OD Step 3-Geographic distribution knowledge exchange Flashcards
Ad hoc communications
use of temporary, informal pairs of workers or groups from inside the firm as the primary design for knowledge exchange
Cellular organization
small, autonomous subunits that largely self-govern and can grow, reproduce, and form relations with other units, including those outside the firm, as need; information technology facilitates team interaction and connections among the various “cells”
Global
a distributed organizational design in which work activities are centrally organized to yield the advantage of consistency of work practices, as established by the “home base” of operations (usually the corporate headquarters). Optimal sourcing is low.
Informated
embedding of computer technology in the design and monitoring of work processes such that tasks can be streamlined, closely linked with one another, and continually managed for improvement in quality and cost control. Virtualization and IT infusion are high.
International
a distributed organizational design in which work is located as close as possible to the resources the organization needs to do the work; wherever they may be in the world. Work is located close to resource inputs, not as a function of customer location or to spread operations across locales or regions of the world.
Knowledge
a higher-order notion of information; knowledge is information that corresponds to a particular context and requires interpretation, or intelligence, to fully understand
IT-infused
the extent to which an organization relies on information technology, including data processing and computer-based communication systems, to support knowledge exchange
Local responsiveness
the decision to distribute work in many locales versus consolidating a work in a centralized location
Multi-domestic
a decentralized, geography-based approach to organizing in which operations are customized to specific countries or regions, offering unique products or services to meet local preferences
Networked organization
a distributed organizational design in which links of information exchange are IT-infused and established between units within the firm and between internal units and external organizations to meet the organization’s knowledge goals
Optimal sourcing
the decision to locate operations in the place in the world that brings the greatest advantage to the firm in terms of customer contact, cost efficiency, human resource skill need, or other objective
Transnational
an organizational design that blends the international and multi-domestic structures to yield both the location advantage of regional or country-based design and the economic efficiencies of optimal sourcing
Virtualization
the degree of boundary-spanning (reaching across the borders of the organization), that a firm uses as the basis for knowledge exchange
