Quiz 2 (Mod 3/4)

Question 1

Parkinsons Law
British Navy
less ships, more admins

Answer 1

If left uncontrolled, hierarchies grow taller and more inefficient because officials want subordinates, want to spend more time controlling than doing

Question 2

Tall Organization

Answer 2

hierarchy has many levels relative to its size

Question 3

Flat organization

Answer 3

hierarchy has few levels relative to its size

Question 4

flat H strength

Answer 4

• employees are more autonomous = more creativity and innovation as managers have less time to micromanage
• employees network informally and go to themselves when the need help rather than managers because they are too busy

Question 5

flat H problem

Answer 5

less opportunity for promotion

few managers = weaker control and coordination problems as well as burn out

Question 6

tall H strength

Answer 6

high level of control and insight
managers oversee fewer employees and can direct activities daily
leads to highly predictable and routinized activities

Question 7

tall H problems

Answer 7

communication takes very long times
more managers = more wages/more expensive
motivation is an issue, there is a major difference between top paycheck and bottom paycheck

Question 8

minimum chain of command

Answer 8

keeping the org flatter is better, the problems of tall firms usually outweigh the benefits

Question 9

what do tall firms do better

Answer 9

better control over employees

decisions go through more layers, more review

Question 10

horizontal differentiation

Answer 10

add separate lines of reporting with the same amount of levels. kitchen manager/dining manager same level

Question 11

decentralize

Answer 11

allows employees to make own choices, coupled with standardization

Question 12

standardize

Answer 12

increase guidelines and rules of behavior for employees without needing direct supervision while still allowing for greater creativity and autonomy

Question 13

span of control

Answer 13

the number of subordinates each manager directly oversees

as the company grows, increase the span of control

Question 14

span of control limit

Answer 14

managers exponentially have to manage more relationships with more employees, 3 for two subs, 6 for three subs

Question 15

when to reduce the span

Answer 15

when employees have complex or dissimilar tasks

Question 16

when to increase span

Answer 16

when employees have routine or similar tasks

Question 17

Where is a company’s strategy set and governed?

Answer 17

The Boardroom

Question 18

What stakeholders are sometimes hidden?

Answer 18

Suppliers, service employees, partners, the doers

Customers are the most visible

Question 19

When shareholders rule supreme, how does this affect whether companies focus on customers’ short-term desires versus their long-term needs?

Answer 19

Many do focus short term for the profit, but the focus needs to be on long term to preserve the customers and keep them healthy - they should not be harmed from the goods companies produce.

Question 20

What is the fundamental problem we have, in dealing with social problems: Why can’t we make a large-scale impact on these problems; what are we limited by?

Answer 20

progress can be shown but it cannot scale large enough because the resources are not available. scarcity is growing, more problems, less money

Question 21

What is “shared value”? What does that term refer to?

Answer 21

addressing a social issue with a business model
meeting important needs
creates social and economic value simultaneously

Question 22

dabbawalla accomplishments

Answer 22

5k people delivering 400k lunch per day

Question 23

dabbawalla org structure

Answer 23

flat
governing body
team leads/supervisors
dabbawalla

equal shareholders, earnings are equal divided

Question 24

size guidelines

Answer 24

1k members 4 levels
3k members 7 levels
10k-100k 9-10 levels

Question 25

how to stay flat with good control over employees like tall

Answer 25

increase span of control
horizontally differentiate
decentralize
standardize