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universities grow more towards a matrix organization (Resp. 1; Resp. 8). This has mainly influence on
the
virtual workplace; it is more focused on knowledge sharing (Resp. 1).
“To solve complex problems, you need to have people operating across disciplinary
boundaries.” (Resp. 8)
Resp. 4 believes that the academic environment is completely different from the business
environment. The academic environment consists of PhD’s, from which 14 out of 15 will not be there
anymore in five years. This group has some kind of bonding because they need each other, but are
also involved in some kind of rat race. The research group secludes itself from the rest. Openness is
not always desired, since there are start-ups and patents involved. Research groups also need each
other, but are involved in the same kind of rat race, since only one can be the best. Academic
organizations
are not one company, as most business organizations are. The academic world is driven
and controlled bottom-up instead of top-down; each research group is very autonomous, so
department forming will not change due to informal behavior (Resp. 4). Resp. 5 believes that the
increase of informal behavior within the academic environment will not lead to different types of
formal department forming, because every decision has to go through about four or five levels until
it comes to the decision makers (Resp. 5). People in the academic environment identify clearly with
their discipline and level of expertise. They come with a very deep specialist set of expertise, and
expect to work within that area, unlike the corporate environment where people are willing to switch
jobs and do different things within organizations. This makes that the way of department forming
within the academic environment will be less influenced by increased informal behavior than it is in
the business environment (Resp. 11).
“I think one of the problems in academic environments is that they have been very siloed.
People went to their departments, each department was a world into itself.”
(Resp. 11)
Respondents disagree whether an increase of informal behaviors within the academic environment
will result in other types of department forming. While some respondents state that the academic
environment will experience the same changes as the business environment, thus other types of
informal but no other types
of formal department forming, others claim the academic environment is
not comparable with the business environment. Academic environments are claimed to be very
hierarchical, bureaucratic, and controlled bottom-up, making departments very autonomous. Each
department is thus a world into itself, making a change in department forming almost impossible.
However, there seem to be more departments that characterize themselves as a
matrix organization,
where departments are expert supplier for cross-departmental centers or institutions.
Conclusion
Informal behavior within the business environment can increase due to more open space planning.
This increase, however, is questioned to be solely a result of more open space planning. Decreasing
hierarchy, cultural changes, and generational differences seem to play a big role in this development
as well. Increasing informal behaviors can result in changing informal (cultural) department forming.
However, people from the same departments, with work dependencies, will often cluster together,
so the question remains if informal departments actually do change. Formal department forming will
most likely not change, since this is decided in higher hierarchical echelons.
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The academic environment will most likely experience the same changes regarding increasing
informal behavior as the business environment when creating more open space planning. However,
respondents disagree whether this will result in another type of department forming. The academic
environment is described as very hierarchical, bureaucratic, and controlled bottom-up, with very
autonomous departments which are a world into itself. This makes changes in department forming
within the academic environment almost impossible. Nevertheless, there seem to be more cross-
departmental
centers or institutions, for which departments are sort of expert suppliers.
