Self-organization makes teams work more efficiently

The potential of good self-organization for companies

The term self-organization in the context of modern management describes a process of autonomous decision-making by individual employees or teams. Basically, self-organization describes the ability of employees to organize and structure their tasks and working methods independently. The aim is to increase work efficiency and improve the degree to which goals are achieved. The modern working world is characterized by a highly dynamic and fast-paced environment. When companies promote the self-organization of their employees, they enable them to develop their own structures. These should not only fit in with the company’s culture, but also provide additional flexibility and adaptability.

The basic prerequisites for successful self-organization of employees are that they must have both the technical qualities – i.e. knowledge of the necessary methods and tools – and the personal qualities – such as good self-management and a sense of responsibility on the part of each employee. Collaboration is not hierarchically structured. Managers act primarily as advisors, but not as commanders. This leads to an optimization of all work results, creates trust and leads to an improvement in the overall success of the company. Self-organization creates additional freedom for employees and establishes the framework conditions in which employees can be creative and develop their potential.

In order for employees to develop optimally within the company, they must be granted more autonomy by the company. This also increases employee motivation, creates more efficient work processes and boosts innovation. However, the following prerequisites must be met in order to fully develop the potential:

• A transparent and inspiring corporate vision is needed, which can be used as a basis for the decisions to be made.
• It is important to establish a culture of trust within the company. Individual employees must be aware of their responsibilities and actively take them on.
• Successful self-organization is based on agile structures and flexible processes. It is therefore essential to create a flexible working environment.
• Digital communication platforms can be used for optimal coordination of work and additional transparency. This makes teamwork more efficient.
• Soft skills such as problem-solving or communication skills as well as methodical knowledge are the basis for self-organization. Training courses strengthen this knowledge.
• Managers have an increased responsibility in self-organized teams. They act primarily as mentors and encourage initiative within the teams.
• Self-organized employees should be courageous – even if this entails failure. This requires an open error culture in order to guarantee that mistakes are learned from.

Für Arbeitgeber bedeutet dies, die richtigen Rahmenbedingungen im Unternehmen zu schaffen. Es geht darum, klare Ziele, ein vertrauensvolles Verhältnis und agile Strukturen zu schaffen, um die Selbstorganisation der Mitarbeiter erfolgreich im Unternehmen zu verankern. Wenn das Umfeld stimmt, hat das Unternehmen langfristig einen klaren Wettbewerbsvorteil.

Vorteile der Mitarbeiterselbstorganisation für das Unternehmen

Von der Etablierung der Selbstorganisation im Unternehmen profitieren sowohl das Unternehmen selbst als auch die Beschäftigten, die sich auf diese Weise selbst organisieren können. Die Vorteile sind vielfältig, aber die Kernvorteile der Selbstorganisation sollen hier kurz angesprochen werden:

1. When employees are given the opportunity to organize their own tasks and working methods independently, they are more motivated, more satisfied at work and more committed to achieving the company’s goals.
2. Self-organized work processes enable companies to react promptly to market changes and changing working conditions. The increased level of adaptability makes it possible to develop innovative solutions.
3. Hierarchically organized processes sometimes prolong the decision-making process considerably. Self-organizing teams work on an equal footing and therefore increase efficiency and productivity.
4. Self-organization is designed to create additional scope for creativity for individual employees. Employees can contribute their own ideas and implement them. This leads to an increase in innovative strength.
5. Self-organization within the workforce makes a significant contribution to bringing them closer to the company’s goals. Employees can interpret their role in the overall corporate context and work more purposefully.
6. Another key advantage is that the special skills and potential of individual employees can be identified and optimally utilized. Self-organized teams establish a culture of open communication, which promotes transparency and cooperation promotes.

All in all, these advantages show that self-organization is a holistic management approach. This approach has the potential to fundamentally transform companies and equip them for the challenges of the modern working world.

Three examples of self-organization methods

There are various methods that support the self-organization of employees and help to structure the working day in a meaningful way. Three frequently used methods will be briefly presented here. In the ABC analysis, for example, a priority list is drawn up. All tasks belonging to category A have the highest priority and must be completed quickly. If possible, they should be completed in the morning when employees are still motivated and rested. B-category tasks are not quite as important as A-category tasks, can be delegated and should be completed promptly. Tasks in the C category are less important, but still need to be completed. These include, for example, replying to less important emails or tidying up the workplace.

An alternative approach is the so-called ALPEN method. This method is divided into five steps. The A stands for “write down tasks” and is a list of all the tasks that need to be completed in the upcoming working week. Once the list has been created, the time required must be estimated, where L stands for “determine length”. However, as this is only an estimate, around 40 percent should be planned as “P for buffer time”. The fourth step is to determine which tasks should be given priority – where E stands for “prioritize decisions”. After a short test phase, check whether all tasks have been completed within the set deadlines – the N in the ALPEN method therefore stands for the final “follow-up check”.

A third approach is the Eisenhower matrix. This methodology is based on the idea that particularly important or urgent tasks must be completed immediately. The importance of a task is measured by the impact it has on the success of the employing company or other people. Tasks that have a short deadline are summarized as particularly urgent. This means that not all important things are urgent and some urgent tasks are not necessarily important. The Eisenhower matrix is intended to optimize self-organization. The primary goal of using the Eisenhower matrix is to enable employees to focus on the essentials and to increase the effectiveness and productivity of their work through prioritization.

Useful tools to support self-organization

Various technical aids can be used to simplify self-organization. They support the planning of tasks, help to document and evaluate the actual workload and incorporate the experience gained into even more precise planning in the future. For example, software-based solutions that use the approaches for better self-organization as a basis can generate checklists or work aids. These depict deadlines and to-do lists or support the management of upcoming deadlines.

In most cases, the software solutions can even be accessed via mobile digital devices. However, before using such a technical aid to optimize self-organization, it is always advisable to try out the tool in advance. It is important to find out whether the functions offered are actually helpful and support users in their work. This also applies to the technical environment and the user-friendliness of the tool, as success depends on problem-free and appropriate use.

Special features of self-organization in the home office

The trend towards working from home has now become firmly established for certain professional groups. In order to be able to work successfully, those affected need a high degree of self-discipline and self-organization also plays a key role. Effective self-organization is the key to fully exploiting the advantages of mobile working. To this end, employees who do at least part of their work from home should establish a sustainable organizational system at their workplace at home. The following tips should be followed:

• Especially those who are not yet used to working from home are well advised to minimize distractions. The key is to set up your own study and concentrate on your work. To this end, a balance between work and family should be created that allows the challenges of modern working life to be mastered. Working from home generally has no impact on the volume of work.
• In terms of the volume of work and the tasks to be completed, working from home is basically no different from working in the office. However, those affected should be aware that they will be more dependent on themselves, which will have an impact on individual time management. Developing routines, actively organizing yourself and setting goals help to increase productivity and save time.
• Good self-organization supports the development of meaningful work processes. A simple method to stay focused on the task at hand is to banish the smartphone from the workplace, for example. The deep work method helps to improve concentration. It involves extensive planning in which breaks have a fixed place. The most unpleasant tasks should be completed in the morning.

Especially those who are new to working from home should always be on the lookout for methods and aspects with which they can further improve their self-organization in the home office. This includes, for example, learning techniques and methods for effective time and self-management. This will enable them to optimize independent working from home and learn how to work at home in a focused manner. The time saved can be used for family or hobbies.