Instruments for Analysis of the External Environment through the Prism of Self-Managed Work Teams

Abstract

The article studies the specific characteristics of the external environment
because they create actual possibilities for the introduction of self-management in the
functioning of work teams in the Bulgarian organizational practice. An emphasis is put
on the organizational context within which self-managed work teams (SMWT) function.
The study also identifies the key instruments integrated in the model of analyzing the
external environment in the process of transforming traditional work structures into selfmanaged
ones. The article outlines the effects of the direct and indirect environment
factors on the various dimensions of SMWT, namely structural characteristics, work and
interpersonal processes, etc. The author supports the idea that the sustainable
development of the SMWT-concept and the creation of added value for organizations
require adequate monitoring of the competitive environment factors (specific microenvironment)
and the common environment. This is one of the paradigms of modern
management. Changes in the external environment affect the internal integration of the
system and vice versa – the damaged internal processes limit the organization’s
potential for adapting to the environment.