Self-managing and managerial-hierarchical organizations: differences in learning organization’s characteristics

Self-managing organizations (SMOs) seem to be viable alternative to traditional managerial-hierarchical organizations (MHOs). Goal of this thesis is to compare MHOs and SMOs within selected characteristics of goal orientation, psychological safety, and collective resilience, which support adaptability to strongly dynamic business environment and are connected do broader concept of learning organization (LO). Research was based on questionnaire survey among employees of for-profit organizations operating in the Czech Republic. Based on subsequent data analysis (two-sample t-test) only one hypothesis was confirmed, namely that members of SMOs showed significantly higher values of psychological safety than members of MHOs. Other hypotheses were not confirmed. Therefore, members of SMOs did not show greater learning goal orientation nor collective resilience, further members of SMOs did not show lesser performance goal orientation, as was all excepted. Limits of this research were small sample and unclear classification of organizations. General trend towards greater decentralization and freedom in organizations suggests very optimistic predictions for SMOs. This is supported by conducted research by revealing significantly higher level of psychological safety in SMOs, which leads to learning behavior and organizational adaptability.