For Professor Geek Only / no others

To complete the following discussions, go to this week's Discussion links in the left navigation.

Job Design

What kinds of jobs are needed in an organization? How has specialization of labor, or division of labor, been implemented in an organization in which you have worked (or researched)? How are departments organized? Do you perceive these groupings to be effective? Why or why not?

Guided Response:

Respond to two of your classmates’ posts. Analyze their discussions by agreeing, disagreeing, or adding other ideas to strengthen or enhance the perspective presented in their initial posts. 

Organization Life Cycles

Read the article, “Organizational life cycles and shifting criteria of effectiveness: Some preliminary evidence”. Describe the chronicle of life cycle change and the early stages of development, performance and resource acquisition, events leading to later stages of development, and the development of the formalization and control stage. Why do you think the author wrote about this topic? Why is it important?

Guided Response:
Respond to two of your classmate’s posts. Compare the information in the article to the analysis provided by your classmates in reference to initiating and formalizing control. Are your classmates’ analyses of the article accurate? Why or why not?

 Plunkett, W. R., Allen, G. S., & Attner, R. F. (2013). Management: Meeting and exceeding customer expectations (10th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning