Is Ring
Organization Design Galloping Egalitarianism?
There is without a doubt
a wish harbored by most individuals in the workplace of being treated fairly,
equally and respectfully or conversely not like a number or a human resource.
These expectations translate into specific aspects of organizational life such
as being kept informed of organizational happenings, being provided
opportunities to offer input into what is going on, and more importantly being
listened to and respected as an individual. Additionally, the notion of fair
play also applies to the interpersonal realm where some individuals are not
favored over others. If, in fact, employees are treated equally, one has to a
large extent created an egalitarian organizational culture. Based on this
description of the hoped-for attributes of workplace experience, it must be
appreciated that there also exists a negative connotation to the notion of
egalitarianism (galloping or otherwise). This reservation is most often thought
of as being operationalized in the form of a group or organization becoming
preoccupied with taking care of everyone’s feelings and balancing out the
politics of influence. The feared outcome is that taking care of people and
avoiding perceptions of unfairness and disrespect become more important than
taking care of business. Ring organization design does create an organizational
structure that encourages a culture of equality, fair play and interpersonal
respect. It does not, however, turn the workplace into a focal point for social
work. It must also be appreciated that our traditional command and control
organizations are often filled with individual and group experience filled with
personal authority issues relating to dominance and submission. This reality, I
suggest, tends to create bruising experience that adversely affects self-esteem.
In this regard, the negative connotation of egalitarianism in the workplace
seems to be linked to bureaucratic hierarchies where distortions and
preoccupations about losses of the positive contributions of a more balanced,
fair, respectful and trusting workplace arise.
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