Surpassing Bureaucracy: Introducing participatory management in organization design
FAVI is a French company built around the idea of a network of mini-factories, working together to serve the client as good as possible. A typical mini-factory consists of 20 to 35 operators and its leader. Each factory focuses on just one product at a time, in order to have a better customer relationship. The mini-factories operate freely within an informal network, without any form of centralized coordination. It is like an ecosystem of autonomous cells that are always able to find ad hoc solutions to problems that arise from their clients or by the evolution of the market. They have interesting characteristics that make them highly efficient, adaptive, and productive. For example, the team of every mini-factory is supposed to elect its own leader. The leader must always be an operator who has been working for several years within the factory and is often regarded as an experienced and recognized leader. The level of education is of no importance.
Please read the references listed at the end and follow the two parts of this assignment:
Part 1: Small Group Discussion (November 9th). During the second hour of the class, the participants will be divided into small groups in order to discuss the case during 40 min. After that, the instructor will lead a general discussion with all the participants together, to hear the results of each small group work. You have to come having read the references and prepared to participate in the discussion.
Part 2: Case Analysis (Due November 14th). Based on the readings, the results of the small group class discussion, and any other research you do on your own, consider the following topics about FAVI organizational design to write your case analysis (this is not a questionnaire, try to be creative in your writing):
- Describe the organizational structure of FAVI as good as possible (use figures to illustrate). What are the arguments in favor of it and those opposing? What is your personal feeling about this structure? Would you feel comfortable within it?
- Define what is a mini-factory, how it develops in organizations and what are its drawbacks. Why was this approach taken by FAVI?
- Can you consider workplace well-being and participatory management as the core philosophies of FAVI organization? Why is it different?
- What are the innovations that FAVI introduced to the automotive parts industry?
- Do you think that this type of structure can function in the Caribbean?
References:
Gilbert, P., et al. (2018). The liberated firm, a radical innovation, or a mere avatar of participatory management? Gérer & Comprendre. (English Edition). No. 3
Gilbert, P., et al. (2013). Work Organisation and Innovation – Case Study: FAVI, France. Cornell University ILR School.
Laloux, F. (2014). Reinventing Organizations: A guide to creating organizations inspired by the next stage of human consciousness. Brussels (Belgium): Nelson Parker.
The assignment has a maximum of 3000 words.
APA
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