Exam 14: Foundations of Organisational Structure

The more scarce,dynamic,and complex the environment,the more organic a structure should be.

John and Alex both work for large organisations.John's organisation has extensive work specialisation and everything is fairly formal.All decisions are made at the top of the hierarchy.Alex,on the other hand,works for an organisation that is low in formalisation and composed of numerous cross-functional teams.Employees in this organisation frequently get to make their own decisions. John is likely working for:

The prototype of the virtual structure is today's:

A strategy that emphasises the introduction of major new products and services is a(n)________ strategy.

The organic structure is characterised by extensive departmentalisation,high formalisation,a limited information network,and centralisation.

The major advantage to the virtual organisation is its flexibility.

Which of the following structures has extensive departmentalisation,high formalisation,a limited information network and centralisation?

Strategy does not impact an organisation's structure.

Work specialisation is closely associated with division of labour.

Authority is the power of management to command others to follow orders.

Managers need to address six key elements when they design their organisation's structure: work specialisation,departmentalisation,chain of command,span of control,centralisation and decentralisation,and formalisation.

In an organisation that has high centralisation:

What can companies do to reduce the negative impacts of downsizing?

Discuss and give examples of the five common ways that an organisation can group activities.

The ________ is characterised by a low degree of departmentalisation,wide spans of control,authority centralised in a single person,and little formalisation.

The strength of the matrix is its ability to facilitate coordination when the organisation has a number of complex and interdependent activities.

In which organisational structure can an employee have two competing lines of reporting?

The primary characteristics of the virtual organisation are that it breaks down department barriers and decentralises decision making to the level of the work team.

Mechanistic structures have high participation in decision making.

The ________ is a structure characterised by extensive departmentalisation,high formalisation,a limited information network,and centralisation.