Are You Still Pre-occupied with "Boxes" in Your Organisation?

Typical organisation structure follows the familiar hierarchical type with a boss or supervisor having a span of control over several staff. On a diagram, the structure is usually drawn with "boxes", indicating names and positions in the organisation. The vertical line connecting the boxes indicate "line of reporting" to the boss above.

When a business shrinks, some boxes are removed. It is for the purpose of cost reduction, due to business decline. Recently, in the name of the latest management fads like "ReEngineering" "Down-Sizing" or a more civilised word "Right-Sizing", many more boxes are removed also. This is justified by perceived, foreseeable or actual market competition. Or, it can be a case of simply following the latest management trend.

When a business expands, more boxes are added. Hence a man-hunt (recruitment) calling echoes throughout in the mass media. Recruitment can be a result of "empty boxes" or vacant positions, besides new "boxes" requirement.

In most organisation, training and development input are injected to the individual "boxes", with the intention that the position holders receive adequate skills, techniques and knowledge to perform the described or expected tasks associated with the "boxes" occupied.

The business is a dynamic and changing scenario. It affects greatly the boxes number and arrangement. The fairly changing nature of the boxes and their occupants can be due to both internal and external factors. The internal factors can include staff turnover, staff promotion or demotion, or un-suitability of staff. The external factors can include market forces such as competition, labour supply, etc.

It then appears that organisation management is compelled by the above circumstances to be pre-occupied with "boxes" management. As time goes by, it is accepted as a necessary management routine duty. Often times, external consultants are engaged to help in boxes management like recruitment, re-structuring, training etc.

"Boxes" as a metaphor to describe the structuring process of personnel in an organisation to carry out various functions is appropriate and correct. It reflects a boundary or framework within which a person operates. The line of reporting structure further puts the boxes in positioning control.

As the complexity of the business process increases, more and more the management realises the limitation, restrictions and stifling effects of the "boxes" structure. (Of course, there are still a lot of ignorant management who attributes business failure to personnel poor performance instead of the "boxes" structure that has imprisoned the personnel.) Evidence of "box-thinking" executive and staff abounds. There are "box-thinking" in different levels of the hierarchy and diversity of functions and specialisation. This has created the organisation stress, communication problems, turf protection, empire building, etc. None of which is contributing to the eventual products or services required by the customers.

New concepts like "teamwork" "process-flow" "employee suggestion scheme" "quality circles" etc. are put in place as programmes, in parallel with the "boxes"-type of hierarchical structure. Although this may appear to be in conflict, it is also considered a practical approach in the transitional period in the evolutionary process towards a more cohesive and harmonious "un-boxes" type of organisational structure.

However century of taken for granted box-type management cannot be eradicated overnight, nor can it be changed easily by implementing some sincere initiatives, quality programmes, or other new management practises.

Many sincere attempts were carried out by some more progressive organisations. Unfortunately they are still the by-products of the "Box"-type structure. There are creation of new "boxes"-positions like "Quality Manager, "Change Champion" "Knowledge Manager" etc. reporting to the Chairman or CEO or the top management, implying that new managers have the equivalent or similar or endorsed authority.

These new "boxes" have the mission of introducing change in the organisation, promoting teamwork, process-oriented focus. However, within the new "Boxes", there are again boxes of executives, clerical staff, ... a mirror image of the same organisational box-type structure.

Since each "box" has a boundary, the new "boxes" are no different. The boundary or framework encloses a new function or specialisation. In the case of the new "boxes", there are "Quality" "System" "Reengineering" "Knowledge" "Business Process" etc. which are treated and understood as a different and new territory by the rest of the organisation. A new territory or foreign country then needs a visa or passport for any cross-boundary interaction. The visa and passport procedure can be a streeful and daunhting task.

It is imperative then that a new role (not another "Box") must be recognised and institutionalised in an organisation. This author wishes to propose a totally different concept. Instead of a "Box", it should be viewed and understood as an "amoeba", with flexible and expandable boundary. The person or group of persons who play such role must have the discipline and knowledge to "influence" and "breakdown" the "Boxes" boundaries of others, thereby liberate and rescue the imprisoned personnel from the "box-thinking".

This new concept may sound theoretical and ideal as the person or persons playing such role are in the first place residing in a "box" somewhere and somehow, greatly constrained and confined, subject to the forces and obstacles at the "boxes" boundaries. The very job security of the new person or persons is also determined by the inter-relationship of the boxes.

For a start an outside help can be sought. This is different from the conventional management consultant services. It is because most consultant operates in "Box-approach". Each consultant specialises and emphases a particular "Box-pacakge". For example, consultant "A" "Box" contains ISO 9000, elaborating the importance of documentation, consultant "B" "Box" contains Quality Circles, turning factory shopfloor to hollywood-type of "academy award" with mechanics and operators presenting their improvement discoveries, consultant "C" "Box" contains "secret habits for successful executives" stressing on importance of interrelationship of people.

The outside help should be someone with knowledge, skills and discipline to act as "organisation observer and thinker". Through a process of research of the organisation, that person should be able to gain an insight into the organisation thinking pattern and direction. The wealth of knowledge gained is then presented, discussed with the management concerned, thereby pointing out the "boxes" boundary barriers and restriction directly to the "boxes" occupants concerned. This is done for the purpose to liberate the minds and hence breaking down the "boxes" boundary.

Like the usual practice of engaging a family doctor, who has a special relationship with the family members and knowledge of the family medical history, the "organisation observer and thinker" will act as an alliance with the organisation, playing a role like an amoeba, integrating, linking, and aligning all the personnel in the organisation towards the business goals. In this process "Boxes" boundary are dismantled like the Berlin walls, some of the organisation personnel with good potential will then take over the role of the "organisation observer and thinker".

End.