Establishing the organizational structure and improving workflow of Square One Project Solutions towards role clarity, improved collaboration, and streamlined work processes: An insider action research

• Main Author: Servano, Myrcel G.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2021
• Subjects: Workflow—Management; Organizational sociology; Business Administration, Management, and Operations
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_manorg/87; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdm_manorg/article/1097/viewcontent/servano_Redacted.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

This action research established the organizational structure and improved the workflow of Square One Project Solutions resulting in role clarity, improved collaboration, and streamlined work processes within the organization. The early stages of operating a business with a few members in the team are crucial, and there is an expectation that several issues will come up. Some of these issues are caused by the lack of role clarity and a well-defined organizational structure. The lack of these results in the following: role confusion or role ambiguity, especially if one or more people in the team are wearing multiple hats given the lack of manpower, conflicts in decision-making that cause misunderstanding, lapses in different business functions and activities, and uneven work distribution. The occurrence of these causes stresses among the team members, affecting their performance and the quality of their work outcomes, especially since there is uncertainty on how they should position themselves in the team and how they could best perform their duties. Through this action research, the team members of Square One Project Solutions were able to implement change in the organization to address the identified issues through the different action research tools and methods of inquiry. Lewin’s Three-Step Model, Organization Role Theory, DARCI Matrix, and Work System Theory were used as references in planning and implementing the actions that would best address the issues identified. The first cycle focused on defining the organizational structure, identifying the key roles required in our business, providing role clarity to the team members through creating job descriptions, and setting of boundary between the business and family to improve communication since this research is conducted in a family business setting. These action items were followed by streamlining the business processes with work process flow charts in the second cycle. The flow charts documentation provided the team a reference and guide on how activities are done and who are involved in the different processes for our team’s existing and future members. All these interventions were evaluated using quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure that the results we were measuring were captured. In a broader context, this action research suggests emphasizing the importance of having clear roles, improved communication and collaboration, and streamlined processes to improve the work system holistically. Although the work system theory states that each element is important, the action researchers highlighted the importance of looking at four (4) core elements – participants, information, technologies, and processes and activities – at a deeper level using the action research methods to better understand how these impact the rest of the work system. Keywords: Action research, role clarity, collaboration, streamlined processes, workflow, work process flow chart, job description, organizational structure, family business, Organizational Role Theory, Work System Theory