Deck 12: Designing Organizational Structures

Question 1

Work is organized by

A)coordination of effort
B)a common goal
C)division of labour
D)a hierarchy of authority
E)coordination of effort, a common goal, division of labour, and a hierarchy of authority

Answer 1

E

Question 2

All of the following are resource inputs to a biological open system model EXCEPT

A)products
B)goods and services
C)money
D)information
E)people

Answer 2

A

Question 3

An organism that must constantly interact with its environment to survive is called a(n) ________________________.

A)closed circuit
B)open circuit
C)closed system
D)open system
E)open environment

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The division of labour, a hierarchy of authority, a framework of rules, and administrative impersonality is the foundation of _____________ theory of bureaucracy.

A)Maslow's
B)Weber's
C)Gardner's
D)Tuckman's
E)Bruner's

Question 5

An organization that considers itself a cognitive (thinking) system and adapts as needed is a(n)

A)contemporary system
B)learning organization
C)virtual system
D)employee system
E)goal oriented system

Question 6

A(n) _____________ system is said to be relatively self-sufficient.

A)closed
B)psychological
C)open
D)traditional
E)cognitive

Question 7

Company Ajax set up a division in Quebec to serve the French-speaking customers.Which departmentation structure is this an example of?

A)functional
B)product
C)matrix
D)geographic
E)customer

Question 8

Rigid command and control bureaucracies are called ___________________.

A)organic organizations
B)mechanistic organizations
C)holistic organizations
D)contingency organizations
E)psycho-social organizations

Question 9

When assessing the effectiveness of organizations, it's important to look at the following criteria EXCEPT

A)motivational theories used
B)goal accomplishment
C)resource acquisition
D)internal processes
E)satisfaction of strategic constituencies

Question 10

Trevor has four employees reporting to him.This is referred to as his

A)staff personnel
B)span of control
C)unity of command
D)division of labour
E)hierarchy of authority

Question 11

Which approach is most appropriate when inputs are to organizational effectiveness rather than outputs?

A)goal accomplishment approach
B)internal process approach
C)resource acquisition approach
D)strategic constituencies approach
E)competitive satisfaction approach

Question 12

When goals are clear and agreed upon, the approach to use for organizational effectiveness is the

A)goal accomplishment approach
B)internal processes approach
C)contingency organization approach
D)organic organizations approach
E)psycho-social organization approach

Question 13

A contemporary structure that has work redirected to an outside company is called a(n)

A)network organization
B)cross-functional team structure
C)outsourcing structure
D)virtual organization
E)matrix structure

Question 14

Which effectiveness criterion is also known as the 'stakeholder' approach?

A)goal accomplishment
B)internal processes
C)resource acquisition
D)strategic constituencies
E)strategic satisfaction

Question 15

According to the contingency approach to organization design, organizations tend to be more ____________________ when they are structured to fit the demands of the situation.

A)expensive
B)environmental
C)strategic
D)satisfactory
E)effective

Question 16

Alicia, a worker at Canada Post, helps to provide research, advice, and recommendations to line managers.What is Alicia's role in the organization?

A)line manager
B)staff personnel
C)closed system manager
D)open system manager
E)learning organization manager

Question 17

What is the name of the departmentation structure when a worker remains in their functional area, but is temporarily assigned to another team within the organization?

A)functional
B)product
C)matrix
D)geographic
E)customer

Question 18

All of the following are dimensions of organizational effectiveness EXCEPT

A)goal accomplishment
B)internal processes
C)strategic constituencies' satisfaction
D)competitive positioning
E)resource acquisition

Question 19

Which effectiveness criterion is also known as the 'healthy systems' approach?

A)goal accomplishment
B)internal processes
C)strategic constituencies
D)strategic satisfaction
E)resource acquisition

Question 20

What are the four basic dimensions of organizational structure?

A)hierarchy of authority, division of control, span of labour, and managerial positions
B)hierarchy of authority, division of labour, span of control, and line and staff positions
C)hierarchy of management, division of labour, span of positions, and line and staff job control
D)hierarchy of management, division of labour, span of positions, and job control

Question 21

The approach to decision making in an organic organization is

A)contingency
B)decentralized
C)centralized
D)bounded rationality
E)limited rationality

Question 22

A box-and-line illustration of the organization is referred to as the organization chart.

Question 23

The following descriptors: dynamic, learning, information rich, global, and skills oriented are all words that help describe which style of organization?

A)new-style
B)old-style
C)mechanistic
D)organic
E)virtual

Question 24

The matrix organizational structure has many benefits, and yet two global studies identified why so many firms fail in their attempts to implement such a structure.There are six steps to help firms realize their potential when introducing a matrix structure.Consider the list and explain how to implement such a structure.

Question 25

Realizing the full potential of a matrix structure involves a number of steps.One step is cultural intelligence.

Question 26

All of the following are examples of new-style organizations EXCEPT

A)being dynamic
B)going global
C)being stable
D)being team oriented
E)being customer oriented

Question 27

Using a diagram, explain the difference between a cross-functional team structure and a virtual organization.

Question 28

The old-style of organization is information rich and skills oriented.

Question 29

Decentralized decision making occurs when

A)decisions are made by middle- and lower-level managers
B)decisions are made by senior managers
C)decisions are made by each employee
D)decisions are made by the board
E)decisions are made by the teams

Question 30

The challenge in business is to achieve a workable balance between an extreme centralized and extreme decentralized system.

Question 31

Using a diagram, explain the difference between a functional, product, geographic, and matrix department.

Question 32

Unlike the traditional military/mechanical theorists who downplayed the environment, advocates of the biological model stress organization-environment interaction.

Question 33

A functional department is grouped by product line or service category.

Question 34

According to Max Weber, personnel decisions such as hiring and promoting should be based on competence and not on favoritism.

Question 35

A narrow span of control may mean closer supervision and higher administrative costs.

Question 36

The goal accomplishment approach is appropriate when powerful stakeholders can significantly benefit or harm the organization.

Question 37

The following descriptors: stable, information scarcity, local, large, and job oriented are all words that describe which style of organization?

A)new-style
B)old-style
C)mechanistic
D)organic
E)virtual

Question 38

Mechanistic organizations tend to be more successful when the environment is

A)dynamic
B)quickly changing
C)unstable and uncertain
D)stable and certain
E)unstable and certain

Question 39

The hierarchy of authority specifies that each employee will become better at performing standardized tasks over time.

Question 40

Organic organizations tend to be successful when the environment is

A)stable
B)certain
C)unstable and uncertain
D)stable and certain
E)unstable and certain