ORGANIZING:
STRUCTURES
WORKBOOK
This booklet contains guidance and activities required for the
Management Principle of Organizing: Structures. You should allow a
minimum of 3 hours for the completion of this work
PMP
8264M271
/280
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 2
Organizing
“Managers are responsible for arranging and structuring the work that employees do to
accomplish the organizations goals. We call this function Organizing. When managers
organize they determine what tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks
are to be grouped, who reports to whom and where decisions are to be made”
(Robins & Coulter 2014: 35)
Instructions
1. Access the e-book (via MMU Library) Robbins and Coulter (2014) Management, 12th Edition, Pearson
? Read Chapter 11 Foundations of Organizational Design and complete the following activities and
exercises:
? Organizational Structure Questionnaire ( A or B) on pages 3-8 of this booklet
? Questions on Organic/Mechanistic organization structures (page 9)
? Delegation Activity – Access the Mind Tools website www.mindtools.com and complete their
questionnaire on delegation: How well do you delegate
2. Access the e-book (via MMU Library) Robbins and Coulter (2014) Management, 12th Edition, Pearson
? Read Chapter 12 Contemporary Organization Design
? Complete questions in this workbook on page 11
3. Access article on Moodle labelled COPs – full reference below:
? Read Article Retna, K.S & Ng, P.T. (2011) Communities of practice: dynamics and success factors,
Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 32, No. 1, p 41-59
? Complete questions in workbook on page 12
4. Complete Learning Logs for this topic
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 3
Activity – Organizational Structure Questionnaire
Complete one of the Organisational Structure Questionnaires below on an individual basis (10 minutes).
Please ensure that you select the most appropriate version for completion
Score your questionnaire and read the interpretation (2 minutes)
If you are employed, please answer Questionnaire version A.
If you are not employed then please answer Questionnaire version B, which starts on page 6.
Organisational Structure Questionnaire A
Think about the type of organisation for which you work. Then read the fifteen (a) and (b) statements given
below, and score each using the following scale
? If statement (a) is totally descriptive of your organisation then give a score of 5 points.
? If statement (a) is more descriptive of your organisation than statement (b) then score 4 points.
? If statement (a) is slightly more descriptive of your organisation than (b) then score 3 points.
? If statement (b) is slightly more descriptive of your organisation than (a) then score 2 points.
? If statement (b) is much more descriptive of your organisation than (a) then score 1 point.
? If statement (b) is totally descriptive of your organisation then score 0 points.
No Statement Score
1 a. Job descriptions are detailed and complete so that personnel know precisely
what they are supposed to be doing, and exactly how their performance is being
assessed.
b. Job descriptions are not used. Employees rely upon verbal descriptions of what
is required and that allow them to develop their roles themselves
2 a. Organisation charts are constructed for every unit/department and for the
company as a whole, so that everyone knows where they fit into the structure
and who reports to whom.
b. Organisation charts are unnecessary in my organisation. At best, they merely
serve to provide a general scheme of things, but since operations are in a
constant state of flux, they never really reflect things as they truly are.
3 a. Authority is reflected in position ensuring that decisions are made at the
appropriate level of seniority. Those in higher-level positions have authority
over lower level positions.
b. Authority is a function of knowledge. Regardless of formal job descriptions or
seniority those who know more about the problem/issue should be the decision
makers
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 4
No Statement Score
4 a. Since only senior management can possess a long-term view of the
organisations direction, goal setting is top down with managers setting
objectives for their subordinates.
b. Goal setting is a participative process with managers and subordinates getting
together to set objectives for the department/company.
5 a. The general nature of the work to be done is routine and repetitive.
b. The general nature of work to be done is non-routine and challenging
6 a. The planning process is focused on the formulation and implementation of longterm
goals.
b. The planning process is focused on the formulation and implementation of
short-term goals.
7 a. The environment in which the organisation operates is predictable.
b. The environment in which the organisation operates is highly uncertain.
8 a. Relations between company employees are rather formal.
b. Relations between company employees are quite informal.
9 a. Motivation at work is managed through extrinsic rewards, e.g. increases in pay,
promotion, company cars.
b. Motivation at work is managed through intrinsic rewards related to features of
the job itself, e.g. responsibility, recognition, sense of achievement.
10 a. The technology used by the company is stable and not subject to much change.
b. The company’s technology is dynamic and takes advantage of new
developments and improvements regularly.
11 a. The industry sector is calm, with predictable evolutionary changes.
b. The industry sector is turbulent, with frequent unexpected challenges to be met.
12 a. There are lots of rules and regulations governing employees behaviour i.e.
control procedures are impersonal.
b. Control procedures are predominantly interpersonal in nature, e.g. peer
pressure, personal requests.
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 5
No Statement Score
13 a. The values of the company stress efficiency, predictability, security.
b. The pervading values of the company stress effectiveness, adaptability, and risk
taking.
14 a. Decision-making is routine and standardised.
b. Decision-making includes many non-standard and non-routine decisions
15 a. Organisational emphasis is on effectiveness, efficiency and profitability/cost
minimisation.
b. The organisational emphasis is on problem solving.
SCORING
Total your scores __________
INTERPRETATION
0-15 The organisation is highly organic
16-30 The organisation is basically organic
31-45 The organisation has a blend of organic and mechanistic characteristics
46-60 The organisation is basically mechanistic
61-75 The organisation is highly mechanistic
What are the implications for your development in this organization?
To what extent is this structure appropriate for 21st Century conditions?
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 6
Organisational Structure Questionnaire B
Think about the type of organisation for which you would like to work. Then read the fifteen A and B
statements given below, and score each using the following scale
? If statement A is totally descriptive of your ideal organisation then give a score of 5 points.
? If statement A is more descriptive of your ideal organisation than statement B then score 4 points.
? If statement A is slightly more descriptive of your ideal organisation than B then score 3 points.
? If statement B is slightly more descriptive of your ideal organisation than A then score 2 points.
? If statement B is much more descriptive of your ideal organisation than A then score 1 point.
? If statement B is totally descriptive of your ideal organisation then score 0 points.
No Statement Score
1 a) Job descriptions should be detailed and complete so that personnel know
precisely what they are supposed to be doing, and exactly how their performance
is being assessed.
b) Job descriptions are not really necessary. Employees rely upon verbal descriptions
of what is required and that should allow them to develop their roles themselves
2 a) Organisation charts are constructed for every unit/department and for the
company as a whole, so that everyone knows where they fit into the structure
and who reports to whom.
b) Organisation charts are unnecessary. At best, they merely serve to provide a
general scheme of things, but since operations are in a constant state of flux, they
never really reflect things as they truly are.
3 a) Authority should be reflected in position ensuring that decisions are made at the
appropriate level of seniority. Those in higher-level positions have authority over
lower level positions.
b) Authority should be a function of knowledge. Regardless of formal job
descriptions or seniority those who know more about the problem/issue should
be the decision makers
4 a) Since only senior management can possess a long-term view of the organisations
direction, goal setting should be top down with managers setting objectives for
their subordinates.
b) Goal setting should be a participative process with managers and subordinates
getting together to set objectives for the department/company.
5 a) The general nature of the work to be done should be routine and repetitive.
b) The general nature of work to be done should be non-routine and challenging
6 a) The planning process should be focused on the formulation and implementation
of long-term goals.
b) The planning process should be focused on the formulation and implementation
of short-term goals.
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 7
No Statement Score
7 a) The environment in which the organisation operates should be predictable.
b) The environment in which the organisation operates should contain a great deal
of uncertainty.
8 a) Relations between company employees should be rather formal.
b) Relations between company employees should be quite informal.
9 a) Motivation at work should be managed through extrinsic rewards, e.g. increases
in pay, promotion, company cars.
b) Motivation at work should be managed through intrinsic rewards related to
features of the job itself, e.g. responsibility, recognition, sense of achievement.
10 a) The technology used by the company should be stable and not subject to much
change.
b) The company’s technology should be dynamic and take advantage of new
developments and improvements regularly.
11 a) The industry sector should be calm, with predictable evolutionary changes.
b) The industry sector should be turbulent, with frequent unexpected challenges to
be met.
12 a) There should be lots of rules and regulations governing employees behaviour i.e.
control procedures are impersonal.
b) Control procedures should be predominantly interpersonal in nature, e.g. peer
pressure, personal requests.
13 a) The values of the company should stress efficiency, predictability, security.
b) The pervading values of the company should be effectiveness, adaptability, and
risk taking.
14 a) Decision-making should be routine and standardised.
b) Decision-making should include many non-standard and non-routine decisions
15 a) Organisational emphasis should be on effectiveness, efficiency and
profitability/cost minimisation.
b) The organisational emphasis should be on problem solving.
SCORING
Total your scores __________
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 8
INTERPRETATION
0-15 You would feel most comfortable working in an organisation that is highly organic
16-30 You would feel most comfortable working in an organisation that is basically organic
31-45 You would feel most comfortable working in an organisation that is a blend of organic and
mechanistic characteristics
46-60 You would feel most comfortable working in an organisation
which is basically mechanistic
61-75 You would feel most comfortable working in an
organisation that is highly mechanistic
What are the implications for your career development?
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 9
Consider the following questions: (20 minutes)
What is the predominant structure of your organisation and why? (Employed students only)
Which type of structure would motivate so called “knowledge workers”, and why?
What kind of management style would work best in an organic organisation and why?
What are the behavioural/skill implications for managers/team leaders in organic
organisations?
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page
10
Delegation Activity
Access the Mind Tools website www.mindtools.com and complete their questionnaire on delegation: How
well do you delegate
Keep a record of your results here.
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page
11
Activity – Questions relating to Chapter 12 in Robbins & Coulter
What kinds of skills are required by managers to work in the following structures? List as many as possible,
and then compare and contrast
Project Structure Boundaryless Organization Learning Organization
Which of these skills do you consider to be most critical to your success? Select 3.
1.
2
3.
Evaluate your competence in the 3 skills listed above – find suitable questionnaires on line to gather data
about your ability.
Summarise the results here:
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page
12
Activity – Questions relating to the article about Communities of Practice
What are the critical success factors?
Does your organization utilise Communities of Practice?
YES NO
Where & Why are they used? Why are they not utilised?
How effective are they? Where could their implementation be useful?
What makes them effective? What would need to change for them to be
useful in your organization?
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page
13
How is the changing nature of organization impacting on your professional development?
Notes
Activity: Learning Logs
Remember to complete the appropriate Learning Logs for this topic. Check the Portfolio Workbook

ORGANIZING:
STRUCTURES
WORKBOOK
This booklet contains guidance and activities required for the
Management Principle of Organizing: Structures. You should allow a
minimum of 3 hours for the completion of this work
PMP
8264M271
/280
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 2
Organizing
“Managers are responsible for arranging and structuring the work that employees do to
accomplish the organizations goals. We call this function Organizing. When managers
organize they determine what tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks
are to be grouped, who reports to whom and where decisions are to be made”
(Robins & Coulter 2014: 35)
Instructions
1. Access the e-book (via MMU Library) Robbins and Coulter (2014) Management, 12th Edition, Pearson
? Read Chapter 11 Foundations of Organizational Design and complete the following activities and
exercises:
? Organizational Structure Questionnaire ( A or B) on pages 3-8 of this booklet
? Questions on Organic/Mechanistic organization structures (page 9)
? Delegation Activity – Access the Mind Tools website www.mindtools.com and complete their
questionnaire on delegation: How well do you delegate
2. Access the e-book (via MMU Library) Robbins and Coulter (2014) Management, 12th Edition, Pearson
? Read Chapter 12 Contemporary Organization Design
? Complete questions in this workbook on page 11
3. Access article on Moodle labelled COPs – full reference below:
? Read Article Retna, K.S & Ng, P.T. (2011) Communities of practice: dynamics and success factors,
Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 32, No. 1, p 41-59
? Complete questions in workbook on page 12
4. Complete Learning Logs for this topic
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 3
Activity – Organizational Structure Questionnaire
Complete one of the Organisational Structure Questionnaires below on an individual basis (10 minutes).
Please ensure that you select the most appropriate version for completion
Score your questionnaire and read the interpretation (2 minutes)
If you are employed, please answer Questionnaire version A.
If you are not employed then please answer Questionnaire version B, which starts on page 6.
Organisational Structure Questionnaire A
Think about the type of organisation for which you work. Then read the fifteen (a) and (b) statements given
below, and score each using the following scale
? If statement (a) is totally descriptive of your organisation then give a score of 5 points.
? If statement (a) is more descriptive of your organisation than statement (b) then score 4 points.
? If statement (a) is slightly more descriptive of your organisation than (b) then score 3 points.
? If statement (b) is slightly more descriptive of your organisation than (a) then score 2 points.
? If statement (b) is much more descriptive of your organisation than (a) then score 1 point.
? If statement (b) is totally descriptive of your organisation then score 0 points.
No Statement Score
1 a. Job descriptions are detailed and complete so that personnel know precisely
what they are supposed to be doing, and exactly how their performance is being
assessed.
b. Job descriptions are not used. Employees rely upon verbal descriptions of what
is required and that allow them to develop their roles themselves
2 a. Organisation charts are constructed for every unit/department and for the
company as a whole, so that everyone knows where they fit into the structure
and who reports to whom.
b. Organisation charts are unnecessary in my organisation. At best, they merely
serve to provide a general scheme of things, but since operations are in a
constant state of flux, they never really reflect things as they truly are.
3 a. Authority is reflected in position ensuring that decisions are made at the
appropriate level of seniority. Those in higher-level positions have authority
over lower level positions.
b. Authority is a function of knowledge. Regardless of formal job descriptions or
seniority those who know more about the problem/issue should be the decision
makers
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 4
No Statement Score
4 a. Since only senior management can possess a long-term view of the
organisations direction, goal setting is top down with managers setting
objectives for their subordinates.
b. Goal setting is a participative process with managers and subordinates getting
together to set objectives for the department/company.
5 a. The general nature of the work to be done is routine and repetitive.
b. The general nature of work to be done is non-routine and challenging
6 a. The planning process is focused on the formulation and implementation of longterm
goals.
b. The planning process is focused on the formulation and implementation of
short-term goals.
7 a. The environment in which the organisation operates is predictable.
b. The environment in which the organisation operates is highly uncertain.
8 a. Relations between company employees are rather formal.
b. Relations between company employees are quite informal.
9 a. Motivation at work is managed through extrinsic rewards, e.g. increases in pay,
promotion, company cars.
b. Motivation at work is managed through intrinsic rewards related to features of
the job itself, e.g. responsibility, recognition, sense of achievement.
10 a. The technology used by the company is stable and not subject to much change.
b. The company’s technology is dynamic and takes advantage of new
developments and improvements regularly.
11 a. The industry sector is calm, with predictable evolutionary changes.
b. The industry sector is turbulent, with frequent unexpected challenges to be met.
12 a. There are lots of rules and regulations governing employees behaviour i.e.
control procedures are impersonal.
b. Control procedures are predominantly interpersonal in nature, e.g. peer
pressure, personal requests.
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 5
No Statement Score
13 a. The values of the company stress efficiency, predictability, security.
b. The pervading values of the company stress effectiveness, adaptability, and risk
taking.
14 a. Decision-making is routine and standardised.
b. Decision-making includes many non-standard and non-routine decisions
15 a. Organisational emphasis is on effectiveness, efficiency and profitability/cost
minimisation.
b. The organisational emphasis is on problem solving.
SCORING
Total your scores __________
INTERPRETATION
0-15 The organisation is highly organic
16-30 The organisation is basically organic
31-45 The organisation has a blend of organic and mechanistic characteristics
46-60 The organisation is basically mechanistic
61-75 The organisation is highly mechanistic
What are the implications for your development in this organization?
To what extent is this structure appropriate for 21st Century conditions?
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 6
Organisational Structure Questionnaire B
Think about the type of organisation for which you would like to work. Then read the fifteen A and B
statements given below, and score each using the following scale
? If statement A is totally descriptive of your ideal organisation then give a score of 5 points.
? If statement A is more descriptive of your ideal organisation than statement B then score 4 points.
? If statement A is slightly more descriptive of your ideal organisation than B then score 3 points.
? If statement B is slightly more descriptive of your ideal organisation than A then score 2 points.
? If statement B is much more descriptive of your ideal organisation than A then score 1 point.
? If statement B is totally descriptive of your ideal organisation then score 0 points.
No Statement Score
1 a) Job descriptions should be detailed and complete so that personnel know
precisely what they are supposed to be doing, and exactly how their performance
is being assessed.
b) Job descriptions are not really necessary. Employees rely upon verbal descriptions
of what is required and that should allow them to develop their roles themselves
2 a) Organisation charts are constructed for every unit/department and for the
company as a whole, so that everyone knows where they fit into the structure
and who reports to whom.
b) Organisation charts are unnecessary. At best, they merely serve to provide a
general scheme of things, but since operations are in a constant state of flux, they
never really reflect things as they truly are.
3 a) Authority should be reflected in position ensuring that decisions are made at the
appropriate level of seniority. Those in higher-level positions have authority over
lower level positions.
b) Authority should be a function of knowledge. Regardless of formal job
descriptions or seniority those who know more about the problem/issue should
be the decision makers
4 a) Since only senior management can possess a long-term view of the organisations
direction, goal setting should be top down with managers setting objectives for
their subordinates.
b) Goal setting should be a participative process with managers and subordinates
getting together to set objectives for the department/company.
5 a) The general nature of the work to be done should be routine and repetitive.
b) The general nature of work to be done should be non-routine and challenging
6 a) The planning process should be focused on the formulation and implementation
of long-term goals.
b) The planning process should be focused on the formulation and implementation
of short-term goals.
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 7
No Statement Score
7 a) The environment in which the organisation operates should be predictable.
b) The environment in which the organisation operates should contain a great deal
of uncertainty.
8 a) Relations between company employees should be rather formal.
b) Relations between company employees should be quite informal.
9 a) Motivation at work should be managed through extrinsic rewards, e.g. increases
in pay, promotion, company cars.
b) Motivation at work should be managed through intrinsic rewards related to
features of the job itself, e.g. responsibility, recognition, sense of achievement.
10 a) The technology used by the company should be stable and not subject to much
change.
b) The company’s technology should be dynamic and take advantage of new
developments and improvements regularly.
11 a) The industry sector should be calm, with predictable evolutionary changes.
b) The industry sector should be turbulent, with frequent unexpected challenges to
be met.
12 a) There should be lots of rules and regulations governing employees behaviour i.e.
control procedures are impersonal.
b) Control procedures should be predominantly interpersonal in nature, e.g. peer
pressure, personal requests.
13 a) The values of the company should stress efficiency, predictability, security.
b) The pervading values of the company should be effectiveness, adaptability, and
risk taking.
14 a) Decision-making should be routine and standardised.
b) Decision-making should include many non-standard and non-routine decisions
15 a) Organisational emphasis should be on effectiveness, efficiency and
profitability/cost minimisation.
b) The organisational emphasis should be on problem solving.
SCORING
Total your scores __________
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 8
INTERPRETATION
0-15 You would feel most comfortable working in an organisation that is highly organic
16-30 You would feel most comfortable working in an organisation that is basically organic
31-45 You would feel most comfortable working in an organisation that is a blend of organic and
mechanistic characteristics
46-60 You would feel most comfortable working in an organisation
which is basically mechanistic
61-75 You would feel most comfortable working in an
organisation that is highly mechanistic
What are the implications for your career development?
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 9
Consider the following questions: (20 minutes)
What is the predominant structure of your organisation and why? (Employed students only)
Which type of structure would motivate so called “knowledge workers”, and why?
What kind of management style would work best in an organic organisation and why?
What are the behavioural/skill implications for managers/team leaders in organic
organisations?
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page
10
Delegation Activity
Access the Mind Tools website www.mindtools.com and complete their questionnaire on delegation: How
well do you delegate
Keep a record of your results here.
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page
11
Activity – Questions relating to Chapter 12 in Robbins & Coulter
What kinds of skills are required by managers to work in the following structures? List as many as possible,
and then compare and contrast
Project Structure Boundaryless Organization Learning Organization
Which of these skills do you consider to be most critical to your success? Select 3.
1.
2
3.
Evaluate your competence in the 3 skills listed above – find suitable questionnaires on line to gather data
about your ability.
Summarise the results here:
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page
12
Activity – Questions relating to the article about Communities of Practice
What are the critical success factors?
Does your organization utilise Communities of Practice?
YES NO
Where & Why are they used? Why are they not utilised?
How effective are they? Where could their implementation be useful?
What makes them effective? What would need to change for them to be
useful in your organization?
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page
13
How is the changing nature of organization impacting on your professional development?
Notes
Activity: Learning Logs
Remember to complete the appropriate Learning Logs for this topic. Check the Portfolio Workbook

ORGANIZING:
STRUCTURES
WORKBOOK
This booklet contains guidance and activities required for the
Management Principle of Organizing: Structures. You should allow a
minimum of 3 hours for the completion of this work
PMP
8264M271
/280
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 2
Organizing
“Managers are responsible for arranging and structuring the work that employees do to
accomplish the organizations goals. We call this function Organizing. When managers
organize they determine what tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks
are to be grouped, who reports to whom and where decisions are to be made”
(Robins & Coulter 2014: 35)
Instructions
1. Access the e-book (via MMU Library) Robbins and Coulter (2014) Management, 12th Edition, Pearson
? Read Chapter 11 Foundations of Organizational Design and complete the following activities and
exercises:
? Organizational Structure Questionnaire ( A or B) on pages 3-8 of this booklet
? Questions on Organic/Mechanistic organization structures (page 9)
? Delegation Activity – Access the Mind Tools website www.mindtools.com and complete their
questionnaire on delegation: How well do you delegate
2. Access the e-book (via MMU Library) Robbins and Coulter (2014) Management, 12th Edition, Pearson
? Read Chapter 12 Contemporary Organization Design
? Complete questions in this workbook on page 11
3. Access article on Moodle labelled COPs – full reference below:
? Read Article Retna, K.S & Ng, P.T. (2011) Communities of practice: dynamics and success factors,
Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 32, No. 1, p 41-59
? Complete questions in workbook on page 12
4. Complete Learning Logs for this topic
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 3
Activity – Organizational Structure Questionnaire
Complete one of the Organisational Structure Questionnaires below on an individual basis (10 minutes).
Please ensure that you select the most appropriate version for completion
Score your questionnaire and read the interpretation (2 minutes)
If you are employed, please answer Questionnaire version A.
If you are not employed then please answer Questionnaire version B, which starts on page 6.
Organisational Structure Questionnaire A
Think about the type of organisation for which you work. Then read the fifteen (a) and (b) statements given
below, and score each using the following scale
? If statement (a) is totally descriptive of your organisation then give a score of 5 points.
? If statement (a) is more descriptive of your organisation than statement (b) then score 4 points.
? If statement (a) is slightly more descriptive of your organisation than (b) then score 3 points.
? If statement (b) is slightly more descriptive of your organisation than (a) then score 2 points.
? If statement (b) is much more descriptive of your organisation than (a) then score 1 point.
? If statement (b) is totally descriptive of your organisation then score 0 points.
No Statement Score
1 a. Job descriptions are detailed and complete so that personnel know precisely
what they are supposed to be doing, and exactly how their performance is being
assessed.
b. Job descriptions are not used. Employees rely upon verbal descriptions of what
is required and that allow them to develop their roles themselves
2 a. Organisation charts are constructed for every unit/department and for the
company as a whole, so that everyone knows where they fit into the structure
and who reports to whom.
b. Organisation charts are unnecessary in my organisation. At best, they merely
serve to provide a general scheme of things, but since operations are in a
constant state of flux, they never really reflect things as they truly are.
3 a. Authority is reflected in position ensuring that decisions are made at the
appropriate level of seniority. Those in higher-level positions have authority
over lower level positions.
b. Authority is a function of knowledge. Regardless of formal job descriptions or
seniority those who know more about the problem/issue should be the decision
makers
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 4
No Statement Score
4 a. Since only senior management can possess a long-term view of the
organisations direction, goal setting is top down with managers setting
objectives for their subordinates.
b. Goal setting is a participative process with managers and subordinates getting
together to set objectives for the department/company.
5 a. The general nature of the work to be done is routine and repetitive.
b. The general nature of work to be done is non-routine and challenging
6 a. The planning process is focused on the formulation and implementation of longterm
goals.
b. The planning process is focused on the formulation and implementation of
short-term goals.
7 a. The environment in which the organisation operates is predictable.
b. The environment in which the organisation operates is highly uncertain.
8 a. Relations between company employees are rather formal.
b. Relations between company employees are quite informal.
9 a. Motivation at work is managed through extrinsic rewards, e.g. increases in pay,
promotion, company cars.
b. Motivation at work is managed through intrinsic rewards related to features of
the job itself, e.g. responsibility, recognition, sense of achievement.
10 a. The technology used by the company is stable and not subject to much change.
b. The company’s technology is dynamic and takes advantage of new
developments and improvements regularly.
11 a. The industry sector is calm, with predictable evolutionary changes.
b. The industry sector is turbulent, with frequent unexpected challenges to be met.
12 a. There are lots of rules and regulations governing employees behaviour i.e.
control procedures are impersonal.
b. Control procedures are predominantly interpersonal in nature, e.g. peer
pressure, personal requests.
Organizing: Structures Workbook
2015-2016
Page 5
No Statement Score
13 a. The values of the company stress efficiency, predictability, security.
b. The pervading values of the company stress effectiveness, adaptability, and risk
taking.
14 a. Decision-making is routine and standardised.
b. Decision-making includes many non-standard and non-routine decisions
15 a. Organisational emphasis is on effectiveness, efficiency and profitability/cost
minimisation.
b. The organisational emphasis is on problem solving.
SCORING
Total your scores __________
INTERPRETATION
0-15 The organisation is highly organic
16-30 The organisation is basically organic
31-45 The organisation has a blend of organic and mechanistic characteristics
46-60 The organisation is basically mechanistic
61-75 The organisation is highly mechanistic
What are the implications for your development in this organization?
To what extent is this structure appropriate for 21st Century conditions?
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Organisational Structure Questionnaire B
Think about the type of organisation for which you would like to work. Then read the fifteen A and B
statements given below, and score each using the following scale
? If statement A is totally descriptive of your ideal organisation then give a score of 5 points.
? If statement A is more descriptive of your ideal organisation than statement B then score 4 points.
? If statement A is slightly more descriptive of your ideal organisation than B then score 3 points.
? If statement B is slightly more descriptive of your ideal organisation than A then score 2 points.
? If statement B is much more descriptive of your ideal organisation than A then score 1 point.
? If statement B is totally descriptive of your ideal organisation then score 0 points.
No Statement Score
1 a) Job descriptions should be detailed and complete so that personnel know
precisely what they are supposed to be doing, and exactly how their performance
is being assessed.
b) Job descriptions are not really necessary. Employees rely upon verbal descriptions
of what is required and that should allow them to develop their roles themselves
2 a) Organisation charts are constructed for every unit/department and for the
company as a whole, so that everyone knows where they fit into the structure
and who reports to whom.
b) Organisation charts are unnecessary. At best, they merely serve to provide a
general scheme of things, but since operations are in a constant state of flux, they
never really reflect things as they truly are.
3 a) Authority should be reflected in position ensuring that decisions are made at the
appropriate level of seniority. Those in higher-level positions have authority over
lower level positions.
b) Authority should be a function of knowledge. Regardless of formal job
descriptions or seniority those who know more about the problem/issue should
be the decision makers
4 a) Since only senior management can possess a long-term view of the organisations
direction, goal setting should be top down with managers setting objectives for
their subordinates.
b) Goal setting should be a participative process with managers and subordinates
getting together to set objectives for the department/company.
5 a) The general nature of the work to be done should be routine and repetitive.
b) The general nature of work to be done should be non-routine and challenging
6 a) The planning process should be focused on the formulation and implementation
of long-term goals.
b) The planning process should be focused on the formulation and implementation
of short-term goals.
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No Statement Score
7 a) The environment in which the organisation operates should be predictable.
b) The environment in which the organisation operates should contain a great deal
of uncertainty.
8 a) Relations between company employees should be rather formal.
b) Relations between company employees should be quite informal.
9 a) Motivation at work should be managed through extrinsic rewards, e.g. increases
in pay, promotion, company cars.
b) Motivation at work should be managed through intrinsic rewards related to
features of the job itself, e.g. responsibility, recognition, sense of achievement.
10 a) The technology used by the company should be stable and not subject to much
change.
b) The company’s technology should be dynamic and take advantage of new
developments and improvements regularly.
11 a) The industry sector should be calm, with predictable evolutionary changes.
b) The industry sector should be turbulent, with frequent unexpected challenges to
be met.
12 a) There should be lots of rules and regulations governing employees behaviour i.e.
control procedures are impersonal.
b) Control procedures should be predominantly interpersonal in nature, e.g. peer
pressure, personal requests.
13 a) The values of the company should stress efficiency, predictability, security.
b) The pervading values of the company should be effectiveness, adaptability, and
risk taking.
14 a) Decision-making should be routine and standardised.
b) Decision-making should include many non-standard and non-routine decisions
15 a) Organisational emphasis should be on effectiveness, efficiency and
profitability/cost minimisation.
b) The organisational emphasis should be on problem solving.
SCORING
Total your scores __________
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INTERPRETATION
0-15 You would feel most comfortable working in an organisation that is highly organic
16-30 You would feel most comfortable working in an organisation that is basically organic
31-45 You would feel most comfortable working in an organisation that is a blend of organic and
mechanistic characteristics
46-60 You would feel most comfortable working in an organisation
which is basically mechanistic
61-75 You would feel most comfortable working in an
organisation that is highly mechanistic
What are the implications for your career development?
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Consider the following questions: (20 minutes)
What is the predominant structure of your organisation and why? (Employed students only)
Which type of structure would motivate so called “knowledge workers”, and why?
What kind of management style would work best in an organic organisation and why?
What are the behavioural/skill implications for managers/team leaders in organic
organisations?
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Delegation Activity
Access the Mind Tools website www.mindtools.com and complete their questionnaire on delegation: How
well do you delegate
Keep a record of your results here.
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Activity – Questions relating to Chapter 12 in Robbins & Coulter
What kinds of skills are required by managers to work in the following structures? List as many as possible,
and then compare and contrast
Project Structure Boundaryless Organization Learning Organization
Which of these skills do you consider to be most critical to your success? Select 3.
1.
2
3.
Evaluate your competence in the 3 skills listed above – find suitable questionnaires on line to gather data
about your ability.
Summarise the results here:
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Activity – Questions relating to the article about Communities of Practice
What are the critical success factors?
Does your organization utilise Communities of Practice?
YES NO
Where & Why are they used? Why are they not utilised?
How effective are they? Where could their implementation be useful?
What makes them effective? What would need to change for them to be
useful in your organization?
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How is the changing nature of organization impacting on your professional development?
Notes
Activity: Learning Logs
Remember to complete the appropriate Learning Logs for this topic. Check the Portfolio Workbook