Dicussion questions Essay

How do organizational functions affect organizational structures? How do your organization’s functions affect its organizational structure? How do organizational structures affect organizational functions? How does your organization’s structure affect its organizational functions? An organization is defined as a social unit of people that is structured and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals. The function of an organization directly relates to its structure. To succeed as an organization, all the functional areas must work together. There are different levels of structures: Vertical and Horizontal. Vertical organizational structures means a strict top down or bottom up structure (chain of command is important); horizontal, flat or closer to flat organizational structure (no leaders). While the organization I work for does not participate in any sort of sales, we do protect America through research and being knowledgeable in different aspects of careers. The Air Force follows a vertical organizational structure. There is always a person in charge of someone. To file a complaint, you have to start with the lowest level and work your way up. Organizational structures affect organizational functions depending on the main goal/strategy. The functions and structures of organizations go hand in hand. What are the different types of organizational structures? Which type of structure do you think is the most effective? Why is this structure the most effective? How can organizations determine if they are structured in the most effective and efficient manner? The different types of organizational structures are functional, divisional, and matrix. Functional structure is departmentalization around specialized activities such as production, marketing, and human resources. Divisional structure is departmentalization that groups units around products, customers, or geographic regions. Matrix structure is an organization composed of dual reporting relationships in which some managers’ report to two superiors –a functional manager and a divisional manager. The most effective structure is the matrix structure because it consists of the other functions, both of which would fail without them. Organizations can determine if they are structured in the most effective and efficient manner by analyzing how their business operates. Consider an organization in which you have worked. Draw it’s organization chart, and describe it by using terms from Ch. 8 of the text. Describe your experience with the organization. Did you enjoy working there? Explain your response. The experience I have had with the organization is good. Our organization makes charts for each unit’s supervision. Everyone knows who to contact in case of an emergency or if there is a problem with the chain of command. So far, I have enjoyed working for the military. I appreciate structure and reliability. What evidence have you seen of the imperatives for change, flexibility, and responsiveness faced by today’s firms? By firms becoming learning organizations they can be skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights. Firms should also have a high-involvement organization, which top management ensures that there is consensus about the direction in which the business is heading.