Oksana Onyshchenko

Beyond structure: integration of organization theory and organizational design for strategic flexibility

Introduction

Beyond structure: integration of organization theory and organizational design for strategic flexibility. Boost strategic flexibility in the digital age. This article integrates organization theory and design, offering tools to diagnose rigidity, apply micromechanisms, and adapt dynamically.

Abstract

In today's turbulent and digital transformation environment, traditional approaches to organizational design that focus on formal structures are increasingly proving insufficient to ensure strategic flexibility of enterprises. At the same time, the provisions of Organization Theory offer a deeper explanation of behavioral and institutional mechanisms, but remain fragmentarily integrated into management practice. The article attempts to synthesize these two planes – scientific and applied – by developing a conceptual framework “beyond structure”, which goes beyond the traditional idea of the organizational chart as the main adaptation tool. The authors focus on the key contradictions of modern organizational design: finding a balance between stability and adaptability, form and mechanisms, static “fit” and dynamic “fitness”. The vision of strategic flexibility is proposed as the ability of an organization to quickly reallocate resources, reduce the decision-making cycle, scale innovations and maintain manageability in the process of change. The article identifies micromechanisms that mediate this process: role design, coordination protocols, information flow architecture, decision-making rights distribution, and digital infrastructure. The practical value of the study lies in the formation of a toolkit for managers that allows them to diagnose “rigidity nodes,” apply design principles to increase flexibility without radical restructuring, and integrate scientific insights from Organization Theory into specific management practices. The theoretical significance lies in the development of an interdisciplinary approach to organizational design that takes into account the dynamics of the environment, microfoundations of adaptation, and digital architecture as a basic element of modern organizational systems. JEL Classification: L2, L21, L22, M1, M10

Review

This article addresses a highly pertinent and critical challenge in contemporary management: achieving strategic flexibility in an increasingly turbulent and digitally driven environment. The authors convincingly argue that traditional organizational design, with its focus on static structures, is inadequate. By aiming to synthesize the scientific rigor of Organization Theory with the practical imperatives of organizational design, the paper proposes a timely and necessary conceptual framework that moves "beyond structure." The focus on resolving key contradictions – such as balancing stability and adaptability, and shifting from static "fit" to dynamic "fitness" – positions the research at the forefront of modern organizational discourse, offering a much-needed integrated perspective. A significant strength of the study lies in its detailed articulation of strategic flexibility as an organizational capability, defined by metrics like resource reallocation speed, decision-cycle reduction, and innovation scalability. Crucially, the paper moves beyond abstract notions by identifying specific micromechanisms – including role design, coordination protocols, information flow architecture, decision-making rights, and digital infrastructure – that mediate this flexibility. This granular approach provides concrete levers for intervention, enhancing the practical value of the research. The explicit focus on forming a toolkit for managers to diagnose "rigidity nodes" and implement design principles without radical restructuring, alongside its theoretical contribution to an interdisciplinary understanding of adaptation, marks this as a valuable contribution to both scholarship and practice. While the abstract promises a robust conceptual framework and a practical toolkit, the full paper would benefit from elaborating on the precise nature and methodology of the "toolkit" and how the identified micromechanisms interact to foster strategic flexibility. Given the ambitious claim of increasing flexibility "without radical restructuring," an exploration of the boundary conditions, potential trade-offs, and the process of integrating these scientific insights into diverse management practices would further strengthen the argument. Future research could also consider empirical validation or case studies demonstrating the efficacy of this framework in real-world organizational contexts, particularly concerning the interplay between the proposed micromechanisms and digital infrastructure in achieving dynamic "fitness."

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