Organizational design

I need you to read a chapter and answer the questions at the end. The organization you're answering about is Cabela's.

Attached are the reading required and questions needed to be answered in 1-2 pages.

I'll leave you with some info I found on Cabela's to keep u on track. DO NOT BASE YOUR ANSWERS OFF THE FOLLOWING THEY SHOULD BE BASED ON THE READINGS ATTACHED.  This is just to help give you a general idea.

Cabela’s

Cabela’s is an outdoor retail store that specializes in hunting, fishing, camping, clothing, and firearms. Cabela’s operates in the specialty retail industry. Cabela’s is a fairly large corporation that has 82 stores in the United States and Canada. It originates in Sidney Nebraska, where their corporate offices are located. 

Cabela’s tries to specialize not only in the outdoor industry but also in exceptional customer service. Customers go to Cabela’s when they want first hand expertise on what will be needed for their next adventure. Cabela’s employees are called outfitters. They are called outfitters as Cabela’s encourages its employees to not only assist customers with what they are looking for, but also outfit them with everything they would possibly need for their next adventure. For example, a retail worker will help a customer find the right shoes, where an outfitter will help a customer find the right shoes, and make sure they have the proper socks, shoe laces, and weather protectant to go with them. 

Cabela’s prides itself on treating every customer as if they are part of the Cabela’s family. Whether you are in there to buy a water bottle, or all the gear for a whole hunting trip, Cabela’s outfitters are encouraged to treat their customers as a close friend or family member. Cabela’s wants to create an outfitter-customer relationship that will be customers back in, and requesting specific outfitters to assist them. 

Cabela’s also strives to create a family atmosphere among their outfitters. Cabela’s has benefits for both full and part time workers, and encourages their outfitters to take time off to be with family and to get outdoors. 

Cabela’s focus is not only circled around exceptional customer service, but also around their slogan, “It's in your nature.” They encourage both their employees and their customers to go be outdoors and do what they love, what's in their nature. With this slogan, also comes a mantra that Dick Cabela (one of the Cabela’s founders) created for his outfitters, “We are selling fun.” This provides a culture for not only the outfitters but also its customers. The outfitters are selling fun and the customers are in the store to buy fun. The customers don’t have to be in the store to buy something, they want to be in the store, and the whole experience at Cabela’s should be nothing but fun. 

Analyzing the Organization: Design Module #4

1. Cabela’s retail stores are fairly differentiated into separate specializations, being hardlines, softlines, and operations. Cabela’s has both vertical differentiation with its hierarchy of managers and leads. It is very horizontal differentiated with its separation of interests within the store. Hardlines handles firearms, hunting, archery and fishing. Softlines handles the clothing, footwear, auto/atv, camping, and bargain cave (the discounted department within the store). Operations handles the warehouse, front end (cashiers and customer service) and the deli. Since Cabela’s is separated into these groups, the outfitters rarely go beyond their departments. For example firearms outfitters will occasionally help with hunting, and other hardlines areas, but don’t know anything about other areas. This creates a great deal of differentiation, as outfitters don’t have knowledge about everything in the store, and this causes customer service to suffer as a result.  There is also a great hurdle do to Cabela’s vertical differentiation. Since each department has three levels of management, there tends to be specific tasks that management is above doing, such as helping out on the retail floor. This causes poor morale between the bottom outfitters and the senior managers. Due to the many levels of vertical and horizontal differentiation, Cabela’s has a fairly complex structure. Cabela’s has many different divisions, including their retail locations, foremost bank, and guided hunting trips. However for this class, we are going to zero in on their retail locations, as it is the largest division of the company. 
2. Cabela’s covered most states than the others which makes the customer more comfortable to find another store when customer travels for haunting or comping. Cabela’s carries a variety of brands which makes them distinguished from the rest of the companies, it is difficult for the rest of the companies to contract with the same companies and imitate Cabela’s. In addition, customers like services, so Cabela’s is providing the best customers service in the industries is one of the core value of Cabela’s, so they have loyalty customers. Also, the atmosphere in the retail store Cabela's creates statues of animals to feel you are in the right place and feel you belong to the place. 
3. Cabelas is a centralized organization because it does rely on one individual to make decisions and provide direction for the company. Corporate has the power to make all company’s business operations. Everything has to go through corporate in order for anything to change. Cabelas is highly differentiated by that it has managers and leads that interact with each other. The store is also separated into different sections such as hunting, camping and fishing. Cabelas definitely has all four integrating mechanisms being used, such as standardization, regulation, common goals and mutual adjustment. For differentiation, Cabela’s separates into the hardlines, softlines and operations categories. For integrating mechanisms, Cabela’s follows all of them within hardlines, softlines and operations. Everyone has the same standards, regulations and goals. Cabela’s is mostly standardized because they control each situation the same with the same procedures. Everything is very formalized with the number and kinds of rules used in the organization. They hang up a poster with all the rules each employee must follow and the kinds of procedures each employee will go through. All the managers will use that as a check list. Socialization is huge in this organization. All employees need to have great customer service skills to help the customers. The customers rely heavily on the employees knowing what the best fit for them is. Also, every employee has to communicate to another department is some way. They all have radios to talk to them to either clarify or ask for help to make sure the customer is satisfied. 
4. Cabela’s stands out to be a mechanistic model organization. This view can be backed up by the various aspects found in Cabela’s which conform beyond doubt to the mechanistic models. Cabela’s proves more to be a mechanistic organization since at Cabela’s they strive to create an atmosphere that focuses on customer needs. 

Cabela’s proves to be a mechanistic organization as well since it has a formal model of management and presents itself to have a high degree of formalization. At Cabelas, they believe in accommodating each, and every customer. Cabelas does have certain rules they must follow but they want to make sure the customer needs are met. Looking at the employee management relationship, it's clear that they have put in place the formal approach in management.

The company has got a high level of complexity and high levels of centralization. It's evident from the view of the Cabela’s company description that they have complexity in administration activities. 

A high degree of formalization is apparent as well as seen from the founder's words that at Cabela’s it’s fun all over. The company prides itself on treating everybody who comes to them as a family member.

1. Structurally, Cabela’s would benefit from restructuring. Cabela’s is extremely differentiated, which is essential for each outfitter to know what their customers need. However, it would benefits Cabela’s customer service greatly if they cross trained their outfitters among departments to better assist its customers. Cross Training would also help it's outfitters in collaborating with different departments, as they would have a better understanding of what is necessary within different departments. Cabela’s would also benefit from being more decentralized. Cabela’s focuses on each individual outfitter having specific expertise to help customers, however their centralized structure prevents the outfitters from making beneficial changes. Only corporate can decide major decisions such as what products to carry, all the way down to what specific peg each product should be placed on. Even allowing retail outfitters to decide how to make displays, instead of corporate, would help showcase specific products that they have found resonate with customers more, and ultimately increase sales.