Organizational Structure
13
Organizational Structure
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Describe three types of coordination in organizational structures. 2. Justify the optimal span of control in a given situation. 3. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of centralization and formalization. 4. Distinguish organic from mechanistic organizational structures. 5. Identify and evaluate the six pure types of departmentalization. 6. Describe three variations of divisional structure and explain which one should be adopted in a particular situation. 7. Diagram the matrix structure and discuss its advantages and disadvantages. 8. Compare and contrast network structures with other forms of departmentalization. 9. Identify four characteristics of external environments and discuss the preferred organizational structure for each environment. 10. Summarize the influence of organizational size, technology, and strategy on organizational structure.
386
Part Four Organizational Processes
organizational structure The division of labor as well as the patterns of coordination, communication, workflow, and formal power that direct organizational activities.
What organizational structure will work best for BioWare? We’ll find out in this chapter. Organizational structure refers to the division of labor as well as the patterns of coordination, communication, workflow, and formal power that direct organizational activities. The chapter begins by introducing the two fundamental processes in organizational structure: division of labor and coordination. This is followed by a detailed investigation of the four main elements of organizational structure: span of control, centralization, formalization, and departmentalization. The latter part of this chapter examines the contingencies of organizational design, including external environment, organizational size, technology, and strategy. Throughout this chapter, we hope to show that an organization’s structure
Organizational Structure
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Describe three types of coordination in organizational structures. 2. Justify the optimal span of control in a given situation. 3. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of centralization and formalization. 4. Distinguish organic from mechanistic organizational structures. 5. Identify and evaluate the six pure types of departmentalization. 6. Describe three variations of divisional structure and explain which one should be adopted in a particular situation. 7. Diagram the matrix structure and discuss its advantages and disadvantages. 8. Compare and contrast network structures with other forms of departmentalization. 9. Identify four characteristics of external environments and discuss the preferred organizational structure for each environment. 10. Summarize the influence of organizational size, technology, and strategy on organizational structure.
386
Part Four Organizational Processes
organizational structure The division of labor as well as the patterns of coordination, communication, workflow, and formal power that direct organizational activities.
What organizational structure will work best for BioWare? We’ll find out in this chapter. Organizational structure refers to the division of labor as well as the patterns of coordination, communication, workflow, and formal power that direct organizational activities. The chapter begins by introducing the two fundamental processes in organizational structure: division of labor and coordination. This is followed by a detailed investigation of the four main elements of organizational structure: span of control, centralization, formalization, and departmentalization. The latter part of this chapter examines the contingencies of organizational design, including external environment, organizational size, technology, and strategy. Throughout this chapter, we hope to show that an organization’s structure