Deck 11: Organizational Structure

Question 1

The degree to which tasks in an organization are divided into separate jobs refers to:

A)centralization.
B)chain of command.
C)span of control.
D)formalization.
E)work specialization.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Recent research suggests that one of the best ways to help layoff survivors adjust is to do things that give them a stronger sense of control.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The question "Who reports to whom?" is answered by which of the following elements of organizational structure?

A)Span of control
B)Formalization
C)Centralization
D)Work specialization
E)Chain of command

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Stable environments require organizations to have structures that are more adaptive.

Question 5

Which element of organizational structure signifies formal authority relationships?

A)Chain of command
B)Formalization
C)Centralization
D)Work specialization
E)Span of control

Question 6

Research shows that 80 percent of employing organizations have 100 employees or more.

Question 7

The degree to which rules and procedures are used to standardize behaviors and decisions in an organization refers to:

A)chain of command.
B)formalization.
C)centralization.
D)work specialization.
E)span of control.

Question 8

Which of the following represents how many employees each manager in the organization has responsibility for?

A)Chain of command
B)Formalization
C)Centralization
D)Work specialization
E)Span of control

Question 9

One reason for developing a geographic structure revolves around the different tastes of customers in different regions.

Question 10

Bureaucracies are designed for efficiency and rely on high levels of work specialization,formalization,centralization of authority,rigid and well-defined chains of command,and relatively narrow spans of control.

Question 11

_____ formally dictates how jobs and tasks are divided and coordinated between individuals and groups within the company.

A)Span of control
B)Formalization
C)Centralization
D)Organizational structure
E)Chain of command

Question 12

_____ refers to where decisions are formally made in the organization.

A)Chain of command
B)Formalization
C)Centralization
D)Work specialization
E)Span of control

Question 13

Which of the following elements of organizational structure is also referred to as a company's division of labor?

A)Chain of command
B)Formalization
C)Centralization
D)Work specialization
E)Span of control

Question 14

At Personal Touch,Inc. ,there is a total focus on providing care and satisfaction to each customer.In the major clients division,each manager is assigned three employees to supervise,whereas in the product assembly division,each manager supervises about 15 employees.The major clients division managers can be described as having _____ as opposed to _____ for the product assembly division managers.

A)narrow span of control;wide span of control
B)tall formalization;flat formalization
C)narrow centralization;tall centralization
D)wide span of control;narrow span of control
E)flat formalization;tall formalization

Question 15

A drawing that represents every job in the organization and the formal reporting relationships between those jobs is called a(n):

A)Gantt chart.
B)organizational chart.
C)mind map.
D)process flow diagram.
E)hierarchy chart.

Question 16

Restructuring has a moderate negative effect on Performance.

Question 17

An organizational structure formally dictates how jobs and tasks are divided and coordinated between individuals and groups within the company.

Question 18

Although not completely conclusive,research suggests that the more routine a technology is,the more mechanistic a structure should be.

Question 19

Fortunately,spans of control in organizations have decreased significantly in recent years.

Question 20

A high level of work specialization tends to bring about a high level of formalization.

Question 21

Differentiators are more likely to take which of the following approaches to organizational design?

A)Mechanistic
B)Global
C)Multidivisional
D)Matrix
E)Organic

Question 22

Southpark Erasures is the low-cost producer of one type of standard erasures.Given that it operates in a fairly stable environment,the company focuses on making its product as efficiently as possible.Which of the following organizational structures may be appropriate for Southpark?

A)Multidivisional
B)Global
C)Mechanistic
D)Matrix
E)Organic

Question 23

The process of creating,selecting,or changing the structure of an organization refers to:

A)formalization.
B)organization design.
C)specialization.
D)spans of control.
E)organization theory.

Question 24

_____ structures are perhaps the most common form of organizational design.

A)Simple
B)Functional
C)Client-based
D)Product
E)Matrix

Question 25

Organic organizations are typified by a structure that relies on all of the following EXCEPT:

A)low levels of formalization.
B)weak chains of command.
C)high degree of work specialization.
D)wide spans of control.
E)multiple chains of command.

Question 26

Queen City Furniture is a custom manufacturer of hand-crafted furniture.The company has 94 locations throughout the country and relies on decentralized decision making to meet the needs of the dynamic environment and customer needs.Which of the following organizational structures may be appropriate for Queen City Furniture?

A)Simple
B)Global
C)Mechanistic
D)Organic
E)Matrix

Question 27

_____ allow managers to be much more hands-on with employees,giving them the opportunity to use directive leadership styles while developing close mentoring relationships with employees.

A)Wide spans of control
B)High formalization
C)Low centralization
D)Narrow spans of control
E)Low formalization

Question 28

A bureaucratic structure is an organizational form that exhibits many of the facets of the _____ organization.

A)simple
B)global
C)adaptive
D)organic
E)mechanistic

Question 29

Which of the following organizational structure elements is typically found in a mechanistic structure?

A)Low levels of formalization
B)Weak chains of command
C)High degree of work specialization
D)Wide spans of control
E)Multiple chains of command

Question 30

Low-cost producers are more likely to take which of the following approaches to organizational design?

A)Mechanistic
B)Global
C)Multidivisional
D)Matrix
E)Organic

Question 31

At ABC Manufacturing,only the top managers have the authority to make final decisions on just about everything.ABC can be described as a highly _____ structure.

A)wide
B)localized
C)moderate
D)narrow
E)centralized

Question 32

As organizations become larger,they tend to become more _____ in nature

A)simple
B)global
C)mechanistic
D)organic
E)matrix

Question 33

Current research suggests that a _____ span of control is best for an organization's productivity.

A)wide
B)tall
C)moderate
D)narrow
E)flat

Question 34

Which of the following describe an organization's objectives and goals and how it tries to capitalize on its assets to make money?

A)Organization process
B)Company technology
C)Business environment
D)Organizational strategy
E)Organizational chart

Question 35

Which of the following are efficient,rigid,predictable,and standardized organizations that thrive in stable environments?

A)Mechanistic organizations
B)Client structure organizations
C)Multidivisional organizations
D)Matrix organizations
E)Organic organizations

Question 36

Organic organizations are typified by a structure that relies on which of the following?

A)High levels of formalization
B)A rigid and hierarchical chain of command
C)High degree of work specialization
D)Wide spans of control
E)Centralization of decision making

Question 37

_____ are designed for efficiency and rely on high levels of work specialization,formalization,centralization of authority,rigid and well-defined chains of command,and relatively narrow spans of control.

A)Bureaucracies
B)Simple structures
C)Adaptive organizations
D)Organic structures
E)Adhocracies

Question 38

Stable environments allow organizations to focus on:

A)flexibility.
B)change.
C)efficiency.
D)adaptation.
E)insufficiency.

Question 39

_____ organizations are flexible,adaptive,outward-focused organizations that thrive in dynamic environments.

A)Mechanistic
B)Global
C)Multidivisional
D)Matrix
E)Organic

Question 40

If decision making is pushed down to lower level employees,and these employees feel empowered to make decisions on their own,an organization has a _____ structure.

A)wide
B)decentralized
C)moderate
D)narrow
E)concentrated

Question 41

At Modern Technology,employees are grouped according to their functional expertise as well as the different key product lines that they are working on.Hence,the company has simultaneously created a combination of a functional and a product structure.This is an example of which of the following?

A)Conglomerate
B)Matrix
C)Geographic
D)Global
E)Simple

Question 42

Restructuring has _____ effect on commitment.

A)a strong positive
B)a weak negative
C)no
D)a moderate positive
E)a moderate negative

Question 43

Which of the following can help reduce negative effects of restructuring efforts in an organization?

A)Frequent communication and participation
B)More money to layoff survivors
C)More work to take their mind off layoffs
D)Higher degree of stress to increase productivity
E)Getting rid of work that was originally done by laid-off employees

Question 44

What steps can an organization take to reduce the negative effects of restructuring efforts on employees? Explain.

Question 45

Define matrix structure.Identify a strength and a weakness of such a structure from an employee's viewpoint.

Question 46

_____ structure gives each employee two chains of command,two groups with which to interact,and two sources of information to consider.

A)Client-based
B)Cross-border
C)Geographic
D)Matrix
E)Product

Question 47

Describe the three multidivisional structures.

Question 48

Differentiate between functional and multi-divisional structures.Provide a diagram of each.

Question 49

When Candies R Us groups its business units according to where they do business such as North America division,Europe division,Asia division,and Africa division,it is creating which of the following organizational structures?

A)Client-based
B)Product
C)Geographic
D)Functional
E)Simple

Question 50

The most basic bureaucratic structure is the _____ structure.

A)client-based
B)product
C)geographic
D)functional
E)simple

Question 51

American Toy Manufacturer (ATM)groups its business units around the following divisions: educational toys,girl's toys,boy's toys,and electronic toys.ATM has created which of the following organizational structures?

A)Client-based
B)Product
C)Geographic
D)Functional
E)Simple

Question 52

At ABC Manufacturing,employees are grouped according to their expertise in an area.All marketing employees are in one department,all finance employees are grouped in another department and similarly,all human resources and manufacturing employees are in their respective departments.ABC can be said to have which of the following structures?

A)Client-based
B)Product
C)Geographic
D)Functional
E)Simple

Question 53

Star Brokerage,Inc.(SBI)has grouped its work around the size and type of accounts they serve: Institutional Accounts,Pension Fund Accounts,and Personal Accounts.SBI has created which of the following organizational structures?

A)Client-based
B)Product
C)Geographic
D)Functional
E)Simple

Question 54

The biggest weakness of a functional structure is that:

A)the organization as a whole has a relatively narrow focus.
B)the organization has fewer product lines.
C)it operates in a stable environment.
D)employees lose sight of the bigger organizational picture.
E)the organization has fewer services.

Question 55

More complex forms of organizational design that try to take advantage of two types of structures at the same time are called _____ structures.

A)simple
B)functional
C)client-based
D)product
E)matrix

Question 56

The first step in adapting to the environment is:

A)restructuring.
B)recognizing the need to change.
C)evaluating the external environment.
D)evaluating the internal environment.
E)exploring the competitor's structures.

Question 57

Define span of control.Describe the relationship between span of control and organizational performance.

Question 58

According to research,restructuring has _____ effect on task performance.

A)a strong positive
B)a small negative
C)no
D)a strong negative
E)a moderate positive

Question 59

The process of changing an organizational structure is called:

A)restructuring.
B)ingratiation.
C)company strategy.
D)formalization.
E)work specialization.

Question 60

When General Motors groups its business units around the different lines of cars such as Chevrolet,Buick,Oldsmobile,Pontiac,and Cadillac,it is creating which of the following structures?

A)Client-based
B)Product
C)Geographic
D)Functional
E)Simple