The Structural framework (Basic) Flashcards
What principles characterizes Max Weber’s formal, rational bureaucracy
division of labor among staff, authority/responsibility hierarchy to coordinate, rule-based tasks and rewards, distinction between personal and office property, recruitment by formal qualifications, established career paths, full time employment with living wage
What are the assumptions of the structural framework
organizations are efficient tools to reach goals, division of labor leads to efficiency; coordination is best achieved through formalized vertical hierarchy (top down); people are motivated by material reward and contractual punishment; optimal processes are based on material conditions; inefficiency arises due to ambiguous rules or incorrect assumptions that can be reprimanded
what is system efficiency
How quickly and efficiently activities can change when demand changes
Efficiency is when processes are faster
Among other things yes, it is when fewer imputs are needed to produce the same amount of output
what is flow efficiency
ratio between value adding time and useless lead time
how can division of labor by function be implemented in an organization
Having different departments for different functions like purchasing R&D and manufacturing and fill them with experts on the subject
How do you divide labor based on process
By having different experts take care of different stages in the goods life cycle like when a general doctor diagnoses you and sends you to an expert that finds a cure and then has an apothecary or a surgeon take care of it.
Name some things tat can divide labor
function, product, customers/market, location, time/season, process and project
Why does top management have most responsibility and influence in the structural framework
Because it assumes and strives for meritocracy and a consequence of that is that those higher up are more qualified to make calls on organizational matters
what is vertical coordination and control
when higher levels of hierarchy defines and controls what the lower levels do. In a bureaucracy this can take form of contracts, job descriptions, incentive structures and phyiscal structures to limit what actions you can take
What is horizontal coordination
When people on the same hierarchical level discuss and decide what to do without a higher manager. Allowed in structural framework when vertical becomes impossible
Vertical coordination is best in a small organization inside a turbulent, knowledge intensive environment
False, it is best suited for large organizations competing in simple mass production.
Name Mintzberg’s five structural configurations
Machine and professional bureaucracy, simple structure, adhocery and divisionalized form
What are the building-blocks of Mintxberg’s structural configurations
The strategic apex aka top management; support functions, technical structure, middle management and the operative core
What is the difference between the techno structure and support functions
The techno structure is made to control the actions of the employees while the support structure simply benefits them, the line between these is thin but in the structural framework we try to keep them apart.
Explain Mintzbergs machine bureaucracy
Maximizes techno structure so vertical coordination, hiring based on formal qualification and the division of labor. Effective in stable environments and economies of scale however expensive and slow to change and workers tend to be unmotivated
Explain Mintzbergs professional bureaucracy
organizes complex activities, less vertical coordination and division of labor, employees largely share the same profession that is easy to coordinate without techno structure, they often have many support important functions, they often hire from a specific pool like a certain school so they know what everyone knows, a weakness is that it is hard to change fundmantals
Explain Mintzbergs simple structure
Miniature machine bureaucracies that replaces layers of technostructure with a dominant manager, small and flexible, limited by the capabilities of the manager, not scalable, best suited to simple production processes
Explain Mintzbergs adhocracy
No authority, horizontal coordination, suitable for limited time projects and R&D, potentially expensive, uncontrollable and risky
Explain Mintzbergs divisionalized form
Use multiple structures for different divisions, R&D might need ad hoc while the factories might need machine bureaucracy, there may be conflict over resources among divisions
Name some situations where formalization and hierarchy is discuraged or less needed
Young/small organizations, complex core processes and technology, uncertain environments, high tech/quality, established IT, high edjucation
Complex central processes and core technology leads to internal uncertainty in the organization
True
IT decentralizes organizations
It may by replacing middle managers but it also empowers top management to micromanage
What is a matrix organization
An organization that divide the labor along two different axis like projects and function. For example there can be many projects that all have their own manufacturing and hr department
What are the strengths and weaknesses of a matrix organization
The matrix van adapt to many different types of division of labor and thus it makes the organization structure more adaptive and flexible. It can however lead to confusion and an expensive bureaucratic suprestructure
