful position should focus on the cultivation of innovative behaviors among its workers to ensure their readiness to use the newest technologies and implement them into the functioning of the company (Hervas-Oliver and Peris-Ortiz 111). At the same time, innovativeness is directly connected with creativity because these two processes come from similar motifs and inclinations. For this reason, the companys organizational culture should rest on its workers innovative thinking. Moreover, it is tied to the suggested structure as it also cultivates the needed set of qualities by creating a particular working environment.
Finally, improved decision-making should also be considered a significant element of the companys organizational culture. The fact is that the utilization of the flat structure creates all needed conditions for the gradual improvement of decision-making skills in staff members. Feeling a high level of autonomy and independence, they also accept the responsibility that comes from their decisions (Driskill and Brenton 124). In such a way, the existing set of values integrated with the functioning of the company should promote specialists desire to make creative decisions that differ from the traditional approaches cultivated in other companies as it is one of the central aspects needed to generate a competitive advantage and ensure leading positions. In such a way, responding to the suggested flat methods, the organizational culture should outline the necessity of improved decision-making to attain success and contribute to the development of the company.
These defining characteristics should impact the functioning of employees and generate their desired behaviors in different ways. First, the focus on innovativeness, autonomy, and improved decision-making is expected to drive critical shifts in workers mentalities from old to innovative approaches that should be utilized in their functioning. Second, the ability to accept responsibility and offer unconventional methods to achieve particular goals should also come from the suggested behavioral culture. The fact is that the focus on autonomy contributes to the recognition of the necessity to act in unusual ways and promote the rise of the company. Third, the improved understanding of the companys vision and mission can be considered the result of the proposed organizational culture that is focused on the cultivation of better cooperation between all members of the company at different levels. Finally, the ability to engage in group work and cooperate with partners is critical regarding the modern business world and conditions under which companies function. The suggested organizational culture will facilitate the rise of these skills and their wide use in practice.
Types of Leadership
The reconsideration of the companys functioning along with the introduction of the unique organizational structure and behavior will also demand the utilization of the new type of leadership that will foster cooperation between workers and facilitate their ability to cooperate and make specific decisions. Selecting the model of leadership, it is critical to consider the fact that traditional forms will not suffice the existing demands because of the attempt to create an innovative environment and cultivate a new culture characterized by higher levels of autonomy and independence (Robbins and Judge 367). For this reason, authoritative or usual leaders will not be able to work regarding the new structure and culture because o their inability to promote creativity by outdated methods (Driskill and Brenton 76). It means that the preference should be given to models that emphasize cooperation between workers and their decision-making. That is why the group-thinking leadership model should be selected.
One of the central characteristics of the given approach is its focus on the cooperation between all workers of the company. This model also disregards traditional corporate hierarchy because of its inability to cultivate needed behaviors in staff members. Instead, group-think leadership empowers employees to make their own decisions to contribute to the development of the company and its transformation (Driskill and Brenton 78). At the same time, the executive staff is less engaged in everyday activities that do not have significant strategic meaning (Robbins and Judge 390). The given approach helps to reconsider traditional relations between team members and encourages them to work in groups to find the most efficient solutions by sharing perspectives on problematic issues and accepting responsibility for their decisions. In such a way, group-think leadership is recommended as the possible approach towards the management of the company.
The given model of management can be cultivated at different levels of the companys functioning. First, it is critical to ensure that executives possess high levels of awareness regarding the central aspects of this sort of leadership and how it can be integrated with the functioning of a particular organization. Second, the improved group work can be facilitated by creating conditions beneficial for the cooperation at different levels: among employees, among executives, and between these two groups (Denison et al. 89). It can be achieved by adhering to the new organizational culture that presupposes shared values and common decision-making to attain improved results. Additionally, executives should avoid over-controlling to provide the needed levels of autonomy for all workers.
Performance Management
The development of innovative thinking and fostering of talents is another fundamental element of any modern company that aims at holding leading positions. For this reason, a particular model can be suggested. The companys performance management should include efficient progress tracking and benchmarking for employees (Alas 76). Realization of local and global successes is essential for preserving high motivation levels. For this reason, all workers should be informed about their contribution to the companys development and its rise. Moreover, strategic goal-setting should become an integral part of performance management to outline the current course and help specialists to contribute to the achievement of long and short-term goals. Finally, an efficient rewarding system that is tied to progress tracking should be introduced to stimulate employees innovativeness and autonomy while creating new approaches to problem-solving.
Stagnation and Rigidity
Any company in the process of its development faces the problem of stagnation. It can be determined as the lack of new ideas or the inability to utilize fresh approaches to decision making to ensure the units further rise (Luftman 89). Concerning the existing context, the problem of organizational stagnation can be solved by the constant income of new ideas to ensure the use of innovations and creativity at all stages (Luftman 98). Generation of fresh perspectives can be performed by stimulating group-working or brainstorming to reconsider outdated approaches and methods. Additionally, relocation of responsibilities and introduction of new goals and duties can help to solve the problem and attain improved outcomes. These approaches can also help to solve the problem of organizational rigidity. The company should preserve the high levels of flexibility to respond to new threats. It can be achieved by the constant flow of new ideas and the focus on the continuous evolution supported by creativity and utilization of multiple approaches.
Conclusion
Altogether, the functioning of the medical company should be reconsidered regarding the modern demands for the use of innovations and technologies. The new organizational structure and culture should foster group work, collaboration, and creativity at all levels. It can be achieved by providing more autonomy to specialists working in teams and cultivating a new working environment focused on the utilization of unconventional perspectives. Only under these conditions can success be attained as innovations are the key to excellence nowadays.
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