Organization and Management FLEXIBLE ORGANIZATIONS To what extent flexible structure provides improvements in Public Organizations?

Introduction

During the last decade, due to the increasing necessity of implementation of new organizations structures, many researchers have showed interest in exploring how organizations can become more flexible. Flexible organizations have a more interactive design which allows facing future challenges and also allow shifting strategies and managerial decisions in different levels of the hierarchical pyramid. Globalization, rapid technology growth, unpredictable future issues, market and environmental changes are some of the factors which are behind this concept. As a result of the pursuit of effectiveness and efficiency in Public organizations, several theories have emerged in the last thirty years. The New Public Management (NPM), has its roots in the general idea that private sector works better than public ones. NPM embraces many concepts which are considered not completely new, including customer-orientation, result-orientation, decentralization, and others (Sebahattin Gltekin, 2011). Public Value is other newer and important concept which aimed to lay out a structure to guide managers in public enterprises and create public value, an efficient method to obtain results, as private enterprises create private value to their shareholder (Mark H. Moore, 1996).

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Public Organizations have been seen for several years, as a group of not-completely efficient institutions, with an old hierarchical structure used as a pattern towards all their departments. Criticism expose that they are unable to respond promptly to uncertain events. Dr. Miles Overholt express in his article Flexible Organizations that successful companies are these which have the ability to continually adapt and master the paradox of creating stable environment to continual change. Given these issues, the concept of flexible design arises. It offers a change in the organizational structure of an institution or enterprise. It is based on how changing and challenging the modern issues are. Flexible design encourages employees participation as a vital part of taking decisions process and also criticizes the rigid and hierarchical structure. Therefore flat structures appear as a convenient option. Flexible concept establishes that there are multiple kind of organizations, they differs ones from another. Even if the study is focus specifically on public sector, the nature of each institution and its goals and challenges are diverse, thus it is inconvenient the implementation of the same structure to all type of organizations. In essence, a changing and innovating organizational design is the strategy to succeed towards future and unpredictable issues. (Overholt, 2011). What is important for public sector? Public Sector needs to change because as same as private sector it lives in an uncertain and complex environment. The objective of this essay is to show to what extent flexibility and change can improve the performance of organizations. Indeed, innovation is urgently necessary in public sector and just the organizations open to change will face the new challenges.

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This study will begin by outlining the followings topics: The methodology to be used A briefly analysis of the existing literature in this field A case study in order to shed light on a number of issues relating to the theory of change Findings, discussions Conclusions

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BALIGH, H. 2006. Organization Structure: Theory and Design, Analyzes and Prescription. Springer.

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BOURGON, J. 2011. A new Synthesis of Public Administration: Serving in the 21st Century, McFill-Queens University Press.

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MOORE, M. 1995. Public Value: Strategic Management in Government, Harvard University.

MORABITO, J., SACK, I. & STOHR, E. 2009. Design of Flexible Organizations. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management.

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OSBORNE, S. & BROWN, K. 2005. Managing Change and Innovation in Public Service Organisations, Routledge.

PASMORE, W. 2000. Creating Strategic Change: Designing the Flexible, High-Performing Organization.

RUSAW, C. 1998. Transforming the Character of Public Organizations, Quorum Books.

SHAFRIT, J. & BORICK, C. 2011. Cases in Public Policy and Administration, Pearson Education Inc.

SIMS, R., BUSINESS, M. S. O. & MARY, C. O. W. A. 2010. Change (Transformation) in Goverment Organizations, Information Age Publishing Inc. .

WALLACE, M., FERTIG, M. & SCHNELLER, E. 2007. Managing Change in the Public Services Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

WILSON, C. 2006. Public Policy: Continuity Change, McGraw-Hill Companies.

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