Why Do Companies Duplicate Responsibilities Before Making Changes?
Employees are noticing their tasks being taken over by colleagues, a common sign of organizational shifts. This deliberate overlap, aimed at ensuring continuity and knowledge transfer during restructuring, can create job insecurity and stress. Whi...
The employee realizes that the tasks that they used to do on their own are being done by someone else in the office. The process starts out slowly, but it gradually becomes more frequent. This is common when there are organizational changes taking place, during which time there tends to be some overlap between job descriptions. According to a study conducted in BMC Public Health, redundancy may also be created consciously to ensure the continuation of activities even when the workforce structure is being assessed.
Image Credit - Gemini
This makes sure that there are no disruptions in the system, but it creates some ambiguity for the individual.
Why do organizations create redundancy?
As far as management is concerned, overlapping of responsibilities enables companies to figure out the necessary tasks and transfer knowledge in advance before undergoing any reorganization. Research shows that the application of such a method makes it easier for organizations to maintain important competencies during the preparation for possible layoffs. On the other hand, it generates an opportunity to evaluate employees' performance and readiness. Although this approach is operational, it can be rather ambiguous for employees who will have to make their conclusions about its significance without receiving any information from management.
Roles that overlap have a human impact
The psychological impact of role duplication can be considerable. Studies available on the PubMed database have found a connection between job insecurity and higher stress and lower engagement, especially among those who have concerns about their future with the organization. Being aware that someone else is doing your job or acting as your double can produce the same effect, impacting an individual's self-confidence and drive. Eventually, role duplication can affect team cohesion, as team members become less cooperative due to their increased caution.
