People-positive organizing: Proposing an alternative perspective on “new organizational forms”
Doktorsavhandling, 2025
Given the ubiquity and power of current-day organizations, innovating how we organize collective effort—developing "new organizational forms"—seems like a key lever for addressing society’s greatest challenges. Practitioners and researchers alike are fascinated by stories of new form "pioneers" like W.L. Gore, Buurtzorg, or Morning Star and related promises of "less-hierarchical", "self-managing", or "agile" organizing. Despite this excitement, the supposed newness and benefits of such organizational forms have repeatedly been called into question as many organizations adopting ideas and concepts from the world of "new organizational forms" struggle to fulfil and sustain their promises.
This thesis aims to propose an alternative perspective for understanding "new organizational forms" in more nuanced, imaginative, and practically relevant ways. This aim is addressed through three studies: (a) a deep case study of Zenseact, a Swedish software company designed to be "less-hierarchical", "self-managing", and "agile"; (b) a literature review on "new organizational forms"; and (c) a study of the practitioner discourse about new forms.
This thesis contributes by advancing a "people-positive" perspective on organizing. People-positive organizing is grounded in assumptions about human beings—a Menschenbild—that views humans as inherently social, capable, and trustworthy beings rather than as boundedly rational self-interest maximizers. Accordingly, people-positive organizing is about people doing things together to achieve common goals based on the shared assumption that they can trust each other to solve problems locally through collaboration. As argued in this thesis, a people-positive perspective illuminates differences between various "(new) organizational forms" in their assumptions, purposes, principles, and practices that often remain hidden, and nuances differences in structural features that are often exaggerated. Relatedly, this thesis opens avenues for coordinating and conceptualizing "new organizational forms" differently, offering a conceptual language to help people discuss, imagine, and design "new organizational forms" in alternative ways.
This thesis aims to propose an alternative perspective for understanding "new organizational forms" in more nuanced, imaginative, and practically relevant ways. This aim is addressed through three studies: (a) a deep case study of Zenseact, a Swedish software company designed to be "less-hierarchical", "self-managing", and "agile"; (b) a literature review on "new organizational forms"; and (c) a study of the practitioner discourse about new forms.
This thesis contributes by advancing a "people-positive" perspective on organizing. People-positive organizing is grounded in assumptions about human beings—a Menschenbild—that views humans as inherently social, capable, and trustworthy beings rather than as boundedly rational self-interest maximizers. Accordingly, people-positive organizing is about people doing things together to achieve common goals based on the shared assumption that they can trust each other to solve problems locally through collaboration. As argued in this thesis, a people-positive perspective illuminates differences between various "(new) organizational forms" in their assumptions, purposes, principles, and practices that often remain hidden, and nuances differences in structural features that are often exaggerated. Relatedly, this thesis opens avenues for coordinating and conceptualizing "new organizational forms" differently, offering a conceptual language to help people discuss, imagine, and design "new organizational forms" in alternative ways.
self-management
new organizational form
hierarchy
sensemaking devices
organizational form
new form of organizing
agile
organization design
Vasa B, Vasa Hus 2, Vera Sandbergs allé 8
Opponent: Rebecca Hewett, Associate Professor, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Författare
Constantin Bremer
Innovation and R&D Management 01
Bremer, C. New organizational forms: Deconstructing and reconfiguring the literature.
Making sense in “less-hierarchical” forms of organizing
Scandinavian Journal of Management,;Vol. 41(2025)
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift
Scaling or growing agile? Proposing a manifesto for agile organization development
Journal of Organization Design,;Vol. 14(2025)p. 23-34
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift
Rylander Eklund, A., Bremer, C., & Elmquist, M. A philosophy for new ways of working: Insights from Mary Parker Follett.
In today’s dynamic and complex world, organizations across sectors are increasingly experimenting with alternatives to traditional bureaucratic and hierarchical organizing. Some practitioners and scholars are fascinated by "new organizational forms" and related success stories of "less-hierarchical", "self-managing", and "agile" organizing. Others claim that it is impossible to coordinate complex work effectively without bureaucratic rules and hierarchical structures. The current debate about "new organizational forms" leaves little room for nuanced arguments, offering limited inspiration and guidance as to how collective effort could be coordinated differently yet effectively.
This thesis explores "new organizational forms" through three qualitative studies: a case study of a Swedish software company, a systematic literature review, and a study of the practitioner discourse. Integrating insights across these studies, the thesis proposes an alternative perspective on "new organizational forms", inviting to understand and design them in more nuanced, imaginative, and practically relevant ways. This perspective highlights that "new organizational forms" may be less about the structural features they are moving away from—think less-hierarchical, self-managing, de-centralized—but more about the assumptions about human beings they are being built upon and the alternative purposes, principles, and practices of coordination they are moving towards.
This thesis explores "new organizational forms" through three qualitative studies: a case study of a Swedish software company, a systematic literature review, and a study of the practitioner discourse. Integrating insights across these studies, the thesis proposes an alternative perspective on "new organizational forms", inviting to understand and design them in more nuanced, imaginative, and practically relevant ways. This perspective highlights that "new organizational forms" may be less about the structural features they are moving away from—think less-hierarchical, self-managing, de-centralized—but more about the assumptions about human beings they are being built upon and the alternative purposes, principles, and practices of coordination they are moving towards.
Utveckla innovationsförmåga i det framväxande ekosystemet kring självkörande fordon - Fas II
VINNOVA (2019-03028), 2019-11-01 -- 2021-10-31.
Ämneskategorier (SSIF 2025)
Företagsekonomi
DOI
10.63959/chalmers.dt/5771
ISBN
978-91-8103-314-4
Doktorsavhandlingar vid Chalmers tekniska högskola. Ny serie: 5771
Utgivare
Chalmers
Vasa B, Vasa Hus 2, Vera Sandbergs allé 8
Opponent: Rebecca Hewett, Associate Professor, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.