Case Study: Public Bicycle System
One of the most important companies in the field of design, implementation, and operation of public bicycle systems employed the services that LAC offers to carry out an in-depth organizational assessment of the entire entity with the aim of replicating this system in other cities.
The public transport system is very complex, and urban cycling networks are no exception. However, over a working period of 2 and half months, with the aid of LAC’s intelligent system, it was possible to carry out a 360° analysis of the organization, to learn the opinions of all the parties involved, and thus include them in its ambitions to replicate its business model in other cities.
Considering the complexity of the public transport system, as well as that of the work of the company and, therefore, of the organizational assessment, it was necessary to carry out an analysis of leadership styles. The finances were also analyzed, as well as the function of each element involved in the company to optimize its performance. More than 100 employees of all levels and areas were interviewed to optimize processes, improve the work environment and restructure the architecture of the organization, with a focus on high efficiency. An additional objective was to automate processes through the application of information technologies.
- Horizontal communication: there is some horizontal communication, but only between departments and individuals who carry out the same activities. This type of problem limits the possibility of collaboration with other areas and hinders any improvements to the general service of the company.
- Vertical communication: most of the employees turn to the management team to resolve problems that coordinators should be responsible for. This creates imbalances in the workload that mainly affect the managerial staff. Once the employee’s concerns are taken into account, there are no mechanisms in place to ensure that the process is carried out and that the problem is resolved.
- Formalization of positions and activities: many of the activities carried out in some job roles were created informally. Although this is normal due to the accelerated growth that the organization has experienced in recent years, the point has arrived where duties must be formalized and made clear.
- Organization and work balance: there is disagreement on the part of some employees regarding the distribution of tasks and responsibilities. This issue, however, will benefit greatly from the formalization of positions and activities, which the coordinators should assign and control appropriately.
- Capacities: the observation was made that a large number of employees were interested in receiving training to improve the performance of their department. Training is a very important issue because as the organization grows, the knowledge and skills of the staff must also develop, which is especially true for staff in leadership positions such as heads of departments and coordinators.
Through the analysis of different factors, LAC supported the client with operational, strategy, and corporate governance issues to define a clear line of action so that effective decisions could be made that would lead to the expansion of the public bicycle system in other cities in the country. Here are some suggestions that should be considered for optimum performance:
Although communication between employees is good, the channels must be strengthened and developed, to ensure continuous and horizontal exchange. Horizontal communication is an important factor that can help to improve the work environment for all members of the organization because it makes functions and processes easier to understand, therefore ensuring better productivity. In general, vertical communication creates negative feelings towards the organization on the part of the employees. This problem should be addressed directly by the coordinators together with their respective team members. Emphasis was placed on the importance of formalizing the positions and activities of each employee since it is closely related to the need to define what each job consists of in a concrete and detailed manner. It is crucial that this is clear to each employee, along with their position within the organizational structure. All of the above would allow the necessary activities to be carried out in the correct positions and prevent responsibilities and tasks from falling into the wrong positions. With regard to opportunities for learning, it is crucial that the employees acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of each team member with total confidence and sincerity in order to allow the organization to provide the necessary tools to make them more proficient.
If your industry is part of a large and complex corporate entity, with an organizational analysis from LAC you can:
- Find out how all levels and areas are perceived by the employees and team members to optimize processes, improve the work environment and reconfigure the structure of the organization.
- Streamline operations and communication.
- Find out what the strengths and weaknesses of your company are.
- Identify areas for improvement and opportunities for the growth of your organization.
- Define a line of action on corporate governance issues.
- Determine strategic points for a much more successful decision-making process.
Contact information:
- info@lac.mx
- www.lac.mx
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