Thread - 7

DISCUSSION FORUM WEEK 7

SUMMARY OF ASSIGNED READING FROM CHAPTERS 15 - 16

RACHEL C GILBERT

UNIVERSITY OF THE CUMBERLANDS

OCTOBER 9, 2019

Chapter 15 instructed is on the foundations of Organizational structure and how you are to have a certain structure to have a successful organization. There were certain elements that would help us to get there and they are: 1. Work specialization, 2. Departmentalization, 3. Chain of Command, 4. Span of Control, 5. Centralization and decentralization, 6. Formalization, and 7. Boundary Spanning. The combination of this is asking the questions of to what degree are jobs divided, or grouped together, and to whom do they report; and when they report how many can one manager handle with proper decision making to the degree that regulates all employees and managers alike.

Most companies want structure, from who would be responsible for opening the doors in the mornings to closing the doors at night. Everyone should have a job and someone to report . Most companies fail because they lack structure or everyone wants to be the boss. It is easy to attain structure by knowing what you are in need of and creating simple beginnings such as job descriptions, organizational charts, and work flow drafts. While there is no one way a company should create a structured environment it is would be helpful to understand what it is that you want for your company. There are many models that exist from other companies that have worked and may be a great way to structure your company.

In my current company we have a very unique structure. As I have stated in other discussions it is difficult to determine who the boss is. The president of the company wears shorts and sandals at times, and the vice president loves Halloween so much that she keeps rubber spiders and spooky things around all year long. I love it. It makes for a relaxed working environment, mind you I work for a very reputable industrial electric company that hosts engineers and project managers that bid and obtain multimillion dollar contracts. These are very educated individuals who are unassuming and very talented. The structure of the company is very relaxed and it is expected that you do your job; you know what you need to do, do it.

Chapter sixteen is about organizational culture which is dealing with how a company gets along. If they wear uniforms, if the work hours are flexible, or are there racial or radical divides. Each company is different and without knowing the exact structure it is nearly impossible to identify one specific culture, or the leading culture. The differences between organizations are as sensitive or insensitive as the company will allow. Sometimes just by being observing, cultures can be identified.

I have a former coworker that went to work for a graphics arts company and what had drawn her there was the fact that the company had a very relaxed working environment. There were game tables, sports center with basketball courts and indoor soccer centers that would be fine with me for a few days but after that I would need peace and quiet. Maybe just a little music and low conversations can help the day go by but nothing more. But that is how cultures work in organizations and typically people are drawn to what interest them culturally.

Culture is accordant, and an identifiable behavior in organizations. It is not a personal belief, but a sustained pattern. Meaning, a particular culture was introduced at some point and had somehow maintained the need of the organization. Therefore, culture is a shared a pattern of behaviors.

REFERENCES

Judge, T. A., & Robbins, S. P. (2017). Essentials of organizational behavior. Pearson Education (us).