Flexibility Within The Structure Of The Organization example essay topic

Patricia M. Buhler, in her article Flexibility in Management discusses how flexibility within an organization is necessary for the survival of that organization. Flexibility must "be addressed organization-wide in a variety of areas. This includes the management of people, the process, the structure and even the strategy of the organization". Buhler describes the flexibility of managing people as a commitment to diversity. Recognizing each employee as an individual rather than, as a whole is essential.

There are several ways that organizations need to look at the individual worker, one of which is how the organization rewards its employees. As Buhler states, "the twenty-year-old, single woman may not value the same reward as the fifty-seven-year-old married man". Not acknowledging the differences can lead to disappointment and resentment. Flexibility within the structure of the organization also benefits the employees. Creating flexible working hours gives employees a choice and makes them feel like they have greater freedom. A single mother may be able to come in late in order to take her children to school.

Or an employee who feels like they do their best work later in the day can come in later in the morning. Flexibility within regard to the strategy of the organization is necessary in order to respond to the constantly changing environment and technology. By evaluating the strategic plan on a regular basis, the organization can keep on eye on recent changes in the market and adjust their plan quickly according to the recent changes. Organizations can no long "stick to the plan - regardless of conditions". Our reading this week also focused on "organizing to manage change, and specifically to the new ways companies are organizing to better respond to competitive, technological, and political pressures". (Dessler).

Companies need to be flexible in order to make the changes necessary to keep up with competition, many organizations are changing their structure to either a team-based structure, a network based structure, or a boundary less structure. As stated by Buhler, "With today's diverse work-force, flexibility is no longer a luxury in organizations. The environment today, instead, requires flexibility to effectively manage this diverse workforce". In that regard, LifeScan, a Johnson & Johnson company, is a corporation that is extremely flexible.

They are very committed to diversity in the workplace. On its intranet they have a "Diversity University" for every employee to learn more about the people that they work with. Managers are able to learn about different religions, cultures, and particulars about any employee who comes from an unfamiliar background. Johnson & Johnson's Global Diversity Concept is defined as: At the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, Global Diversity is defined as a variety of similar and different characteristics among people including age, gender, race, religion, national origin, physical ability, sexual orientation, thinking style, background, and all other attributes that make each person unique. While the term "diversity" might be unusual in some locations, the concept of differences, and their impact on how people interact, is universal. The Global Diversity University contains important information about the relevance of these issues in many of the countries in which the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies has a major presence.

The relevance of differences varies depending on the context, situation, and country. For example, individuals could be the same ethnicity and gender, yet their education, age and family status may differ significantly. These dissimilarities may impact how the individuals relate to one another. Two very important principles of diversity are that we do not exclude people based on differences and that we do not allow differences to adversely impact our business decisions. Buhler states, "The way work is designed must also be examined. Technological advancements have enabled managers to build flexibility into many jobs today".

LifeScan has a flexible work schedule. Employees are able to communicate what hours they prefer to work and the employee's manager will express what their expectations are. Telecommuting is another option available to certain employees. Casual part time is available to those employees wishing to have even greater flexibility in raising their families.

Employees at LifeScan have many different options available to them regarding their work schedule, and this not only benefits the employees of LifeScan, it also benefits LifeScan by having committed and loyal employees. Finally, Buhler states that with regard to the flexibility of the strategic plan, "Many consider the term strategic flexibility to be an oxymoron. In reality, however, today's organizations require none other than flexibility in both planning and implementing strategy. LifeScan has a strategic plan that involves setting sales goals, product development, and setting goals for the individuals within the organization. LifeScan's is continually monitoring the competition, technology advances, and trends in order to ensure that its strategic plan is on track with the ever-changing environment. This flexibility means that LifeScan is able to maintain its share of customers who are loyal to LifeScan and its products.

I personally do not think that LifeScan needs to change anything as far as flexibility goes, they are always looking for new and better ways to assist employees, manage business, and provide the best possible products to their customers. If I had to change something, I believe that I would recommend that the lines of communication regarding major changes be a little quicker. Rumors and speculation can become a problem, but I realize that large corporations need to make sure that they are doing the right thing for everyone involved when major changes are necessary. However, quick communication about those changes would help alleviate the panic.

Bibliography

Dessler, Gary (2001).
Management Theory, Practice, and Application, Section Three. Bhuler, Patricia M. (2002).
Flexibility in Management. SuperVision, Vol. 63, retrieved July 10, 2003 from web.