Question 1

In the context of Mintzberg's five structural configurations of organizations, differentiate between the simple structure and the machine bureaucracy.

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Question 2

Describe adhocracy structural configurations in organizations.

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Question 3

Besides the obvious geographic differences associated with globalization, there may be deep cultural and value-system differences between the various countries that an organization operates in.

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Globalization involves the interaction of different cultures and value systems, which can vary significantly between countries, leading to potential challenges in organizational operations and management across diverse global contexts.

Question 4

How does the size of an organization influence its design options?

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Question 5

In weak or deficient organizations, a great deal of conflict is evident as some departments work against one another rather than for the strategies and goals of the organization as a whole.

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In weak or deficient organizations, the lack of a cohesive strategy and poor communication often leads to departments working in silos, resulting in conflicts as they may pursue conflicting objectives rather than aligning with the overall goals of the organization.

Question 6

What are the variables that Joan Woodward, Charles Perrow, and James Thompson considered in their approaches to understand traditional organizational technologies?

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Question 7

Explain the importance of organizational integration.

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Question 8

Larger life cycles put more pressure on the organization to be both flexible and efficient at the same time.

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Larger life cycles in projects or product development often mean more complexity and longer durations, which require organizations to adapt to changes (flexibility) while also managing resources wisely to maintain or improve efficiency.

Question 9

Differentiate between mechanistic structure and organic structure in organizations.

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Question 10

Discuss an appropriate integrative mechanism for each of the five structural configurations described by Mintzberg.

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Question 11

Briefly describe environmental uncertainty in organizations.

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Question 12

Briefly describe high-performance work systems.

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Question 13

Three key ingredients for the development of trust in virtual organizations are technology that can communicate emotion; a sharing of values, vision, and organizational identity; and a high standard of ethics.

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These three components are crucial for building trust in virtual organizations. Technology that communicates emotion helps in understanding and empathy, shared values and vision foster a common purpose, and high ethical standards ensure reliability and integrity among members.

Question 14

Describe how the personalities of an organization's managers may adversely affect the structure of the organization.

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Question 15

How is a bureaucratic organizational structure different from a flexible organization structure?

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Question 16

Differentiate between horizontal differentiation and vertical differentiation in organizations.

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Question 17

According to Charles Perrow, which are the four key aspects of structure that could be modified to technology?

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Question 18

Explain spatial differentiation in organizations.

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Question 19

When a new organization or subunit is born, the structure is mechanistic and formal.

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New organizations or subunits often start with an organic structure that is more flexible and informal to adapt quickly to changes and opportunities.

Question 20

In the context of emerging organizational structures, differentiate between network organizations and virtual organizations.

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Quiz 15: Organizational Design and Structure