Define organizational environment. Would the task environment of a new Internet-based company be the same as that of a large government agency?

Organization Theory & Design, 11th edition by Richard L. Daft, ISBN-10: 1111221294.

Beth Bracken

Chapters 2, 3, & 4 – Discussion Questions

Chapter 2

1. Discuss the role of top management in setting organizational direction.

2. How might a company’s goals for employee development be related to its goals for innovation and change? To goals for productivity? Can you discuss ways these types of goals might conflict in an organization?

3. What is a goal for the class for which you are reading this text? Who established this goal?  Discuss how the goal affects your direction and motivation.

4. What is the difference between a goal and a strategy as defined in the text? Identify both a goal and strategy for a campus or community organization with which you are involved.

5. Discuss the similarities and differences in the strategies described in Porter’s competitive strategies and Miles and Snow’s typology.

6. Do you believe mission statements and official goal statements provide an organization with genuine legitimacy in the external environment?

7. Suppose you have been asked to evaluate the effectiveness of the police department in a medium-sized community. Where would you begin, and how would you proceed?  What effectiveness approach would you prefer?

8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the resource-based approach versus the goal approach for measuring organizational effectiveness?

9. What are the similarities and differences between assessing effectiveness on the basis of competing values versus the strategic constituents approach?

10. A noted organization theorist once said, “Organizational effectiveness can be whatever top management defines it to be.”

Chapter 3

1. What is the definition of organization structure? Does organization structure appear on the organization chart?

2. When is a functional structure preferable to a divisional structure?

3. Large corporations tend to use hybrid structures. Why?

4. What are the primary differences in structures between a traditional, mechanistic organization designed for efficiency and a more contemporary, organic organization designed for learning
5. What is the difference between a task force and a team? Between liaison role and integrating role?  Which of these provides the greatest amount of horizontal coordination?

6. As a manager, how would you create an organization with a high degree of relational coordination?

7. What conditions usually have to be present before an organization should adopt a matrix structure?

8. The manager of a consumer products firm said,”We use the brand manager position to train future executives.” Why do you think the brand manager position is considered a good training ground?

9. Why do companies using a horizontal structure have cultures that emphasize openness, employee empowerment, and responsibility? What do you think a manager’s job would be like in a horizontally organized company?

10. Describe the virtual network structure. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this structure compared to performing all activities in-house within an organization?

Chapter 4

1. Define organizational environment. Would the task environment of a new Internet-based company be the same as that of a large government agency?

3. What are some forces that influence environmental uncertainty? Which typically has the greatest impact on uncertainty – environmental complexity or environmental change?  Why?
4. Name some factors causing environmental complexity for an organization of your choice. How might this environmental complexity lead to organizational complexity?
5. Discuss the importance of the international sector for today’s organizations, compared to domestic sectors. What are some ways in which the international sector affects organizations in your city or community?
6. Describe differentiation and integration. In what type of environmental uncertainty will differentiation and integration be greatest?  Least?

6. How do you think planning in today’s organizations compares to planning twenty-five years ago? Do you think planning becomes more important or less important in a world where everything is changing fast and crises are a regular part of organizational life?  Why?

7. What is an organic organization? A mechanistic organization?  How does the environment influence organic and mechanistic designs?

8. Why do organizations become involved in inter-organizational relationships? Do these relationships affect an organization’s dependency?  Performance?

9. Assume you have been asked to calculate the ratio of staff employees to production employees in two organizations – one in a simple, stable environment and one in a complex, shifting environment. How would you expect these ratios to differ?  Why?

10. Is changing the organization’s domain a feasible strategy for coping with a threatening environment?   Can you think of an organization in the recent news that has changed its domain?