Question 1

Horizontally linked structures focus employees on the interrelated activities of the value chain.

Accepted Answer

Horizontally linked structures are designed to enhance collaboration and coordination across different functions or processes, focusing employees on how their activities interconnect and contribute to the overall value chain.

Question 2

Bonuses based on the overall performance of the organization make a symbolic statement recognizing the shared purpose and responsibility of all employees and organizational units.

Accepted Answer

Bonuses tied to the overall performance of the organization symbolize the recognition of the collective effort and shared responsibility of all employees and organizational units towards achieving the organization's goals.

Question 3

When structural change occurs early in a change process, employees can be confused by its purpose, unsure of what new competencies are being required, and unwilling-or unable-to make appropriate alterations in behavioral patterns.

Accepted Answer

Structural change early in a change process can indeed lead to confusion among employees regarding the purpose of the change, uncertainty about the new competencies required, and resistance or inability to adapt their behavior accordingly, as they may not fully understand the context or the goals of the change.

Question 4

The object of the divisional structure, whether it is focused on products, customer groups, or geographic locations, is to reinforce a market-focused strategy.

Accepted Answer

A divisional structure organizes a company into separate divisions, each focusing on a specific product line, customer group, or geographic area, aiming to enhance the company's ability to respond to market demands and customer needs effectively, thereby reinforcing a market-focused strategy.

Question 5

New technologies can be introduced as a way to support desired behavioral changes.

Accepted Answer

New technologies can often be designed or utilized to encourage or facilitate desired behavioral changes, such as promoting healthier lifestyles, enhancing learning experiences, or improving environmental sustainability.

Question 6

Most jobs can be individually isolated and precisely measured without taking into account complex interdependencies.

Accepted Answer

Most jobs are part of larger systems or processes and involve complex interdependencies with other roles, tasks, and outcomes, making it difficult to isolate and measure them without considering these connections.

Question 7

Leaders must choose between a functional orientation on technical efficiencies or a focus on marketplace responsiveness.

Accepted Answer

Leaders can integrate both a functional orientation on technical efficiencies and a focus on marketplace responsiveness, balancing internal operational efficiency with external market demands.

Question 8

Cross-functional teams can be used to achieve linkages across the various and interdependent activities of an organization's value chain.

Accepted Answer

Cross-functional teams, which consist of members from different departments or areas of an organization, are designed to work on specific projects or solve specific problems that span across the various and interdependent activities of an organization's value chain, thereby achieving linkages and enhancing overall performance.

Question 9

Leaders opt for a divisional structure in order to reinforce a strategy that emphasizes efficiencies and depth of technical know-how and experience.

Accepted Answer

A divisional structure is typically adopted to focus on responsiveness and flexibility in serving different markets or geographic areas, rather than primarily emphasizing efficiencies and depth of technical know-how.

Question 10

Functional silos are characteristic features of functional structures but do not exist in divisional structures.

Accepted Answer

Functional silos can occur in any organizational structure, including divisional structures, when departments or divisions become insular and do not communicate or collaborate effectively with each other.

Question 11

Matrix structures help support dual focus-on technical expertise and marketplace responsiveness-but will only be successful in organizations that can manage ambiguity, tension and conflict effectively.

Accepted Answer

Matrix structures indeed support a dual focus by combining functional and product-based structures, which enhances both technical expertise and marketplace responsiveness. However, their success heavily relies on the organization's ability to handle the inherent ambiguity, tension, and conflict that arise from dual reporting lines and the blending of different organizational priorities.

Quiz 6: Reinforcing New Behaviors