MGT 526 Wk 4 Discussion – Organizational Structure

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students or your faculty member.

Due Thursday

Respond to one the following scenarios outlined below in a minimum of 175 words:

Due Monday

Reply to at least 2 of your classmates or your faculty member. Be constructive and professional.

Summary

Let’s leverage this discussion thread to gather the concepts and content from Ch. 10, Ch. 12 and/or Ch. 15 that we may need to complete our assignments and that will most benefit us in advancing our careers. Avoid reading word-for-word, and use the following questions and scenarios to guide your inquiry.

Resources

Jones, G. R., (2020). Contemporary management (11th ed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Instructions

Do not start a new thread. Select one of the following scenarios, develop a response, then post the response as a reply to this discussion starter. Limit your response to 175 to 300 words, demonstrate understanding of and use APA formatting to cite the required readings or other credible sources that you apply, and look for opportunities to engage with and learn from others.

***Note: Please include the name of the scenario that you are responding to so that we all know which prompt you are discussing. For example, Scenario 2: Conditions and Structures.***

Remember: Students need to contribute three substantive posts in this discussion by the due dates indicated above. The substantive posts can be any combination of responses and replies. This includes your initial post to a scenario prompt and 2 replies to other students.

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Scenarios

Scenario 1: Types of Structures

Jones, G. R., (2020) note that different strategies often call for the use of different organizational structures and cultures. Organizational structure is the formal system of task and reporting relationships that determines how employees use resources to achieve goals. Organizational culture is the shared set of beliefs, values, and norms that influence the way people and groups work together to achieve organizational goals.

Share your response in a minimum of 175 words and include citations. Be constructive and professional.

Discussion:

Think of a company or organization you’re familiar with, perhaps one you’ve worked for or even a place of worship or school.

Answer the following questions in a minimum of 175 words.:

• What kind of organizational structure does the organization use?
• What other structures discussed in the chapter might allow the organization to operate more effectively? For example, would the move to a product team structure lead to greater efficiency or effectiveness? Why or why not?

Scenario 2: Conditions and Structures

Organizations may change or determine that a structure is no longer appropriate or requires change according to Jones, G. R. (2020).

Share your response in a minimum of 175 words and include citations. Be constructive and professional.

Discussion:

• Would a flexible or a more formal structure be appropriate for each of these organizations? (a) A large department store (b) a Big Five accountancy firm (c) a biotechnology company. Explain your reasoning.
• When and under what conditions might managers change from a functional to a (a) product (b) geographic, or (c) market structure?

Scenario 3: Job Characteristics

According to Jones, G. R. (2020) J. R. Hackman and G. R. Oldham’s job characteristics model explains how managers can make jobs more interesting and motivating. According to Hackman and Oldham, every job has five characteristics that determine how motivating the job is. The five Characteristics are Skill variety, Task identity, Task significance, Autonomy, and Feedback.

Share your response in a minimum of 175 words and include citations. Be constructive and professional.

Discussion:

• Using the job characteristics model as a guide, discuss how a manager can enrich or enlarge subordinates’ jobs.
• How might a salesperson’s job or an administrative assistant’s job be enlarged or enriched to make it more motivating?

Scenario 4: Product Team Structure

Jones, G. R. (2020) note that, the dual reporting relationships of a matrix structure have always been difficult for managers and employees to deal with. To avoid these problems, managers have devised another way of organizing people and resources: a product team structure.

Share your response in a minimum of 175 words and include citations. Be constructive and professional.

Discussion:

• How do matrix structure and product team structure differ? Why is product team structure more widely used?
• Why is the product team structure is more widely used today?

Scenario 5: Organizational Culture and Structure

Jones, G. R. (2020) suggest that organizational culture influence employee performance and customer service. Organizational culture is the shared set of beliefs, values, and norms that influence the way people and groups work together to achieve organizational goals.

Share your response in a minimum of 175 words and include citations. Be constructive and professional.

Discussion:

• What is organizational culture, and how does it affect the way employees behave?
• Identify the kind of organizational structure that a manager within an your organization or one that you’re familiar with uses to coordinate its people and resources.
• Why is the organization using that structure? Do you think a different structure would be more appropriate? Which one?

References

Jones, G. R., (2020). Contemporary management (11th ed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.