Exam 11: Organizational Structure and the Implementation of Strategy

What is the benefit of the division of labor to an organization?

The concept of hierarchical levels refers to the number of subordinates reporting to a manager.

A manager asking his superior to approve the department's weekly production report is an example of which of the following?

An organization's culture reflects the myths and realities surrounding a founder or a key leader of the company.

The concept of span of control refers to the levels of managerial decision-making activity in an organization's structure.

Adopting the multidivisional structure allows a firm to get rid of its corporate staff.

Functional structures tend to overload top managers.

List three conditions under which a matrix or cross-functional structure is most appropriate.

Why do multidivisional structures result in a short-term focus for managers and an undesirable level of competition for resources among divisions?

The multidivisional structure can create an accountability problem.

How can a strong organizational culture become a competitive disadvantage to a firm?

An emphasis on _______________ goals can do much to reduce conflict among employees, departments, and business units.

Organizational capabilities are the unique ways in which each organization structures its work and motivates its people to achieve clearly articulated strategic objectives.

Why would an ambidextrous organizational structure be difficult for traditional hierarchical managers to organize?

An advantage of functional structures is that most information flows up through functional "chimneys" before flowing across to another functional department.

The concept of structure does not include any mechanisms that facilitate the formulation and implementation of strategy and the overall coordination of the business enterprise.

The automatic or reflexive use of policies, procedures, and systems helps minimize ambiguity and promotes rapid decision making.

All businesses share which of the following characteristics?

Discuss how the transfer pricing dilemma affects the supplying and buying divisions within a multidivisional firm.

Conflict or disagreements can make an organization particularly vulnerable to groupthink.