Deck 11: Designing Organizational - Structure Adaptive Design

Question 1

A ________ organization is an organization that has developed the capacity to continuously acquire knowledge,adapt,and change.

A)learning
B)boundaryless
C)virtual
D)organic

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The ________ structure assigns specialists from different functional departments to work on projects being led by a project manager.

A)team
B)learning
C)boundaryless
D)matrix

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following organizational designs has no rigid and predefined structure?

A)matrix structures
B)boundaryless organizations
C)simple structures
D)functional organizations

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The management at Ranger Oil Corporation (ROC)decides to outsource functions such as accounting,payroll,and human resources,thereby allowing ROC to focus on what they do best-oil exploration and distribution.The management is aiming to turn ROC into a ________.

A)team organization
B)matrix organization
C)project organization
D)network organization

Question 5

A dual chain of command is the key characteristic of the ________ structure.

A)matrix
B)project
C)team
D)virtual

Question 6

The company is known for its auto insurance but its customers would be surprised to learn how few regular employees the company has.Most work from home or from their own offices and only when the insurance company has projects for them.This company is most likely a ________.

A)boundaryless organization
B)virtual organization
C)network organization
D)learning organization

Question 7

Which of the following is a characteristic of a project structure?

A)It has no formal departments.
B)It creates a high level of team loyalty.
C)It has a rigid organizational hierarchy.
D)It has a very slow decision-making process.

Question 8

In which of the following organizational designs is there a greater likelihood of task and personality conflicts?

A)simple structures
B)functional structures
C)project structures
D)team structures

Question 9

A virtual organization ________.

A)is structurally complex
B)has a fairly large full-time workforce
C)hires outside specialists on a project basis
D)has a high degree of departmentalization

Question 10

Which of the following is an advantage of a team structure?

A)It empowers employees and makes them more involved.
B)It establishes a clear line of managerial authority.
C)It reduces the pressure on teams to perform.
D)It separates different functional groups.

Question 11

In terms of organizational design,external boundaries refer to the boundaries that separate ________.

A)an organization's permanent workforce from its contingent workforce
B)an organization's top-management from its middle- and lower-management
C)an organization from its customers,suppliers,and other stakeholders
D)an organization from its divisions in other countries

Question 12

Which of the following is a characteristic of a matrix organization?

A)It conforms to the unity of command principle.
B)It consists of outside specialists who are temporarily hired to work on projects.
C)It has formal departments to which employees return after completing a project.
D)It is free of both internal and external boundaries.

Question 13

All work in project structures is performed by ________.

A)teams
B)functions
C)outside specialists
D)informal groups

Question 14

A matrix structure violates which important element of organizational design?

A)unity of command
B)span of control
C)chain of command
D)decentralization

Question 15

In a ________ structure,no clear chain of command exists.

A)team
B)project
C)matrix
D)traditional

Question 16

In which of the following organizational designs are employees most likely to experience communication difficulties?

A)team structures
B)matrix structures
C)project structures
D)boundaryless structures

Question 17

Employee empowerment is a crucial aspect of which type of organizational design?

A)bureaucratic structures
B)simple structures
C)functional structures
D)team structures

Question 18

Which of the following is a disadvantage of a matrix structure?

A)It increases the complexity of assigning people to projects.
B)It slows down the decision-making process.
C)It reduces organizational responsiveness.
D)It leads to lower morale among team members.

Question 19

BarNone is an electronic engineer's dream job.There are no departments,no chain of command.Employees find a team working on something they find interesting and to which they can contribute and stay with that team until the work is done then they move on to another team.BarNone uses a ________ structure.

A)team
B)project
C)matrix
D)boundaryless

Question 20

Marvin's employer has created a database where all the engineers can post their problems and solutions.Product developers can access the database as can production personnel.Marvin's employer typifies a ________ organization.

A)boundaryless
B)virtual
C)network
D)learning

Question 21

Which of the following is a structural option that an organization should consider for internal collaboration?

A)joint ventures
B)communities of practice
C)open innovation
D)strategic partnerships

Question 22

What is a learning organization? What structural characteristics do learning organizations need?

Question 23

Describe matrix and project structures.

Question 24

In large organizations,the team structure complements what is typically a functional or divisional structure.

Question 25

What is a boundaryless organization? What are the features of a virtual organization and a network organization?

Question 26

A virtual organization consists of temporary workers who telecommute.

Question 27

The employees of a firm's R&D wing and sales and marketing department were asked to form teams.Within these teams,the members from R&D were required to explain the features of the new products in detail to the employees of the sales and marketing department.This helped the sales and marketing team to promote the company's products better.This an example of the use of ________.

A)cross-functional teams
B)task forces
C)communities of practice
D)cross-cultural teams

Question 28

Project structures tend to be rigid organizational designs,with the departmentalization and organizational hierarchy slowing down the decision-making process.

Question 29

Which of the following is a characteristic of a learning organization?

A)contingent workforce
B)multiple structural and physical barriers
C)empowered work teams
D)several managerial roles to direct and control employees

Question 30

The horizontal boundaries imposed by work specialization and departmentalization are a part of an organization's external boundaries.

Question 31

A virtual organization typically consists of a small core of full-time employees and outside specialists temporarily hired as needed to work on projects.

Question 32

Employee empowerment is crucial in organizations with team structures because no line of managerial authority flows from top to bottom in such organizations.

Question 33

Dr.Miller teaches in a major university.For course-related issues,he reports to the Dean of the School of Business and Economics.But he also reports to the Vice-Chancellor for Undergraduate Academic Affairs for student-specific issues.This university uses a ________.

A)project structure
B)matrix structure
C)team structure
D)network structure

Question 34

In order to succeed in today's world,organizations need to ________.

A)be more flexible in how work gets done
B)pace themselves when it comes to innovation
C)strictly follow the top-down decision-making approach
D)adopt narrowly-defined functional arrangements

Question 35

Ohm Software prompts representatives from its software development team as well as its sales and marketing team to review and monitor the performance of its product and service innovations.This is an example of a ________.

A)task force
B)community of practice
C)joint venture
D)cross-functional team

Question 36

Which of the following is true regarding the benefits of collaborative work?

A)The participants have similar views and similar goals.
B)The logistics of coordination are easily achieved.
C)It increases communication among participants.
D)It minimizes interpersonal conflicts.

Question 37

A temporary committee formed to tackle a specific short-term problem affecting several departments is known as a ________.

A)task force
B)community of practice
C)strategic partnership
D)joint venture

Question 38

In a learning organization,employees continually acquire and share new knowledge and apply that knowledge in making decisions or doing their work.

Question 39

Which of the following is a drawback of collaborative work?

A)It decreases communication and coordination among the participants.
B)It reduces the level of creativity and produces fewer ideas.
C)It can be effectively applied only to simple problems.
D)It is possible that participants may have opposing views and competing goals.

Question 40

One benefit of the matrix structure is that it creates a dual chain of command.

Question 41

A task force is also called a(n)________.

A)matrix structure
B)community of practice
C)ad hoc committee
D)strategic partnership

Question 42

A task force is a permanent committee or team formed to tackle a long-term problem affecting several departments of an organization.

Question 43

Which of the following will help in making communities of practice successful?

A)conducting face-to-face meetings,instead of online meetings
B)having clear accountability and managerial oversight
C)encouraging members to nurture competing goals
D)focusing on simple and routine issues,that can be easily tackled

Question 44

A cell phone maker has created a digital platform that allows it to directly interact with its customers.Customers are allowed to post their ideas regarding the features they want in the phones that the company plans to launch.What is this process of interaction between the company and its customers called?

A)open innovation
B)strategic partnership
C)joint venturing
D)customer relationship management

Question 45

The management decides to set up an online forum which will allow its software developers to post queries and share their ideas and best practices with their peers around the world.Such forms of collaboration are called ________.

A)strategic partnerships
B)communities of practice
C)task forces
D)cross-functional teams

Question 46

Which of the following is a drawback of open innovation?

A)It increases the level of risk associated with product development.
B)It diverts the organization's attention away from the marketplace.
C)It nurtures external relationships but not internal ones.
D)It requires extensive support.

Question 47

The top management have instructed Adam to put together a temporary team which will develop new training programs for the purpose of upgrading the existing skills of the firm's software engineers.Adam is being asked to put together a ________.

A)task force
B)community of practice
C)contingent workforce
D)cross-cultural team

Question 48

Several neurologists were confounded by a patient's lack of response to traditional treatment.One of them went to a special Web site just for medical personnel to see if others had encountered this problem and whether there was a different method to try.The neurologist was a member of ________.

A)a project team
B)a task force
C)a community of practice
D)a virtual team

Question 49

Searching for new ideas beyond an organization's boundaries and allowing changes to easily transfer inward and outward is known as ________.

A)strategic partnering
B)knowledge management
C)customer relationship management
D)open innovation

Question 50

Which of the following is true regarding task forces?

A)They have a longer life span than cross-functional teams.
B)Team members are not required to perform any other tasks while serving on the task force.
C)The team takes on newer issues or problems as older ones get resolved.
D)They tackle specific short-term problems affecting several departments.

Question 51

Collaborative work increases communication and coordination among participants.

Question 52

The management is thinking of joining hands with its one time rival,CG-VAK Software,in order to gain access to new markets and technologies.By doing this,the organization is nurturing a ________.

A)joint stock company
B)task force
C)community of practice
D)strategic partnership

Question 53

ABC Corp.decides to enter the cell phone market.Before launching its new handset,it creates a digital platform which allows the general public to post their ideas and opinions about the features they want in the new phone.In this scenario,the company is ________.

A)forming a joint venture
B)creating a boundaryless organization
C)promoting open innovation
D)forming a strategic partnership

Question 54

A cross-functional team has no artificial boundaries and thus,the team focuses on working together to achieve organizational goals.

Question 55

________ refer to groups of people who share a concern,a set of problems,or a passion about a topic,and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in that area by interacting on an ongoing basis.

A)Communities of practice
B)Project teams
C)Cross-functional communities
D)Task forces

Question 56

Which of the following is a characteristic of a strategic partnership?

A)It allows multiple parties to share the risks and expenses.
B)It is limited to five or fewer participants.
C)It provides access to new sources of financing.
D)It prevents rival firms from collaborating.

Question 57

Which of the following is an advantage of open innovation?

A)It can be implemented even if the organization follows a rigid structure.
B)It requires minimal support from top management.
C)It gives customers a voice and allows them to be heard.
D)It requires few,if any,changes in the way knowledge is shared.

Question 58

A strategic partnership ________.

A)promotes efficiencies because of its flexible and informal arrangements
B)leads to dysfunctional conflict,as opposed to synergy,among the parties involved
C)entails a lot of paperwork when creating and disbanding projects
D)does not allow either firm to retain its brand identity

Question 59

Consolidated Technology's largest customer has complained again about the quality of the parts it has received.Consolidated has asked for volunteers to participate on a problem-solving team to find the cause and propose a solution for this ongoing problem.Consolidated is forming a ________.

A)project team
B)team structure
C)standing committee
D)task force

Question 60

Collaborative relationships between two or more organizations in which they combine their resources and capabilities for some business purpose are known as ________.

A)communities of practice
B)strategic partnerships
C)joint stock companies
D)organizational task forces

Question 61

In order to make communities of practice effective,it is important to remove any sort of managerial supervision.

Question 62

The practice of having two or more people split a full-time job is known as ________.

A)moonlighting
B)job rotation
C)job sharing
D)temping

Question 63

What are communities of practice? What can organizations do to make such communities successful?

Question 64

The most common arrangement in a compressed workweek is ________.

A)four 10-hour days
B)three 12-hour days followed by one 4-hour day
C)five 8-hour days
D)four 9-hour days followed by one 4-hour day

Question 65

Brent works in the accounts department at a small firm.All employees at his firm are expected to clock-in 40 hours of work per week.After five years in the work force,Brent decides to go back to school but on a part-time basis while continuing to work his full 40 hours each week.The classes he is taking are currently scheduled for three days in a week,between 3 to 6 pm.Which of the following work arrangements is most suitable for Brent's situation?

A)flextime
B)telecommuting full time
C)job sharing
D)compressed workweek

Question 66

A compressed workweek is one wherein ________.

A)employees work longer hours per day but fewer days per week
B)employees work the same number of hours per week but do more work
C)employees work fewer days per week but also do lesser work
D)employees work for a lesser number of hours per day in the week

Question 67

Explain the concept of strategic partnerships and highlight some of their advantages.

Question 68

Which among the following is the best way to convince employees to become remote workers?

A)By telling them that telecommuting eventually blurs the line between work and home.
B)By pointing to the pay "increase" employees would receive from money saved through telecommuting.
C)By telling them that they are unlikely to miss the camaraderie and social exchanges of the workplace.
D)By offering free high-speed Internet access and office furniture.

Question 69

Strategic partnerships are collaborative relationships between two or more organizations in which they combine their resources and capabilities for some business purpose.

Question 70

List some of the benefits and drawbacks of collaborative work.

Question 71

Cheryl's company wants to grow without incurring costs for a new office building,equipment,or parking lots.Which would be the best option for the company?

A)It can give its employees the option of telecommuting.
B)It can adopt the open innovation approach.
C)It can enter into a strategic partnership.
D)It can compress the workweek of its employees.

Question 72

Which of the following is the best option for a qualified,female employee with a baby wishing to work from home?

A)telecommuting
B)job sharing
C)flextime
D)compressed workweeks

Question 73

Briefly describe the characteristics of cross-functional teams and task forces.

Question 74

A ________ schedule typically designates certain common core hours when all employees are required to be on the job,but allows starting,ending,and lunch-hour times to vary.

A)telecomputing
B)flextime
C)job sharing
D)compressed workweek

Question 75

________ is a work arrangement in which employees work at home and are linked to the workplace by computer.

A)Outsourcing
B)Coworking
C)Telecommuting
D)Hot desking

Question 76

Carl has been working from home several days per month.At first everything was fine but the appeal is beginning to wear off.Carl is finding that ________.

A)his household expenses have increased
B)the line between work and home becomes even more blurred
C)his relationship with his co-workers has improved
D)he is working longer hours per day but fewer days per week

Question 77

Explain the concept of open innovation and highlight some of its benefits and drawbacks.

Question 78

Open innovation refers to opening up the search for new ideas beyond the organization's boundaries and allowing innovations to easily transfer inward and outward.

Question 79

Communities of practice refer to groups of people who share a concern,a set of problems,or a passion about a topic,and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in that area by interacting on an ongoing basis.

Question 80

When Carl offered to work from home several days each month,his manager feared that ________.

A)she would not be able to provide adequate supervision when he would not see Carl regularly
B)she would miss the camaraderie of having Carl in the office every day
C)Carl would ask for an increase in pay
D)Carl would not be able to handle working alone