Exam 15: Foundations of Organizational Structure

Publishing representatives who call on college professors to inform them of their company's new publications have a great deal of freedom in their jobs. They have only a general sales pitch, which they tailor as needed. Based on this information, we can say that the job of these publishing representatives scores ________.

Which of the following statements is true regarding a matrix structure?

Job candidates who prefer ________ are likely to seek out and take employment in mechanistic structures, and those who want ________ are more likely to end up in an organic structure.

Aeronautics Inc., a parts supplier, has departments for government aircraft and contracts, large commercial aircraft clients, and small personal aircraft clients. This is an example of ________ departmentalization.

A(n) ________ strategy emphasizes the introduction of major new products and services.

Functional departments stifle interaction among functions, product lines, and units.

As compared to a decentralized organization, a centralized organization can act more quickly to solve problems.

The principle of ________ helps preserve the concept of an unbroken line of authority.

The matrix structure reduces the possibility of power struggles.

What is work specialization? Discuss its advantages and drawbacks.

________ is the key concept that underlies all bureaucracies.

In a boundaryless organization, how does management flatten the hierarchy and minimize status and rank?

The organizational design of simple structure is highly risky.

Any organization's environment has three dimensions. Identify these dimensions.

A ________ is consistent with recent efforts by companies to reduce costs, cut overhead, speed up decision making, increase flexibility, get closer to customers, and empower employees.

Narrow spans of control make vertical communication in the organization more complex.

The strength of the bureaucracy lies in its ability to perform standardized activities in a highly efficient manner.

A mechanistic model is similar to a boundaryless organization.

Organizations following a(n) ________ strategy try to both minimize risk and maximize opportunity for profit, moving into new products or new markets only after innovators have proven their viability.

Volatility refers to the degree of ________ within an environment.