The OMEGA Theory: Understanding the Construction of Organisations

Abstract

The OMEGA theory, also called organisational construction theory, is a theory about the modular structures that can be distinguished in organisations. Based on the organisational building block (the transactor role) from the PSI theory, three kinds of coordination structures are identified and discussed: interaction structure, interstriction structure, and interimpediment structure. The interaction structure of an organisation consists of tree structures, composed of the initiator links between transactor roles. An interaction structure determines a business process kind. The interstriction structure of an organisation consists of the access links between transactor roles. Through access links, actors have reading access to the facts in transaction banks. A distinction is made between the interprocess and the intraprocess interstriction structure. The interimpediment structure of an organisation is composed of the wait links between transactor roles. A distinction is made between the interprocess and the intraprocess interimpediment structure. Three topics are elaborated in-depth. The first one is the notion of responsibility range of a transactor role, as an extension of the responsibility area from the PSI theory (cf. Chap. 8). The second subject is a comprehensive way of modelling business processes, which allows for all the details that are needed, but that is still very concise. The third subject concerns general patterns in process structures, called reference models. To conclude, the structural way of thinking about business processes is compared with the current dominant flow thinking.