Only changing the organizational structure would not ensure the performance levels of the organization. For organization’s success, it has to conform to the beliefs, values and customs of the particular region. The organizational structure is not just delegation of responsibilities in the hierarchical order but it is a socially constructed mesh wherein the people have share beliefs with one another. To bring about the desired results or performance levels, the coordinator’s (or CEO’s) morality and devotion is essential.
The article takes ‘ASDA’ grocery store chain’s turnaround into consideration. The change has four elements. First is the felt crisis. People don’t gauge the crisis and are helpless at that time because they are intertwined with the responsibilities and obligations, they are demoralized or they become corrupt. Second element, Counter-structure deals with breaking the existing structures that are now hampering the inculcation of sense of involvement among the employees. Structure inhibits aggression but counterstructure provides a venting to this aggression by involving all the persons and providing a common platform to work in synergistic manner. Third element is back to basics and works itself. This step is actual implementation of change by the bottom line and supervisors who have sorted out all the misunderstanding by counterstructure. A focus on work itself delimits aggression by delimiting arbitrary action and by focusing on customers. The fourth element is combining aggression and playfulness. This is in context with Allan Leighton, the second in run at ‘Asda’ who had maneuvered the aggression among store employees and supervisors to vent out with a playful technique.
Even if everything in the organization is happening as desired, there can be possibility of virtual crisis. It is a psychological sense of incompleteness among the employees that can become felt crisis sooner or later.
