Exam 8: Organizational Culture, Structure, and Design: Building Blocks of the Organization

A system of shared beliefs and values that develops within an organization and guides the behavior of its members is known as the corporate system.

When managers from different functional divisions are brought together in cross-functional teams to solve particular problems, this is a team-based design.

Patricia, the manager of Prime Health Club, was telling her new trainer that "I have many decisions to make in a day, and as the club manager, during the course of a week, I have to give orders to most of the 35 employees. Then there is my budget and the club resources, which I oversee." Patricia's right to make decisions, give orders, and utilize resources is known as _____.

Thomas, a sales associate in the furniture department, reports to Betsey, the furniture department manager. This morning, Betsey asked Thomas to change the price tags on the desk chairs. While working on this task, David, the computer department manager, told Thomas that he wanted him to unload some computers. Thomas is confused about what to do because under the principle of unity of command, _____.

Define authority. Contrast power and authority, and give an example of each.

In a highly integrated organization, the specialists work together to achieve ____.

When employees and management work well together and they all believe in the mission and vision of upper management, this is known as unity of command.

The control mechanism utilized for making sure the right people do the right things at the right time is known as the mechanism for authority.

The Safety Committee, a temporary team, was established to make the workplace a safer place. Members of the committee still work in their departments full-time, but meet twice a month for a few hours as a committee. This is an example of a ____.

According to Chester I. Barnard's classic definition, an organization is a ____.

Describe the four common elements of organizations proposed by Edgar Schein.

There are two kinds of spans of control are _____.

Which of the following is an accurate conclusion from the "Organizational Culture and Organizational Effectiveness: A Meta-Analytic Investigation of the Competing Values Framework's Theoretical Suppositions" study involving the culture of 1,000 companies?

Bob, the owner of Quality Catering, is driven by competition. He is very focused on meeting deadlines and quality, and to deliver the results that customers want. He pushes his managers to continually exceed their productivity goals, and stresses that profits take precedence over employee development and satisfaction. Bob feels "there is not enough time for training." However, his employees are regularly rewarded for their success in meeting company goals. This is an example of a(n) ____ culture.

The more subunits into which an organization breaks down, the _____.

In cases where the culture of an organization is strong, management must focus on the structure found in the company's rule book for orderliness and predictability that employees look to for guidance rather than through the company culture.

Organizational design is concerned with an organization developing ____.

In order to be more profitable by increasing sales, Thrifty Bank has an external focus, concentrating on strategic planning, risk taking, and flexibility over stability. This is an example of a hierarchy culture.

Authority is decentralized, tasks and rules are flexible, and employees are given a lot of freedom at Reliable Copy Products, where the sales representatives are not closely supervised. Reliable is an example of a mechanistic organization.

Espoused values are _____.