Redesign and management of organizational change
During the diagnosis, there is a certain structural coupling between the diagnostician, the observed and the main actors of the organization, because there is the belief that they should become a single observer of the organization in the intervention where the learning of the diagnosis is deepened. But, the previous situation lends itself to confusion in the elaboration of the diagnosis and organizational change or redesign, then it is possible that a structured and systemic work is not carried out, as it should be to face the problem, the organization and its people. Then, what must occur as a result of the diagnosis is a structural coupling between observer and observer systems, in terms of the change that must be made and the redesign plan necessary for viability. That is to say,an agreement must be reached about the reasons that organizational cybernetics and applied epistemology offer to achieve change the organization and make it a viable system.
Therefore, something important in redesign is that from the conceptualization and characterization of organizational cybernetics from epistemology, the best redesign is sought, where spaces are opened to people and those responsible for the organization, through the establishment of conditions that ensure individual and organizational learning for change in search of viability. This change is for the diagnosis to be effective, although it can be very painful, tedious and difficult for those responsible for the organization, so the processes or way of facing the regulation cycles or unresolved problems that generate the problem must be evaluated. organizational and constitute organizational learning to describe the process that keeps learning controlled.
In addition, this change generates pain because the diagnosis can say bad things about the organization and its people, and that they do not like to listen to people, and this generates confrontation, debate and certain types of discussions in order to make the necessary changes or adjustments, within a context and domain established as an agreement around the organizational problem and its complexity. Then, for a change to occur, emotion has to be achieved in people, in the diagnosis and redesign plan, and this can cause trust and distrust regarding the observations and distinctions that have been made in the organization to establish a redesign and process of change based on learning. For this reason, the redesign for change must consider these aspects,determining what mechanism is necessary to achieve to introduce learning as the basis of change all the time to achieve viability and establish organizational identity in the face of change.
Then, it is necessary to identify and describe some basic conditions of what an observer must establish and characterize in the diagnosis to justify the change and redesign and make it clear that everything is for the good and care of the organization and its businesses in order to take care of the people and the survival of the organization.
Identification and Characterization of Organizational Change or Adjustment
After the diagnosis and its discussion between the observer and observer systems, there must be agreement regarding the characterization of the organizational change that is recommended, in order to establish the appropriate redesign for the diagnosis, the change, the organization and the people. The establishment of organizational change implies redesigning aspects of organization, structure and role of people, to ensure viability in the face of an organizational problem that was faced in diagnosis.
Then, an agreement must be formed about the following aspects to shape an intervention method, based on a cybernetic epistemology complemented with Stafford Beer's viable system model, these aspects are:
• The identity of the organization
• Determine your primary and support activities
• Establish the distribution of discretion and autonomy
• Design the necessary monitoring and control mechanisms.
• Establishing the identity of the organization:
The main dilemma observed to establish an organizational change or adjustment, is to reach an agreement about the identity of the organization, that is, what the organization is or the characteristics that distinguish it in the environment; and also its mission or purpose, so a process that constantly cares about maintaining a clear identity for the members of the organization should be considered.
Here the CATWOE methodology or «Definition of Roots», by P. Checkland, is useful, which allows to have a set of distinctions made up of Clients (C), Actors (A), Transformations (T), Weltansshauung (W), Owners (O) and Environment (E); that allow approaching a definition of identity by answering questions associated with each of them, but mainly serves to clarify the mission of the organization.
In relation to the identity and mission of the organization, it is necessary to show the characterization and conditions that those responsible in this regard must handle, determining the policies that must be followed to care for the viability of the organization.
Then, characterizations should be made in the sense of making a map of the people with whom they talk about identity and mission, that is, a map of the interactions of what systems and people should be involved in the change process.
Characterizations
Who are the Clients?
The organization delivers to the environment a set of products and services that affect or are directed or absorbed by people, and the characterization of these generates distinctions such as: this organization serves a segment or tries to cover the widest possible spectrum, and why it is covers that portion and not another.
Who do what characterizes the organization actors?
Several groups of people participate in the organization that can be characterized in various ways, and as the level of education of the people affects the evolution of the organization, the subcultures that are formed are due to the rapprochement between some workers by a common fact.
What is the characteristic activity of the organization (Transformation)?
The organization has one or more primary activities in which it uses resources and transforms them into products and services that it delivers to the environment, trying to satisfy needs.
From what perspective does each participant consider the process?
The worldview of the members of the organization determines what they understand as relevant to it, then for the organization analyst it is important to be clear from what context and domain the different participants are speaking.
Who are the owners of the Organization?
The owners do not necessarily coincide with the majority shareholders or the owner of most of the capital, since at this point it is intended to identify who they are who direct or are responsible for the care of the organization, those who impose their interests in the march.
What are the relevant factors in the organization's environment?
In the environment there is a set of factors that are relevant to the organization, for example: competitors, suppliers, substitute products, potential competitors and others that can or intervene in the survival of the organization; The restrictions of all kinds imposed by the environment in different ways must also be considered.
Action plan and redesign for organizational change.
According to the experience in intervention and diagnosis, with the application of cybernetic epistemology, in terms of producing a change, and establishing the conditions to carry it out, it is essential in the redesign to determine an agreement about the identity and primary activities of the organization, especially of identity because it is the key distinction that characterizes redesign, to absorb the organizational problem and achieve viability.
Therefore, the redesign should consider everything that the diagnosis says that it is possible to redesign, but the important thing is to score the establishment of identity, primary activities and the role of people in the learning process for organizational change.
Considering the conditions mentioned, it is that the organizational redesign can reduce variety to address the problems of the organization, if the following is established
a) Redesign of the organizational identity:
• Reflection on the current and desired state of the organization
• Historical reinterpretation:
- identity and historical situation
- changes and adaptations of the organization, its environment and the
- organization learning
• Strategic location of the organization
• Design of a new identity
• Sustaining the change:
- leadership and competence
- demands of external agents and clients
• Design organizational transformation process:
- generate a diagnosis speech
- action plan
b) Development of business units:
b.1) Consolidation of the business map or primary activities:
It consists of a documented presentation of the current agreements on limits, functions and responsibility of each business unit or primary activity.
• Establishment of intelligence needs: in order to study, analyze and measure the possibilities offered by the environment.
• Design of management strategy: according to the previous definitions, design a frame of reference to budget for future activities.
b.2) Design of policies, discretion and autonomy:
Associated with the new identity of the organization, the business units must redesign their links with the other entities or systems, this considers:
• The main systems or actors that influence the meta-system of the
• Those responsible or participants of the organization's metasystem
• Other business units
• Support units:
- Planning and development
- management control
- administration and computing
- human Resources
The references are the values that certain variables take, which the manager considers that they allow him to compare his achievements with those that occur in the field to which he belongs.
b.3) Rational business redesign:
• Adjustment in organizational conversations
• Redesign of the workflow
• Definition of functional capacities: personal, financial, commercial networks, third parties and facilities.
b.4) IT development for the business:
The IT solution must be a support to the businesses or primary activities and to the distributed and integrated IT system, it is a process of change that is not trivial or exempt from analysis.
The general activities covered by this project are:
• Carry out a reengineering of business processes and information.
• Make a map of the information.
• Define the sequence of development of applications or systems.
The learning process must identify the way of detecting and correcting the errors that generate the pains and inhibitions associated with the problem, thus visualizing the action that is capable of producing the diagnosis and redesign with propositions and foundations for change.
Therefore, the effectiveness of the diagnosis and intervention is measured in the sense that the affected people or main actors learn to understand that the process of necessary change can be slow or fast in terms of time, but they must understand that everything will have consequences of organizational adjustment, conversations and emotions that surround people.
Then, understanding the above is a learning process and managing it is even more so, and it is essential that you must identify it and propose the diagnosis, in some way in its conclusions, as a requirement for organizational change or adjustment in search of viability.
In the learning process, problems such as breaking organizational and people inertia, traditions and criteria of stability, which are problems that create pain, disorder and chaos among the people of the organization, when the proposition or conclusions of the organization are not well understood. diagnosis for organizational change.
Therefore, the organizational change or adjustment plan proposed by the diagnosis must create the necessary conditions so that the transformation does not produce or mitigate the aforementioned problems.
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