As Mudanças Organizacionais e seus Gestores nas Empresas na Era da Informação

In the past, the changes made in organizations were from decisions made by senior administrators and were implemented through authority and power. This sort of change doesn¿t work today because at a time when knowledge is one of the main tools for development, senior administrators need the participation of employees who directly handle strategic information for the company, having the necessary data for the conception, planning and execution of changes. Companies have begun to realize that the use of their own competent staff is the way to implement faster and more efficient strategic maneuvers. Which means, for a successful change, the whole process has to involve their employees. They have to develop efficient methods, such as, techniques for analysis, problem solution, team work, system modeling, change in attitudes and behavior, and management of the organizations culture. These methods define the professional profile of those responsible for the change. Today, each administrator must have the necessary qualifications, knowledge, and competence to identify the need for an organizational change and its introduction. In truth, each administrator is responsible for the structural change in his area and the standardization of his services.

Allocation of authority in franchise chains

This article investigates the level of delegation in franchise chains, distinguishing the two most relevant franchising models: Business Format Franchising and Learning Network Franchising. The two models basically differ on the level of real authority (effective control over decisions) exercised by the franchisors. Differences in business features, such as the required standardization, monitoring costs and consumer sensitivity to variations in product attributes (consumer measurement costs), explain the adoption of the different models of franchising. These variables affect the trade-off between the risk of brand name loss and the gains in knowledge sharing and learning within the network. The higher the need for standardization, the higher is the risk of brand name loss, and, consequently, the more likely the franchisor will adopt an organizational design that confers more control over franchisees’ decisions, such as business format franchising. This paper presents two case studies with Brazilian food franchise chains that illustrate the main argument and suggest additional propositions. Moreover, an empirical analysis of 223 franchise chains provides additional support to the hypothesis of a negative the effect of required standardization on the level of delegation.