Stains on the Bright Side of Process-Oriented Organizational Designs: an Empirical Investigation of Advantages and Disadvantages

AbstractEmpirical and anecdotal evidence point to the advantages of a process orientation from an organizational perspective but do not explicitly consider the potential disadvantages or the employee’s perspective. However, to be able to profit from a process orientation, organizations undergoing a transformation of their organizational structure must ensure that employees adopt a process orientation in their daily work. The purpose of this study is to show the employees’ perspectives on potential (dis)advantages of a process orientation. We surveyed employees in the financial services sector (N = 1,101) with an exploratory design that uses open questions on the main advantages and disadvantages of process orientation. Based on the survey data, we observe advantages that extend beyond those reported by prior research. Additionally, we find that employees partly perceive a process orientation as disadvantageous; this perception, in turn, may lead to the resistance of employees in times of organizational transformations. The findings can serve as a guideline for managers when introducing process orientation in highlighting which disadvantages should be mitigated and which advantages should be emphasized.

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