3.2 Relating your work problem or change to key function areas

When scanning an organisation for possible work problems or changes, it is important to be alert to the impact of a specific starting point on other related aspects of management. A work problem at a specific functional level could also have cross-functional impact; that is, strategic implications in multiple functions within your organisation of interest.

Based on Cummings and Worley's (2004) four basic sets of organisational issues, six key function areas where change, development or innovation can be desirable are:

1. strategic
2. techno-structural
3. human resources
4. human process
5. marketing
6. finance.

These are illustrated, in modified and updated form, in Figure 6. When you are considering addressing a work problem or change in one of these six areas, you should think about which related issues, improvements, strategical implications, or questions emerge in any of the other five areas.

Look at Figure 6 as an example, illustrating different function areas within an organisation, and presenting questions and issues relating to the individual function area. Now review the main project topic, the questions and sub-questions you produced in Activity 3 and map them to the diagram below, identifying in which of the six areas your initial ideas and questions are.

Figure 6 Types of work problem or change (adapted from Cummings and Worley, 2004)

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This figure shows different function areas within an organisation, and presenting questions and issues relating to the individual function area. This is a wheel shaped figure with six sectors. The sectors are connected with three axes with arrows at the end of each axes pointing outwards. Each sector has a heading and a number of questions.

Starting from the left top, moving in a clockwise direction, the first sector is labelled as “Systems, structure and technology issues”, with the 4 sub-questions underneath: How to structure the business; how to control and co-ordinate the parts; how to structure core and supporting business processes; how to design jobs and monitor performance.

The second sector is labelled as “Strategic issues” with the 3 sub-questions underneath: what products, services, markets; how to gain competitive advantage; what values to guide organisational functioning.

The third sector is labelled as “Marketing issues”, with the 3 sub-questions underneath: “How to attract new customers?; How to retain existing customers?; How to satisfy customers’ needs?”.

The fourth sector is labelled as “Human resource issues”, with the 3 sub-questions underneath: how to attract competent people; how to set goals and reword people; how to plan and develop careers.

The fifth sector is labelled as “Human process issues”, with the 6 sub-questions underneath: How to communicate; how to solve problems; how to make decisions; how to interact; how to lead; how to share knowledge.

The sixth sector is labelled as “Finance issues”, with the 3 sub-questions underneath: “How to improve the current finance function effectiveness?; How to attract and manage investment?; How to deal with merge and acquisition?”.

Figure 6 Types of work problem or change (adapted from Cummings and Worley, 2004)

Look at each area under which you have put your sub-questions. Are there any further aspects or changes in relation to each area that you would like to add?

Remember that you should aim to keep the problem and questions manageable, so only add more if you think you have missed important elements or to help you explore the problem or sub-questions you have already identified. You also need to be aware of various possibilities in terms of how narrowly or broadly you may have to define the set of problems or changes you are going to work on.