Workplace Organization/Management

Question 1

Theories/Principles of Organizational Design

Answer 1

1. Weber’s Bureaucratic Model
2. M-form, U-form, Matrix Form
3. Mechanistic and Organic Form
4. Heterarchy
5. Responsible Autonomy
6. PARC
7. Institutional Theory

Question 2

U-form

Answer 2

1. Unitary Form
2. Organization structured around units divided by function and is centrally managed.

Question 3

M-form

Answer 3

1. Multidimensional form
2. Organization that attempts to create quasi-independent businesses within the larger organization.

Question 4

Matrix form

Answer 4

1. Attempts to use the advantages of both u-form and m-form
2. Having each organizational unit answerable to different organization leaders for different aspects of the work performed by the unit.
3. Has disadvantage of having units and members answerable to more than one boss, creating confusion and conflict.

Question 5

Organic form

Answer 5

1. Organizational form with little job specialization, few layers of management, decentralized decision-making, and not much direct supervision.

Question 6

Mechanistic Form

Answer 6

1. Organizational form with high degree of organizational complexity, formalization, and centralization.

Question 7

Heterarchy

Answer 7

1. Organizational structure where multiple people rule. (Ex. US government)

Question 8

Responsible Autonomy

Answer 8

1. Organizational design where an individual or group has autonomy to decide the best course or action, but is accountable for the outcome of the decision.
2. Also does away with hierarchy and authority.
3. Ex.: researcher who can research what he wants, but is accountable by peer review journals.

Question 9

PARC

Answer 9

1. People, architecture, Routine, Culture.
2. The human relations school
3. Used to recognize importance of human element and organizational culture in organizational design

Question 10

Institutional Theory

Answer 10

1. Organizational design theory that proposes that the environment, including both hard external regulations (laws, professional requirements) and soft concepts that provide meaning, influence the design of the organization.

Question 11

Soft concepts

Answer 11

1. Stories, myths, and customs that can be copied from similar organizations.
2. Can be Voluntarily integrated into organizations via the Institutional Theory of organizational design.

Question 12

4 Types of Corporate Culture

Answer 12

1. Tough guy/macho culture
2. Work Hard/Play Hard culture
3. Bet-your-company culture
4. Process culture.

Question 13

Tough guy/Macho Culture

Answer 13

1. Corporate culture
2. short-term/high risk
3. Very individualistic employees, big risks, rapid feedback, speed and short-term success.
4. Ex.: construction, venture capital, investment banking, stock brokerages

Question 14

Work Hard/Play Hard

Answer 14

1. Corporate Culture
2. Short-term/low risk
3. Ex: commissioned sales

Question 15

Bet-your-company

Answer 15

1. Corporate culture
2. Long-term/High Risk
3. Top-down decision making to ensure proper long-term strategy. Investments take a huge amount of capital and time to develop.
4. Ex: aerospace companies, oil companies, mining companies

Question 16

Process Culture

Answer 16

1. Corporate culture
2. Long-term/low risk
3. Long-term ambiguity, with feedback virtually non-existent. Hard to measure output and goal achievement.
4. Requires conformance to hierarchy and very specific rules.
5. Ex: government bureaucracies, banks, utility companies.

Question 17

Types of Managerial Controp

Answer 17

1. Mutual Adjustment
2. Direct Supervision
3. Standardization of Work
4. Standardization of Outputs
5. Standardization of Work Skills
6. Standardization of Values

Question 18

Mutual Adjustment

Answer 18

1 Type of Managerial Control
2. Involves personnel self-managing and supporting one another in order to meet goals.
3. Allows workers to coordinate and control their own work.

Question 19

Direct Supervision

Answer 19

1. Managerial control style
2. Supervisor distributes workloads and monitors progress and adjusts workload in response to productivity rates and employee performance

Question 20

Disadvantages of Managerial Control

Answer 20

1. Can elicit resistance from employees
2. High spending on control systems
3. Things such as human biases and market fluctuations can’t be anticipating preemptively.

Question 21

3 Types of Workplace Conflict

Answer 21

1. Traditional Conflict
2. Interactionalist Conflict
3. Managed Conflict

Question 22

Traditional Conflict

Answer 22

1. Conflict seen as negative and disruptive to organizational behavior
2. Conflict avoided at all costs

Question 23

Interactionalist Conflict

Answer 23

1. View that conflict can be either functional or disfuncional.
2. Dysfunctional (win-lose outcome)
3. Functional (win-win outcome)

Question 24

Managed Conflict

Answer 24

1. Also called “Human Relations View”
2. Conflict is seen as a natural and inevitable process in organizations.
3. Conflict can be both negative and positive.
4. Managers should not ignore conflict, but correct it As Soon As Possible.
5. Values employee input as part of process of resolving conflict.

Question 25

Two-Factor Theory

Answer 25

1. Frederick Herzberg
2. First-Factor: Motivators -lead to job satisfaction
3. Second-Factor: Hygiene Factors-lead to job dissatisfaction WHEN NOT MET

Question 26

4 Causes of Loss in Job Satisfaction

Answer 26

1. Poor Management
2. Limited Career Growth
3. Being underpaid
4. Lack of Interest in the work

Question 27

Adam’s Equity Theory

Answer 27

1. Theory of job satisfaction stating that all employees expect the outcomes of their job to match the level of effort and attention that they put into it (their input)

Question 28

4 common employee responses to job dissatisfaction

Answer 28

1. Neglect job duties
2. Diminished Loyalty
3. Speaking out
4. Quitting

Question 29

Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Answer 29

Requires the chief executive officer and chief financial officer to be responsible for the reporting of financial statements.

These external regulations create a hierarchy of authority in the company.