Managing the Organization Structure

Essay Instructions:

CASE STUDY # 5MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Managing the Organization's Structure

Background

After finishing with the background page and readings, go to the following interview with Rosabeth Moss Kanter, who is a renowned Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and an influential business advisor. Among other things, in this interview she talks about the evolution of changes in organizational structure in the past decades, and the link to employees’ well-being and functioning.

Required Reading

Both of the following articles can be found in the EBSCO Business Source Complete database.

Puffer, S. (2004) Changing organizational structures: An interview with Rosabeth Moss Kanter. Academy of Management Executive, 18(2).

The following article looks at changing organizational structures as open systems and the effect on managers.

Buhler, P. M. (2011). Changing organizational structures and their impact on managers. Supervision, 72(2), 24-26.

Assignment

Write a 4- to 5-page critique answering the questions below.

An organization’s structure can have significant effects on its members. What might those effects be? Analyze the behavioral implications of different organizational designs and use at least three examples, SAS being one of them.
Is it possible to generalize and say that a certain structure is better than others? That is, is there a structure that is superior in terms of its effects on its members?

Keys to the Assignment

The key aspects of this assignment that should be covered in your paper are:

Define the problem: Explain the relationship between organizational structure and human behaviors.
Analyze the cause: Analyze how specific organizational designs can elicit predictable attitudes and motivations. Be sure to use SAS as one of your examples (refer back to Module 2).
Propose a solution: Take a position on Question 2 and defend it with references to the concepts in the readings in this module and any previous modules that you find relevant.
Extra credit will be given if you can relate your discussion to cultural differences (Module 1).

Assignment Expectations

Your paper will be evaluated on the following seven (7) points:

Precision - Does the paper address the question(s) or task(s)?
Breadth - Is the full breadth of the subject, i.e., the Keys to the Assignment, addressed?
Depth - Does the paper address the topic in sufficient depth and include the background readings and other background resources as references?
Critical thinking - Is the subject thought about critically, i.e., accurately, logically, relevantly, and precisely?
Clarity - Is the writing clear and are the concepts articulated properly? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means of responding to the questions or are points conveyed through excessive use of quotations?
Organization - Is the paper well written? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level work? Are headings included in all papers longer than two pages?
Referencing (citations and references) - Does the paper include citations and quotation marks where appropriate? Are the references from the background readings and assignment present and properly cited? Are all the references listed in the bibliography present and referred to via citation?

Tips and Suggestions

Please note the following tips and suggestions:

Include a cover page and reference page in addition to the 4–5 pages of analysis described above.
You are expected to demonstrate that you have read, understood, and can apply the required background readings for this module in your answer to this case. Be sure to read the required readings carefully, and use the theories and arguments you learn from them to support your analysis.
Include headings for all papers longer than two pages (basically all papers).
Cite and reference all sources that you use in your work, including those that you do not quote but paraphrase. This means include citations and quotation marks for direct quotes of more than five words, and include citations for information that you have "borrowed" or paraphrased from other sources.
Follow TUI Guidelines for well-written papers. (If you are unsure of what those guidelines are, see The Elements of a Well Written Paper).

Submit your analysis by the end of this module.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Managing the Organization Structure
Name
Institution
Managing the Organization Structure
Organizational structures may stretch to a wide range of performance that is measurable. The effectiveness of most organizations depends on their goals that are determined by their structures (Maguire, 2003). The structure is also related to or includes issues like employees’ relations, efficiencies, marketing and sales of the products and services of an organization. Different organizations have different organizational structures that drive them in their performance. How best such organizations perform depend mainly on how best their structures are constructed. Many employees want a working environment that is conducive to work in (Maguire, 2003). It is on record that, environments that have harsh conditions do not attract much success as employees feel that they are not cared for and therefore, find it pointless to deliver their best (Maguire, 2003).
Organizational structures, therefore, play a critical role and have significant effects on its members especially in terms of their attitude towards work and the organization at large (Buhler, 2011). Good planned structures that are properly adaptable may enable a business to succeed well in many areas, not necessarily to earn high profit margins. For instance, workers’ morale depends solely on a noble organizational structure. Employees are always enthusiastic with work when they are treated with respect by the management. An organization that is poorly structured with bosses that have little or completely no regard to the junior employees can demoralize workers. For example, if senior employees keep on increasing their salaries and cut the salaries of the junior employees without consideration of their welfare, this can turn disastrous to the organization. This is the time when go slows can set in (Buhler, 2011).
In the interview of Professor Rosabeth Moss Kantar, she gets critical and explains why organizational structure should be consistent with the family-friendly practices (Kortmann, 2012). In one chapter of her book, “The Men and Women” she talks of corporate wives and the role they play in the white collar jobs in terms of managerial ranks. There is one notable thing that comes out clearly that women are suppressed by their men counterparts in the organization structure. They are mainly performing jobs that are not beyond secretarial duties (Kortmann, 2012). However, this may look normal with some people, it not a good idea or practice as it denies female gender an opportunity to explore their leadership skills in the working environment like their male colleagues. Research and literature reviews proves that many women leaders across the globe have transformed greatly their areas that they have been appointed to work in. A culture like this in an organization can inhibit growth since the women employees may feel neglected or left out in the making of key decisions that can run the institution (Kortmann, 2012).
The organizational environment of today emphasizes on the competencies and their competitive advantage (Buhler, 2011). It is interesting to note that, management of reputable organizations sideline female gender in the management system despite their competitive advantage. For any organization that is aspiring organizational success, the focus should be on competence as opposed to gender in the constitution of the structure of the organization. For instance, if female gender, getting into the organization for work, posses good leadership skills and competence then they should be allowed to hold positions of leadership. When the contrary is practiced in the organization, the affect...

Updated on January 26, 2024

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