Exam 15: Organizational Structure and Design

Table 15.1 As the new general manager of a regional cable service, Joe is studying the formal configuration of groups and individuals in respect to the allocation of tasks, responsibilities, and authority within the cable company. He notices that there are numerous layers of people between the cable installers and technicians and himself as general manager. He thinks this is because of the high degree of specialization in the company. Everyone seems to have very narrowly defined jobs. Joe decides he wants fewer layers of employees and for each manager to have responsibility for more employees. He reduces the number of managers from 10 to 3. As a consequence, each manager will make of his/her own decisions and rely less on Joe. -Refer to Table 15.1. Joe's eliminating of management layers resulted in:

Informal networks of professionals and managers who share common interests are called communities of practice.

The idea that the best design for an organization depends on the nature of the environment in which the organization is operating is central to which of the following approaches to organizational design?

Organizations are most likely to adopt matrix designs when:

Which of the following would be the best candidate to go virtual?

Table 15.4 Five organizations in your community are being studied using Mintzberg's perspective on organizational design. One is a high-tech organization with a simple structure, decentralized authority, and support staff is the dominant element in the organization. A second company operates in a stable industry, each employee's work is highly specialized, and decision-making is concentrated at the top of the organization. There is also a family medical practice with three doctors who are partners. The operating core is the dominant element, and decision-making is vested in the doctors. Finally, there is a retail dealer mall for antiques and collectibles, which is dominated by its strategic apex element. -Refer to Table 15.4. The retail dealer mall for antiques and collectibles is an example of Mintzberg's:

Table 15.3 You are studying a medium-sized service company. You find that Joe, a customer service representative, has been doing his job for five years. He takes about 200 customer calls a day and helps customers with their product questions. Bridgette, the CEO, has been with the company about three years and is in the process of making its structure more organic and flexible. Between Bridgette and Joe is Fred, who conveys management's decisions and policies to Joe and helps Bridgette stay in touch with the several hundred 'Joes' who work in customer service. Sally is the corporate attorney and works with Bridgette on corporate legal matters. -Refer to Table 15.3. Joe is part of the ________ of his organization.

A matrix structure works best in stable, simple environments where there is a need for economies of scale.

The number of people formally required to report to each individual manager is known as a manager's:

The degree to which employees perform specialized jobs is likely to depend on the ________ of the organization.

Define and discuss a matrix organization.

The process of delegating power from higher to lower levels within organizations is known as:

A manager's span of control in an organization pertains to the number of subordinates that he or she must supervise.

A boundaryless organization is such because it removes the internal and sometimes the external barriers between functions within the organization.

Douglas McGregor's Theory Y approach is an example of a:

As shown in the continuum of strategic alliances, the relationship between value-chain partners is ________.