Dynamic Work Design Patterns provide strategies for organizations to effectively switch between efficient and flexible work approaches based on current needs.
Every organization makes two fundamental discoveries:
First: There is work that is well-defined and routine. It needs specialization, focus, efficiency.
Second: There is work that is ambiguous and uncertain. It needs collaboration, creativity, flexibility.
The Problem: Organizations think they must choose. Either efficient OR flexible.
The Solution: Switch quickly between both, depending on what's needed right now.
These 6 patterns show how that works – and what happens when it goes wrong.
Studio Mode is an organizational state for ambiguous, uncertain work that emphasizes synchronous communication, intensive collaboration, and creative problem-solving.
Factory Mode optimizes well-defined, routine work through specialization and standardized processes for maximum efficiency while allowing for adaptability to creative tasks when necessary.
Ineffective Iterations occur when ambiguous work is organized serially through asynchronous communication, leading to slow feedback loops, and can be resolved by shifting to direct collaboration in Studio Mode.
The Axis of Frustration describes the destructive cycle organizations fall into when they fail to switch intelligently between Factory Mode and Studio Mode, leading to ineffective iteration and wasted attention.
Fast Oscillation is a Dynamic Work Design pattern that enables organizations to quickly switch between Factory Mode for efficiency and Studio Mode for collaboration to solve problems effectively.
Wasted Attention is an anti-pattern caused by excessive collaboration and meetings that hinders productivity in well-defined work, necessitating a shift back to efficient Factory Mode.
More about this
Dynamic Work Design was developed by Nelson P. Repenning and Donald C. Kieffer at MIT Sloan. Start with the foundational article "A New Approach to Designing Work" (2018) and watch "Unlock Your Organization's Full Potential with Dynamic Work Design" by Don Kieffer to see practical applications.