The Structural Frame Flashcards
Which are the “two issues are central to structural design”?
Differentiation and Integration
Which are the two forms of organization coordination?
Vertical and lateral
Name eight structural dilemmas
- Differentiation vs. Integration
- Gap vs. Overlap
- Underuse vs. Overload
- Lack of Clarity Versus Lack of Creativity
- Excessive Autonomy Versus Excessive Interdependence
- Too Loose Versus Too Tight
- Goalless Versus Goalbound
- Irresponsible Versus Unresponsive
Which are the five sectors in Mintzberg’s five- sector logo?
Strategic apex Middle line (administrative component) Operating core Technostructure Support staff
Which are the five different structures from Mintzberg’s five-sector logo?
Simple Structure Machine Bureaucracy Professional Bureaucracy Divisionalized Form Adhocracy
What is essential to organizational performance, according tot he structural frame?
Clear, well understood goals, roles, and relationships and adequate coordination
How can the fundamental dilemma of the structural frame be summarized as two questions?
- How do we allocate responsibilities across different units and roles?
- How do we integrate diverse efforts in pursuit of common goals?
Name five basic assumptions underlying the structural frame
- Organizations exist to achieve established goals and objectives.
- Organizations increase efficiency and enhance performance through specialization and appropriate division of labor.
- Suitable forms of coordination and control ensure that diverse efforts of individuals and units mesh.
- Organizations work best when rationality prevails over personal agendas and extraneous pressures.
- Problems arise and performance suffers from structural deficiencies, which can be remedied through analysis and restructuring.
Which are the “three aims” of the structural frame?
Internal efficiency
- to do things right
External effectiveness
- to do the right things
System effectiveness
- to be able to develop and change what to do
Which are the three methods for vertical coordination?
Authority
Rules and policies
Planning and Control Systems
Which are the four methods for lateral integration?
Meetings
Task Forces
Matrix Structures
Networks
Name three characteristics which differentiates lateral coordination from vertical coordination
Typically less formal and more flexible than authority-bound systems and rules
Often more effective but costlier than its vertical counterparts
Work best when a complex task is performed in a turbulent, fast-changing environment
The structural frame identifies four types of goals
Honorific: Fictitious goals with desirable qualities
Taboo: Goals pursued but not talked about
Stereotypical: Goals any reputable organization should have
Existing: Goals quietly pursued even though inconsistent with stated values and self-image
Which is the relationship between structural development requirements and work quality/complexity/sophistication?
High end, high quality, high tech –> less structural developed required
Which are the six structural imperatives?
Size and age
Core process/central processes
Environment (uncertainty and turbulence)
Strategy and goals
Information technology
Nature of the workforce
Name three typical pitfalls in organizational restructuring
The impulsive firm
(develops slower than it grows –> primitive organization)
The stagnant bureaucracy
(older, tradition-dominated organization with obsolete product line)
The headless giant
(loosely coupled divisional organization with weak administration)
Describe the typical agendas of the different sectors of Mintzberg’s logo
The strategic apex—top management—tends to exert centralizing pressures
Middle managers resist control from the top and tend to pull the organization toward decentralization
The technostructure exerts pressures to standardize
Support staff pulls in the direction of greater cooperation
In which Mintzberg configuration does the “boss have the edge”
In the simple structure
Which Mintzberg configuration is the starting point for most businesses?
The simple structure
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Mintzberg’s simple structure?
Strength:
Flexible
Weakness:
Concentrated authority can prevent change
What is the key challenge in the Machine Bureaucracy?
Key challenge = motivate and satisfy workers in the operating core
Who have the “most clout” in the Machine Bureaucracy?
“In machine bureaucracies, the technostructure and strategic apex possess the most clout”
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Mintzberg’s Machine Bureaucracy?
Strenghts
Internal efficiency
Similarity
Predictability
Weaknesses
Inertia
Low motivation
Tension between global HQ and local offices
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Mintzberg’s Professional Bureaucracy?
Strengths
Internal efficiency on decentralized level
External efficiency on decentralized level
Motivation
Weaknesses
Responds slowly to external change
Difficult to coordinate and control
Name two characteristics of the Professional Bureaucracy
Operating core is large relative to its other structural parts, particularly the technostructure
Control relies heavily on professional training and indoctrination
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Mintzberg’s divisionalized form?
Strengths
Advantages of scale
Autonomous divisions find their own identity
Adaptible
Weaknesses
Risk of conflicts
Difficult to coordinate between divisions
Short-run logic
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Mintzberg’s adhocracy?
Strenghts
Innovation
Flexibility
Weaknesses
Resource demanding
Hard to control
Name three characteristics of the adhocracy
Loose, flexible, self-renewing organic form tied together mostly through lateral means
Exploits benefits that structural designers traditionally regarded as liabilities
Most often found in conditions of turbulence and rapid change
Which are Greiner’s five phases?
Creativity Direction Delegation Coordination Collaboration
Which are Greiner’s five crises?
Leadership Autonomy Control Red tape ?
What signifies Greiner’s creativity phase?
Focus on new product, not (boring) management
Sensitive to market feedback
Frequent, informal communication
What signifies Greiner’s direction phase?
Specialization
Budgets, work standards…
More impersonal/hierarchical
What signifies Greiner’s delegation phase?
Profit centers & bonuses
Top-level management focus exclusively on management
Infrequent, formal communication from top management
What signifies Greiner’s coordination phase?
Decentralized units –> product groups
Some technical functions centralized
New staff to HQ for extensive control/review processes
What signifies Greiner’s collaboration phase?
Cross-function combination to task-oriented teams
Formal systems simplified/combined
Educational programs for management
Real-time information systems integrated
Experimentation
What is the metaphor for the structural leader?
The architect
Name four things:
Efficient structural leaders…
…know their business – develop new conception of goals and strategies
…carefully consider the relationship and fit between structure, strategy and environment
…focus tasks, efficient systems and profitability
…analyze, experiment, evaluate and re-structure
Which are the generic questions for the structural frame?
Simply but: what does the structure look like, and what should it look like?
Which are the axes of the 2x2 diagram for Mintzberg configuration X environment?
Core process (simple/complex) X environment (stable/unstable)
Which are the fields of the 2x2 diagram for Mintzberg configuration X environment?
Simple, stable - Machine bureaucracy
Complex, stable - Professional bureaucracy
Simple, unstable - Simple structure
Complex, stable - Adhocracy
