Developing self-organisation:
Consulting on the agile organisation of an IT department
Generating speed and flexibility through a new collaboration model. Case of an IT department in the context of Neuwaldegg’s consulting for agile organisations.
An organisation at the limits of enhancing efficiency
A well-established IT department with long-standing employees is at the limits of enhancing efficiency in the hierarchical system that has grown over the years. Something fundamental has to change in the way they work together and in the organisational structure in order to meet the challenges of everyday life and the future. Personal responsibility, self-organisation and agility should be increased. At the same time, the department is part of an organisation that is classically hierarchically managed and will not change in this respect.
Speed and flexibility through a new collaboration model
The aim of the project is to achieve more focus for the individual in their work through a new organisational structure and clear roles, thereby providing real added value for our clients. The organisation picks up speed through short decision-making paths and increased decision-making authority. Roles instead of positions create flexibility in coping with daily tasks and mobility for future developments. Every single employee’s room for manoeuvre should be increased in order to make decisions where the expert knowledge for this lies.
Rapidly developing a first prototype
The first phase of the project is characterised by intensive work with the department’s management team. The most important key question at the beginning: Which problems do we want to solve and which form of (self-) organisation is helpful? It is critically examined whether a change process is worthwhile and it quickly becomes clear that a mere structural change is certainly not enough. Leadership needs to be more distributed throughout the entire organisation and roles need to be defined. Which decision-making authorities are delegated to the employees is clearly defined by management level and transferred with the employees’ consent. Before the entire organisation is restructured, we start with an initial pilot project according to the “fail fast” principle, develop this prototype continuously and learn more every day.
Gradual development
Developing the appropriate form of self-organisation in a classically hierarchical company is an individual process that can be taken step by step, with a high level of commitment from the management to fundamentally question and completely realign one’s own role.