1. Organisational chaos

Organisational chaos is defined as the lack of clear guidelines for work processes:

• unclear rules 
• ambiguous work processes 
• double standards 
• asymmetric work duties and responsibilities distribution per teams and on hierarchical level that result in inefficient outcomes

2. Status quo maintenance.

Work is done based on coinciding interests and on personal (biased) approval instead of applying a professional approach towards employees. Organisational culture strictly depends on circles of relationships - the political dimension. These circles of influence maintain the status quo and will never accept any change because it does not correspond to their understanding of power ownership. Change breaks the status quo comfort and is far from desirable. 

3. Malign work model - includes practices that weaken work ethics. Work is done not on real facts and achievements but based on backstage maneuvers, disinformation, partial information on the real organisational status. All this is used to manipulate and ensure employee subordination in a desired direction. 

4. Unrealistic definition on organisational goals

5.Unrealistic deadlines for execution - deadlines do not reflect work process specifics

How to minimize such factors? Here are some proposals:

1. Simple structure establishment and definition of clear work rules. This means that middle management is not only an automated  tasks transmitter from the top management to the operational level. Middle management could gather, summarize and represent to strategists and senior level executives all employees’ feedback on organisational structure adaptability, work processes issues and optimisation, best practices analysis and implementation of efficient and productive case studies as a standard approach to tackle issues. 

2. Reporting and transparency - in both directions - employee and employer.

3. Unified standards to resolve problematic situations, disputes.

4. Teams exchange best practices, use proven working models during everyday routines.

5. Goal setting with the option for the operational level to be heard. This is an innovative approach that suits network organisations.

                 Organisational restructuring is a complex process that impacts the overall company and employees’ life as well. It is usually defined in the corporate strategy. The most common triggers to restructuring are: profit, cost optimisation, company’s market share status, clients’ feedback and behavior towards company services and products. Since these factors are rapidly changing corporate strategy is exposed to the market pressure to perform faster in mid term and in short term. Company strategy is no longer expected to be lasting and fixed for the long run as in the classic approach. Agility is the new norm. 

               How to solve this contradiction?

               Quick approach - cutting costs - staff and process transformation. The budget will be safe. 

               How does this look in practice?

               First, there are experts (internal or external consultants) who evaluate jobs within the company, their impact and necessity for the organisational performance. And the costs of course.

               Second, driven by the willingness to save costs, platforms, tools and specific software are implemented to optimise processes where possible and necessary. This might require new jobs creation within the organisational structure and transformation of existing departments and teams. This directly impacts the work culture and employees’ routines. 

Then there is a definition of the new organisational structure.

Restructuring stands for partial structural change and not overall replacement of the current corporate structure. This is the main challenge because old structures must coexist with new ones. The old approach should work with new structures and very often there is a back and forth process until the whole new working reality is set up and running.

             What an employee can do in corporate restructuring times:

1. Be curious, learn new useful approaches, know-how that will help you survive the initial post restructuring chock.
2. Do not protest, block the process. It will happen sooner or later. Why? It has been decided on a senior level. Instead of wasting precious energy check what you can learn to adapt.
3. It might seem that your department will be affected. Check with the colleagues from the HR department for other internal professional opportunities where you and your expertise will be valued and needed.
4. Find a mentor within the organisation. This is an option for you to avoid the negative impact of uncertainty when restructuring starts.
5. Provide constructive and impartial feedback when something is not working since the new processes are established and check for improvement approaches.
6. Be pro-active and see all today' s challenges as tomorrow’s opportunities but not on every count.

        This is not about stopping following your work ethics. It is about learning to adapt in an uncertain work environment. Once employees rediscover their stability then they will work again in an efficient way and add value.

Flat organisational structure is the direct result of a face paced business environment with severe competition and a high speed communication flow. This is the response of the corporate reengineering process from the 1990s. Flat structure deprived of multiple decision making and managerial levels is well integrated within contemporary network organisations, where the director and the team leads are seen as primus inter pares. Managers still manage teams, processes. They are just more accessible and there are no intermediaries between them and the employees. Given this fact, communication is easier and more efficient, timely. 

The key concept here is coordination and efficient communication so that all processes from planning stage to decision making through the stage put into action, production and delivery are well managed with minimum mistakes, delays, and reversions.

How does a flat structure work within a consulting type of organisation? 

Context - a case study on recruitment multinational project. The organisation is a network of recruitment specialists. Main actor for communication and process management with client companies is a recruitment agency that constantly attracts freelance recruiters. The agency is the main mediator between the client and the freelance recruiters. 

Positive aspects:

• easy integration of new actors
• the recruiter has full access to agency information on projects
• the conditions are already negotiated for one can focus on pure recruitment activities (sourcing, interviewing, qualifying, and presenting clients)
• no participation in the hiring process as per documentation and procedures

Challenges:

• the recruiter has no direct contact with the client
• the agency qualifies additionally the candidates presented by freelance recruiters and this is a second filter
• feedback is delayed
• many recruiters compete for the same project (hidden internal competition)
• if a recruiter joins a long lasting recruitment project there is a great chance that the project can be cancelled
• the main agency does not provide tools for recruitment. Through separate activities, research and publication of job advertisements the recruiter can see that many other freelancers or even agencies work on the same project
• duplication of candidates. The system does not provide information that the candidate has been already presented to the client

          Conclusion and guidance:

1. Flat structure works well for small or medium sized companies
2. A transparency in communication is key
3. Connections between intermediary and sub contractors should be built on trust and mutual respect
4. Contact with clients should be clear and simple. Initial instructions to sub contractors on project specifics are crucial.
5. Internal competition between sub contractors is useless. It will not speed up the process nor contribute for better delivery results, nor for better service.
6. Shared resources are key to avoid duplication of efforts.
7. Timely communication is crucial to handle a project. Timely communication with all stakeholders.
8. Specialisation brings better results and will minimise mediocre performance.