Q&A Hero

Q: Contingent workers are employees who belong to self-managed teams.

Q: In a bureaucratic organization, individuals can be held accountable for what they do, and such accountability reduces the transaction costs.

Q: The primary advantage of a bureaucracy is that it lays out the ground rules for designing an organizational hierarchy that efficiently controls interactions between organizational levels.

Q: Role conflict occurs when a person's tasks or authority are not clearly defined and the person becomes afraid to act on or take responsibility for anything.

Q: Role ambiguity occurs when two or more people have different views of what another person should do and, as a result, make conflicting demands on the person.

Q: According to Weber's third principle of bureaucratic structure, a role's task responsibility and decision-making authority and its relationship to other roles in the organization should be clearly specified.

Q: Weber's first principle indicates that choices affecting the design of an organization's hierarchy should be based on the needs of the task, not on the needs of the person performing the task.

Q: In a bureaucracy, obedience is owed to a person because of the level of authority and responsibility associated with the organizational position the person occupies.

Q: According to Weber, rational-legal authority emerges due to qualities that a person possess, such as charisma or wealth.

Q: Decentralization does not eliminate the need for many hierarchical levels in a large and complex organization.

Q: Decentralization enables even a relatively tall structure to be more flexible in its responses to changes in the external environment.

Q: Standardization makes it easier to increase span of control.

Q: An increase in the horizontal differentiation leads to an increase in the vertical differentiation.

Q: A manager's ability to supervise and control subordinates' behavior directly is limited by two factors: the complexity and the interrelatedness of subordinates' tasks.

Q: If tasks are routine and similar so that all subordinates perform the same task, then the span of control should be small.

Q: Horizontal differentiation leads to the emergence of specialized subunitsfunctions or divisions.

Q: When subordinates tasks are complex and dissimilar, a managers span of control needs to be wide.

Q: If the span of control of each manager increases as the number of employees increases, then the number of managers or hierarchical levels does not increase in proportion to increases in the number of employees.

Q: A managers span of control includes subordinates he or she supervises directly and subordinates that he or she supervises indirectly (by supervising their direct boss).

Q: According to the principle of minimum chain of command, an organization should choose the minimum number of hierarchical levels consistent with its goals and the environment in which it operates.

Q: Parkinson's law states that "Work expands so as to fill the time available."

Q: An organization with a tall structure will also experience fewer communication, motivation, and cost problems than a flat organization.

Q: The greater the number of hierarchical levels in an organization, the lower the bureaucratic costs.

Q: The greater the number of managers the lower the bureaucratic costs.

Q: A flat organization has fewer managers and hierarchical levels than a tall organization.

Q: Managers of a flat organization possess relatively less authority and responsibility than those of a tall organization.

Q: As the number of levels in the hierarchy increases, the relative difference in the authority possessed by managers at each level decreases.

Q: Most organizations have a pyramid-like structure with fewer and fewer managers at each level up in the hierarchy.

Q: Research suggests that the increase in the size of the managerial component in an organization is less than proportional to the increase in size of the organization as it grows.

Q: A tall organization has fewer managers to direct and control employees activities than a flat organization with the same number of employees.

Q: An organization in which the hierarchy has many levels relative to the size of the organization is known as an organic organization.

Q: As the number of levels in its managerial hierarchy increases, it becomes difficult for the organization to control its members.

Q: When each employee performs only a small part of a total task, identifying the employees individual contribution to the task becomes easy.

Q: The shape of an organization, depicted by its organizational chart, determines how effectively the organization's decision-making and communication systems work.

Q: Explain the relationship between environmental uncertainty and organizational structure based on the study conducted by Burns and Stalker.

Q: Briefly describe the contingency approach to organizational design.

Q: Compare and contrast mechanistic structures and organic structures.

Q: How can an organization establish a balance between standardization and mutual adjustment?

Q: Write a brief note on how organizations balance centralization and decentralization.

Q: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of decentralization.

Q: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of centralization.

Q: Comment on balancing differentiation and integration within an organization.

Q: Briefly describe the various integrating mechanisms used in organizations.

Q: What is subunit orientation?

Q: Distinguish between vertical differentiation and horizontal differentiation.

Q: Explain the different kinds of functions that exist within an organization.

Q: Define authority and control.

Q: What is an organizational role?

Q: Explain differentiation.

Q: According to the study conducted by Tom Burns and G. M. Stalker, an organization functioning in a stable environment should have ________. A) mechanistic organizational structure B) high levels of integration C) high levels of differentiation D) decentralized decision-making procedures

Q: Which of the following statements is true of an organization that adopts an organic structure to deal with high environmental uncertainty? A) The organization needs to decentralize decision-making. B) The organization should have low levels of differentiation. C) The organization needs to adopt formalized rules and procedures. D) The organization should increase the level of standardization.

Q: According to the study conducted by Lawrence and Lorsch, an organization functioning in a highly unstable environment was most effective when it ________. A) used rules and SOPs extensively to coordinate tasks B) concentrated decision-making authority at the top-management level C) incorporated high levels of organizational integration D) relied more on mutual adjustment between subunits

Q: According to contingency theory, in order to manage its environment effectively, an organization should ________. A) use mechanistic structures to make organizational decisions B) design its internal structure to control the external environment C) concentrate all authority within the top-management level D) limit the extent of internal differentiation and integration

Q: ________ is a management approach in which the design of an organization's structure is tailored to the sources of uncertainty facing an organization. A) Contingency approach B) Standardized approach C) Specialized approach D) Mechanistic approach

Q: Organic structures ________. A) are used by small organizations B) initiate innovative behaviors C) make use of rules and SOPs to coordinate tasks D) are suited to handle emergencies

Q: Organic structures are characterized by ________. A) loosely defined organizational roles B) predictable work processes C) high levels of standardization D) centralized organizational structures

Q: ________ structures promote flexibility, so people initiate change and can adapt quickly to changing conditions. A) Mechanistic B) Standardized C) Organic D) Centralized

Q: A mechanistic structure is characterized by ________. A) high levels of standardization B) complex integrating mechanisms C) rules that are defined informally D) decentralized organizational structures

Q: Structures that are designed to induce people to behave in predictable and accountable ways are called ________ structures. A) decentralized B) mechanistic C) organic D) mutually adjusted

Q: You are the CEO of a small firm that manufactures office furniture. The decision-making authority in your firm rests almost entirely with you and your closest associates. You introduce a set of rules and procedures designed to induce predictable and accountable behaviors among employees. Your firm has a(n) ________ structure. A) mechanistic B) mutually adjusted C) organic D) integrative

Q: Which of the following is a characteristic of organic structures? A) joint specialization of tasks B) standardization of procedures C) centralization of authority D) simple methods of integration

Q: An organization uses task forces to coordinate the activities of various departments. Employees also work in teams to increase coordination. This organization most likely has a(n) ________ structure. A) mechanistic B) bureaucratic C) organic D) centralized

Q: Organic structures result when ________. A) organizational authority is not delegated B) integrative mechanisms are relatively simple C) standard operating procedures are used to coordinate tasks D) work processes are relatively unpredictable

Q: Mechanistic structures result when ________. A) employees work collaboratively and across several functions B) authority is delegated to people at all levels of the organization C) extensive use is made of rules and SOPs to coordinate tasks D) most of the communication within the organization is lateral

Q: Which of the following is the major integrating mechanism used in mechanistic structures? A) hierarchy of authority B) task forces C) teams D) integrating departments

Q: Which of the following types of employees are most likely to follow standardized practices in performing their tasks? A) office accountants B) R&D executives C) advertising executives D) public relations officers

Q: Mutual adjustment provides employees the opportunity to ________. A) specialize in performing certain organizational tasks B) standardize the tasks that they are performing C) formalize the rules and procedures for working in an organization D) discover new ways of achieving organizational goals

Q: ________ is the process by which organizational members learn and internalize the norms of an organization. A) Mutual adjustment B) Standardization C) Differentiation D) Socialization

Q: Rate-busters are employees who ________. A) follow the group norms B) work too quickly C) work too slowly D) break the formal rules

Q: Chiselers are employees who ________. A) follow established group norms B) carry out their duties within themselves C) work too slowly D) break the formal rules

Q: Norms are ________. A) formal written statements that control behavior B) atypical behaviors of a group of people C) formal actions at lower levels in an organization D) behaviors that are representative of a certain group

Q: People turn around to face the door when they enter an elevator. This behavior is observed although there are no formal rules. This is an example of a(n) ________. A) norm B) rule C) benchmark D) hierarchy

Q: A high level of formalization typically implies ________. A) diffusion of power across the organization B) centralization of authority C) mutually adjusted approach to decision-making D) encouragement of innovation and flexibility

Q: Which of the following refers to the use of written rules and procedures to standardize operations? A) horizontal differentiation B) formalization C) socialization D) vertical differentiation

Q: ________ refers to conformity to specific models or examples, defined by sets of rules and norms, that are considered proper in a given situation. A) Standardization B) Decentralization C) Differentiation D) Mutual adjustment

Q: Which of the following refers to the compromise that emerges when decision-making and coordination are evolutionary processes and people use their judgment to address a problem? A) centralization B) mutual adjustment C) formalization D) standardization

Q: Standardizing the operations will help an organization in ________. A) increasing the creativity of its employees B) keeping the costs low C) promoting mutual adjustment among different divisions D) personalizing its customer service

Q: A disadvantage of decentralization is that it ________. A) reduces the level of flexibility within an organization B) makes lower level managers less responsive C) fails to motivate the lower-level managers in an organization D) makes planning and coordination very difficult

Q: An organization should adopt decentralization if it ________. A) needs flexibility and responsiveness B) requires high levels of internal control C) aims to keep the operational costs low D) faces problems in coordinating the activities

Q: An advantage of decentralization is that it ________. A) ensures formalization of procedures and policies within an organization B) promotes flexibility and responsiveness within an organization C) keeps the organization focused on achieving its goals D) simplifies the coordination process within an organization