Developing a Framework Supporting the Employee’s Self-direction in the Information Technology Unit
Koutonen, Olli Alex (2020)
Koutonen, Olli Alex
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020112424097
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020112424097
Tiivistelmä
The objective of this thesis was to develop a framework that supports the individual employee’s self-direction in the case company’s Information Technology unit. To achieve this objective, the thesis starts by analyzing the employee’s attitude towards own work and how it could be improved by allowing independent working.
The thesis used qualitative research methods and was conducted using Action research methodology. The data collection for the study was gathered by conducting surveys & interviews with seven (7) selected IT unit employees, and two (2) selected management personnel.
In the theoretical framework, the thesis explored the concept of self-direction, existing best practices, and technical solutions. In the practical part, the current state analysis in the IT unit was conducted to investigate the current individual & organizational values and establish strengths & weaknesses in self-direction supportive best practices and self-direction supportive solutions. The results revealed that self-direction, autonomy, creative thinking, and independent decision-making is highly supported in the case company, while self-directed working is hindered by an overall lack of responsibility, documentation, workflows, and CRM transparency.
The outcome of the thesis is a self-direction supportive change enablement framework, which was built as a process based on agile-supportive ITIL 4 guidelines and practices. The framework consists of two voluntary change processes that focus on pain areas in daily work by clarifying the roles and responsibilities, having shared documentation responsibilities, and ensuring that the change is evaluated and documented to create transparency in the working environment.
If implemented, the change enablement framework could improve the daily work quality & business environment in the case company’s IT unit by streamlining scattered practices that have always existed in the internal and customer business environment, which leads to more self-directed capabilities in own work. The case company could re-evaluate organizational strategies with the proposed framework and evaluate how information visibility could help and motivate the employee to perform own job in a more self-directed way.
The thesis used qualitative research methods and was conducted using Action research methodology. The data collection for the study was gathered by conducting surveys & interviews with seven (7) selected IT unit employees, and two (2) selected management personnel.
In the theoretical framework, the thesis explored the concept of self-direction, existing best practices, and technical solutions. In the practical part, the current state analysis in the IT unit was conducted to investigate the current individual & organizational values and establish strengths & weaknesses in self-direction supportive best practices and self-direction supportive solutions. The results revealed that self-direction, autonomy, creative thinking, and independent decision-making is highly supported in the case company, while self-directed working is hindered by an overall lack of responsibility, documentation, workflows, and CRM transparency.
The outcome of the thesis is a self-direction supportive change enablement framework, which was built as a process based on agile-supportive ITIL 4 guidelines and practices. The framework consists of two voluntary change processes that focus on pain areas in daily work by clarifying the roles and responsibilities, having shared documentation responsibilities, and ensuring that the change is evaluated and documented to create transparency in the working environment.
If implemented, the change enablement framework could improve the daily work quality & business environment in the case company’s IT unit by streamlining scattered practices that have always existed in the internal and customer business environment, which leads to more self-directed capabilities in own work. The case company could re-evaluate organizational strategies with the proposed framework and evaluate how information visibility could help and motivate the employee to perform own job in a more self-directed way.