Cognitive Biases in Decision Making in Post-Bureaucratic Organizations

In today's post-bureaucratic organization, where decision-making is decentralized, most managers are confronted with highly complex situations where time-constraint and availability of information makes the decision-making process essential. Studies show that a great amount of decisions are not taken after a rational decision-making process but rather rely on instinct, emotion or quickly processed information. After briefly describing the journey of thoughts from Rational Choice Theory to the emergence of Behavioral Economics, this chapter will elaborate on the mechanisms that are at play in decision-making in an attempt to understand the root causes of cognitive biases, using the theory of Kahneman's (2011) System 1 and System 2. It will discuss the linkage between the complexity of decision-making and post-bureaucratic organization.

Human Resource Management in Post-Bureaucratic Organizations

The topic of human resource management is considered to be one of the most ancient in the domain of social sciences and different issues have been widely addressed by the time. However, society and markets evolution and the rise of new organizational forms invite new problems, as well as new perspectives on how to manage people at work. This chapter will deal with how the role of HRM has evolved in post-bureaucratic organizations and what can be done to sustain different people's motivation and engagement. Post-bureaucratic organizations may require a new human resource philosophy and the reconsideration of human resource management practices in order to guarantee employees' well-being, dignity together with organizational success.

Creating Values-Based Accountability Systems for the Turbulence of Post-Bureaucratic Organizations

This chapter argues that most organizations should develop a set of shared values that drive and unite all facets of their work, creating an inclusive and transparent accountability system. This enables an overall connection while allowing for groups (such as divisions or departments) to avoid being overly interdependent (Carroll & Burton, 2000). This is a more nuanced and adaptable accountability system, enabling individuals and sections within the overall organization to be dynamic, rather than trying to develop a range of rules and procedures that will cover all circumstances across the organization over time. In this scenario, changes in context, whether internally or externally to an organization, would not require a whole new set of rules and procedures. The chapter focuses on analyzing how an organization can develop and utilize a shared set of values to connect processes and interactions into a coherent and flexible accountability system (Gehman et al., 2013).

Building an Ethical Culture in the Post-Bureaucratic Era

The purpose of this chapter is to propose a framework for achieving an ethical culture in the post-bureaucratic era. The authors emphasize the necessity of informal dialogue and employee empowerment, and examine the role that personal values have in the post-bureaucratic work environment. Next, this chapter explores the appraisal of personal values and asserts that modern organizations will need similar strategies in order to identify and develop an effective ethical culture. The last portion of this chapter addresses three employee virtues that are helpful in the design and implementation of an ethical culture. Over and above appraising the values of an organization, this chapter provides a modern account for the definition of values and discusses methods for appraising each virtue while also proposing some alternatives for measuring employee loyalty, integrity and perseverance.

Post-Bureaucratic Organizations as Complex Systems

The term “post-bureaucratic” defines such organizations characterized by the absence or the reduced role of traditional bureaucracy. This contribution is aimed to provide a theoretical framework to explain the real nature and the hidden dynamics of post-bureaucratic systems, adopting a complex (Stacey, 1996; Mitleton-Kelly, 2003), critical (Wilmott, 1992; Alvesson, Bridgman, & Willmott, 2009) and multi-paradigmatic perspective (Gioia & Pitre, 1990; Lowe, Magala, & Hwang, 2012; Patel, 2016), that considers also the influence of socio-psychological and socio-cultural factors. The findings of the research suggest it is opportune to go beyond the epistemological stance of the Weberian concept of ideal type, assuming that contemporary organizations may show hybrid (see Stark, 1992; Grandori, 1995) and multi-status configurations. The theoretical, methodological and practical implications of the adoption of this perspective are discussed in the final part of the chapter and are provided suggestions for present and future research.

Power Systems

Three major power systems are described: The ‘inclusive' totalitarian system, the ‘non-inclusive' bureaucratic system, and the ‘exclusive' plan targeting system. The totalitarian system is aiming at controlling the whole population of a social system and based on resource exploitation. The bureaucratic system is aimed at information collection and decision making according to pre-established rules. The post-Taylor plan targeting system is aimed at determining and controlling the operative work of individual workers. As previous communist country experiences have shown, all three systems suffer from systemic constraints, that even if the three power systems are woven together, they are finally leading to the demise of a social system. Hope for change may come from moves towards cooperative management practices, as e.g. suggested by William Edwards Deming, and more complex theories with higher levels of integrity and complexity, as e.g. suggested by Steven Wallis, Foundation for the Advancement of Social Theory.

Watercolour

The present chapter analyses the post-bureaucratic phenomenon, adopting a socio-cultural perspective and post-modern approach. According to the theoretical perspective proposed in this chapter, organizational systems should be considered a specific type of socio - cultural system. The apparent paradox of the dual nature of organizational systems, that may be conceived at the same time as autonomous and as interconnected socio-cultural realities, offers an extraordinary conceptual and methodological challenge for organization studies. The duality of complex organizations dynamics is, according to the theoretical perspective adopted in this chapter, also one of the key concepts to unlock the real nature of post-bureaucratic organization, beyond the dichotomic approach adopted by post-Weberian studies. Moreover, post-bureaucratic organizations, may be seen also as hybrid organizations (Bergquist, 1994), that are characterized by a high agree of cultural variety. This chapter proposes an integrated theoretical framework, aimed to recompose the apparent incoherent picture of contemporary post-bureaucratic organizations. The present chapter analyses the post-bureaucratic phenomenon, adopting a socio-cultural perspective and post-modern approach. According to the theoretical perspective proposed in this chapter, organizational systems should be considered a specific type of socio - cultural system. The apparent paradox of the dual nature of organizational systems, that may be conceived at the same time as autonomous and as interconnected socio-cultural realities, offers an extraordinary conceptual and methodological challenge for organization studies. The duality of complex organizations dynamics is, according to the theoretical perspective adopted in this chapter, also one of the key concepts to unlock the real nature of post-bureaucratic organization, beyond the dichotomic approach adopted by post-Weberian studies. Moreover, post-bureaucratic organizations, may be seen also as hybrid organizations, that are characterized by a high agree of cultural variety. This chapter proposes an integrated theoretical framework, aimed to recompose the apparent incoherent picture of contemporary post-bureaucratic organizations.

The Development of Intercultural Competences in Post-Bureaucratic Organizations

Nowadays, the concept of intercultural competence is both important and complex at the same time, recalling several dimensions and being applied in several areas or fields. An effective intercultural communication allows people to interact appropriately in a variety of situations, where culture is the primary element to be considered. Talking about intercultural competence implies other dimensions such as awareness, flexibility, empathy, and respect, and takes into account cognitive, motivational, and behavioral aspects. Intercultural competences need to be considered both from a human and organizational perspective with special attention to training and people management practices, diversity management, strategies and methodologies to develop, share and spread such competences. The objective of this chapter is to shed light into the concept of intercultural competence in the era of post-bureaucratic organizations acting within a global/glocal scenario and facing new challenges related to cultural and intercultural issues. A qualitative survey has been conducted to analyze the role of the intercultural competences within trans-national organizations.

Communication in Post-Bureaucratic Organizations

The purpose of this chapter is to better understand post-bureaucratic organizations and their communication by focusing on and linking two factors in modern complexity: diversity and crisis. After outlining the key role of communication in the context of post-bureaucratic organizations, the chapter discusses literature on diversity, cultural diversity, and multicultural communication, which constitutes the background of this work. The chapter then explores in more detail the special case of crisis communication in multicultural contexts, which exemplifies an area where diversity and crisis meet and where the relevance of communication in facilitating relationships, environmental alignment, and organizational learning clearly emerges. Chapter considerations indicate that adaptation to variety is necessary but insufficient, and that a generative learning perspective in organizations is needed so that both diversity and crisis can be used to continuously question and regenerate core organizational assumptions and overall direction. The chapter concludes with future research avenues.

From Control to Commitment Work Systems

The shift towards a flatter, more networked and flexible organization has required an alternative approach to employment issues - from a normative and prescriptive “Personnel Management” approach to a broader “Human Resource Management” (HRM) approach - so as to foster employees' commitment and empowerment. Through a range of HRM practices, so-called High Commitment Work Systems (HCWS), organizations seek to engender higher level of identification, empowerment and autonomy, which are crucial for the ‘post-bureaucratic employee' who is expected to use intuition, discretion and knowledge to deal with ongoing changes and service demands. Focusing on recruitment and selection, career management and flexible work arrangements, the chapter argues that contemporary HR practices offer a powerful mechanism that modern organizations may use to replace bureaucratic control. However, the analysis also highlights several contradictions and tensions that surface during the adoption of HCWS and may explain some of the unsatisfying outcomes of the post-bureaucratic approach.