Exam 9: Organization Size, Life Cycle, and Decline

At which stage in the life cycle of a newly established hierarchy do departments emerge and get established, along with the beginnings of division of labour?

Communicating more, providing assistance to displaced workers, and helping the survivors thrive are three ways for organizations to deal with downsizing.

Your rich uncle owns his own entrepreneurial business and is trying to decide how large it should become. He has asked you to tell him what the optimum size for a business is. Write your response to him.

How should personnel ratios be managed in a small firm?

As organizations become larger, a larger percentage of top administrators is necessary.

What was the purpose of rules and standard procedures as developed by Weber?

What is the major goal of an organization during the entrepreneurial stage of the life cycle?

Why did Max Weber develop the concept of a bureaucracy?

When do organizations begin to develop clear goals and direction?

As organizations increase in size, the net effect for direct workers is that they decline as a percentage of total employees.

Discuss the approaches to reducing bureaucracy.

Which type of authority refers to employees' belief in the legality of rules and the right of those elevated to positions of authority to issue commands?

Weber believed that a well-managed bureaucracy would ensure efficient organizational functioning in both government and business settings.

In the collectivity stage, departments are established along with a hierarchy of authority, job assignments, and a beginning division of labour.

What term is used for a relatively new form of organization that includes medical practices and law firms?

Why would a large organization tend to be more formalized?

Larry is a great leader who has run his organization for many years, and has the kind of personality that everyone wants to be around. What type of authority does Larry have?

Explain the relationship between organization size and at least three specific structural characteristics.

Describe the differences between large and small organizations.

Which of the following best describes organizations going through the organizational life cycle?