1 / 12

Reframing Organizations , 4 th ed.

Reframing Organizations , 4 th ed. Chapter 3. Getting Organized. Getting Organized. Structural Assumptions Origins of the Structural Perspective Structural Forms and Functions Basic Structural Tensions Vertical Coordination - Authority - Rules and Policies

Download Presentation

Reframing Organizations , 4 th ed.

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Reframing Organizations, 4th ed.

  2. Chapter 3 Getting Organized

  3. Getting Organized • Structural Assumptions • Origins of the Structural Perspective • Structural Forms and Functions • Basic Structural Tensions • Vertical Coordination - Authority - Rules and Policies - Planning and Control Systems • Lateral Coordination • McDonald’s and Harvard: A Structural Odd Couple • Structural Imperatives

  4. Structural Assumptions • Achieve established goals and objectives • Increase efficiency and performance via specialization and division of labor • Appropriate forms of coordination and control • Organizations work best when rationality prevails • Structure must align with circumstances • Problems arise from structural deficiencies

  5. Origins of the Structural Perspective • Frederick Taylor – Scientific Management • Efficiency, time and motion studies, etc. • Max Weber – Bureaucracy • Fixed division of labor • Hierarchy of offices • Performance rules • Separate personal and official property and rights • Personnel selected for technical qualifications • Employment as primary occupation

  6. Structural Forms and Functions • Blueprint for expectations and exchanges among internal and external players • Design options are almost infinite • Design needs to fit circumstances

  7. Basic Structural Tensions • Differentiation: dividing work, division of labor • Integration: coordinating efforts of different roles and units • Criteria for differentiation: function, time, product, customer, place, process • Suboptimization: units focus on local concerns, lose sight of big picture

  8. Vertical coordination • Authority (the boss makes the decision) • Rules and policies • Planning and control systems • Performance control (focus on results) vs. action planning (focus on process)

  9. Lateral Coordination • Meetings • Task Forces • Coordinating Roles • Matrix Structures • Networks • Strengths and Weaknesses of Lateral Strategies

  10. McDonald’s and Harvard: A Structural Odd Couple • McDonald’s: clearer goals, more centralized, tighter performance controls • Harvard: diffuse goals, highly decentralized, high autonomy for professors • Why have two successful organizations developed such different structures?

  11. Structural Imperatives • Size and Age • Core Process • Environment • Strategy and Goals • Information Technology • People: Nature of Workforce

  12. Conclusion • Structural frame – understanding the social architecture of work • Structure is more than red tape and bureaucracy • Bad structure wastes resources, frustrates individuals, and undermines effectiveness • Good structure empowers individuals and units to work together and achieve goals • Differentiation and integration as the central structural challenge: how do we divide the work, and how do we coordinate once we divide? • Structure depends on situation • Simpler more stable  simpler, more hierarchical and centralized structure • Changing, turbulent environments  more complex, flexible structure

More Related