Design organizacional e ambidestria contextual como respostas às inovações disruptivas: um estudo de caso em um contact center

Abstract

The need for “digitization” caused a Brazilian Contact Center to adopt strategic responses for change, which allowed it to maintain its benefits in relation to alignment, accumulated knowledge, efficiency and standardization and, at the same time, build the benefits related to adaptability and acquiring the fundamental skills and structures to respond to this disruptive innovation. Observing this phenomenon revealed the management challenges involved, which motivated this study. Along with this, a relevant management question arose, which prompted the author to investigate it: “How does the disruptive innovation of“ digitization ”impact the organizational design and the contextual ambidexterity of a mature traditional Contact Center business?” As a theoretical basis, studies on Organizational Design, Organizational Ambidexterity and Disruptive Innovation were consulted. Studies on Contact Centers and how they have dealt with innovations were also seen. The methodological approach was qualitative, with a single case study, with documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews, application of a research form and focus group, as instruments of data collection. The managers, responsible for the strategies and changes carried out, and the participants directly affected by them participated in this work. For data analysis, the instruments were grouped into: i) Epsilon: intended for document analysis; ii) Alpha: destined to interview the manager responsible for the change strategy; iii) Beta: destined to interview the manager responsible for implementing the change; iv) Delta: intended for the form, applied to directly affected participants and v) Gamma: intended for the focus group, applied to a subgroup of Delta, formed by group leaders. The organization decided to adopt the change in the organizational design of only one of its parts and to seek the capacity for organizational ambidexterity. With regard to design, it was planned with features similar to those of an adhocratic structure, combined in a decentralized matrix, with the aim of fostering collaboration, creativity, little formalism and co- creation. During the analyzes carried out, an evolution of organizational agility was observed, in response to the “digitalization” and the increased level of demand from the Contact Center consumers. Some resistance to the changes undertaken was also perceived, being this one of the main effects to be observed by the managers in the conduction of a change of this content. Despite the evident evolution of the elements of a predominantly adhocratic structure, aspects of an essentially bureaucratic structure were revealed. With regard to ambidexterity, the production of a high performance behavioral context was observed, with a still unbalanced focus between performance and social support, which leads us to the conclusion that a contextual ambidexterity strategy was adopted, however , has not yet been achieved.