Explain the concepts of empowerment, self-managed teams, and cross-functional teams, and develop an essay that argues for their inclusion in either a tall or flat organizational structure.
Question 1
Explain the concepts of empowerment, self-managed teams, and cross-functional teams, and develop an essay that argues for their inclusion in either a tall or flat organizational structure.
Empowerment is the process of giving employees the authority to make important decisions and to be responsible for their outcomes. Empowerment should exist in tall organizational structure because if the size of the tall organizational structure is bigger is operating process or more tasks appear or tasks become more and more complex, managers at the top of hierarchy will gradually lose the control regarding their work. Self-managed teams reflect self-lead work groups consisting of people who are jointly responsible for ensuring that the team accomplishes its goals. Self-managed teams should exist in flat organizational structure because self-managed teams need to be control well with a few levels to avoid hindering communications. Cross-functional teams are groups of employee from across an organization’s different functions who are empowered to direct and coordinate the value-creation activities.
Question 2
Bureaucracy is a phenomenon that presents itself in varying degrees in organizations. When does bureaucracy become a problem in an organization? How can the principles of bureaucracy help managers to design the organizational hierarchy? What can managers do to prevent bureaucratic problems from arising?
Bureaucracy becomes a problem when it hampers the work of the organization. When there are too many steps involved and too many people involved to solve issues and make quick decisions, then bureaucracy is a problem. When the hierarchy is inflexible and difficult to wade through, it is a problem. Decisions should not be made without adequate information and time, but when the decisions are bogged down in bureaucratic "red tape", the rules and layers of approval, then companies can lose business and opportunities to act in
Explain the concepts of empowerment, self-managed teams, and cross-functional teams, and develop an essay that argues for their inclusion in either a tall or flat organizational structure.
Empowerment is the process of giving employees the authority to make important decisions and to be responsible for their outcomes. Empowerment should exist in tall organizational structure because if the size of the tall organizational structure is bigger is operating process or more tasks appear or tasks become more and more complex, managers at the top of hierarchy will gradually lose the control regarding their work. Self-managed teams reflect self-lead work groups consisting of people who are jointly responsible for ensuring that the team accomplishes its goals. Self-managed teams should exist in flat organizational structure because self-managed teams need to be control well with a few levels to avoid hindering communications. Cross-functional teams are groups of employee from across an organization’s different functions who are empowered to direct and coordinate the value-creation activities.
Question 2
Bureaucracy is a phenomenon that presents itself in varying degrees in organizations. When does bureaucracy become a problem in an organization? How can the principles of bureaucracy help managers to design the organizational hierarchy? What can managers do to prevent bureaucratic problems from arising?
Bureaucracy becomes a problem when it hampers the work of the organization. When there are too many steps involved and too many people involved to solve issues and make quick decisions, then bureaucracy is a problem. When the hierarchy is inflexible and difficult to wade through, it is a problem. Decisions should not be made without adequate information and time, but when the decisions are bogged down in bureaucratic "red tape", the rules and layers of approval, then companies can lose business and opportunities to act in