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Parallel Structures

Parallel structures involve employees in resolving complex problems and building adaptability in organizations. They operate alongside formal organizations and provide alternative settings for addressing issues and proposing innovative solutions free from structure and culture constraints. Examples include periodic off-site meetings to improve work quality or temporary assignments to develop new products or solutions. Parallel structures facilitate problem solving and change by providing time and resources for new ways of thinking, talking, and acting.

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150 views

Parallel Structures

Parallel structures involve employees in resolving complex problems and building adaptability in organizations. They operate alongside formal organizations and provide alternative settings for addressing issues and proposing innovative solutions free from structure and culture constraints. Examples include periodic off-site meetings to improve work quality or temporary assignments to develop new products or solutions. Parallel structures facilitate problem solving and change by providing time and resources for new ways of thinking, talking, and acting.

Uploaded by

Achmad Syaifi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Parallel Structures

Parallel structures involve employees in resolving ill-defined, complex problems and build adaptability into bureaucratic
organizations.14 Also known as “collateral structures,”“dualistic structures,” or “shadow structures,” 15 parallel structures operate
in conjunctionwith the formal organization. They provide members with an alternative setting in which to address problems and
to propose innovative solutions free from the existing, formal organization structure and culture. For example, members may
attend periodic off-site meetings to explore new ways to improve quality in their work area or they may be temporarily assigned
to a special project or facility to devise new products or
solutions to organizational problems. Parallel structures facilitate problem solving and change by providing time and resources
for members to think, talk, and act in completely new ways. structures tend to be different from those of the formal organization.
This section describes the application steps associated with the two most common parallel structures, cooperative union–
management projects and quality circles, and reviews the research on their effectiveness

OD practitioners can play an important role in forming the steering committee.First, they can help to establish the team and to
select appropriate members. Second, they can assist in developing and maintaining group norms of learning and innovation.
These norms set the tone for problem solving throughout the parallel structure. Third, they can help the committee create a vision
statement that refines the structure’s purpose and promotes ownership of it. Fourth, they can help committee members develop
and specify objectives and strategies, organizational expectations and required resources, and potential rewards for participation
in the parallel structure..

Total quality management (TQM) is a more comprehensive approach to employee involvement than parallel structures. Also
known as “business excellence,” “continuous process improvement,” “continuous quality,” “lean,” and “Six Sigma,” TQM grew
out of a manufacturing emphasis on quality control and represents a long-term effort to orient
all of an organization’s activities around the concept of quality. Quality is achieved when organizational processes reliably
produce products and services that meet or exceed customer expectations. Although it is possible to implement TQM without
employee involvement, member participation in the change process increases the likelihood of sustaining the results. Quality-
improvement processes were popular in the 1990s, and many organizations, including Morton Salt, Weyerhaeuser, Xerox,
Boeing’s Airlift and Tanker Programs, Motorola, and Analog Devices, incorporated TQM interventions. Today, a capability for
continuous quality improvement is essential for global competitiveness. TQM increases workers’ knowledge and skills through
extensive training, provides relevant information to employees, pushes decision-making power downward in the organization,
and ties rewards to performance. When implemented successfully, TQM also is aligned closely with a firm’s overall strategy and
attempts to direct the entire organization toward continuous quality improvement.

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