Folie 1

1
SOSC 4315 - Prof. Dr. Dalton A. Kehoe Reframing
Organizations The Structural Frame 09/25/2008
Presented by Kiran K. Ahmed, Idir Ben-Mamer,
Alison Cook and Magali McArdle
2

• Overview
• Basic Structure
• Structural Configurations
• Structural Implications and Dilemmas
• Structural Change

3

• Structural Assumptions
• Achieve established goals and objectives.
• Increase efficiency and enhance performance
  through specialization
• and a clear division of labour.
• Coordination control units mesh
• Organizations work best when rationality
  prevails over personal
• preferences and extraneous pressures.
• Structures must be designed to fit an
  organizations circumstances.
• Problems and performance gaps arise from
  structural deficiencies
• and can be remedied through analysis and
  restructuring.

4

• Origins of the Structural Perspective
• Two main intellectual roots
• Designing organizations for maximum efficiency
• Frederick W. Taylor (1911) Time-and-motion
  studies
• Scientific management
• 2) The work of the German economist and
  sociologist Max Weber
• Formal organization was a relatively new
  phenomenon
• Patriarchy
• Monocratic bureaucracy

5

• Monocratic Bureaucracy
• A fixed division of labour
• A hierarchy of offices
• A set of rules governing performance
• A separation of personal from official property
  and rights
• Technical qualifications
• 6) Employment

6

• Structural Forms and Functions
• Blueprint
• Executives, managers, employees
• Customers and clients
• Skeleton/framework
• Human preferences and capacities
• Choice (Leavitt and Moeller, 1978, 1968
  respectively)
• E.g. Saturn

7

• Basic Structural Tensions
• Differentiation and integration
• Specialization and prescriptions
• Task of integration
• Knowledge/skill
• Time
• Product
• Customers/clients
• Place/geography
• Process
• Suboptimization (e.g. 9/11)

8
SOSC 4315 Presents A game based on Bolman
Deals Reframing Organizations Part II The
Structural Frame
Click here to start
LOAD CREATION SOFTWARE
9
Choose Basic Coordination

• LATERAL
• Less formalized
• More flexible than
• authority-bound
• systems and rules
• Meetings
• Task forces
• Coordinating Roles
• Matrix Structures
• Networks

• VERTICAL
• Higher levels coordinate
• control the work of
• subordinates
• Authority
• Rules and Policies
• Planning and Control
• Systems

10
Choose Structural Configuration
Mintzberg's Five OPERATING CORE MIDDLE
LINE STRATEGIC APEX TECHNOSTRUCTURE SUPPO
RT STAFF
11
Choose Structural Configuration
SIMPLE STRUCTURE MACHINE BUREAUCRACY PROFESSIONA
L BUREAUCRACY DIVISIONALIZED FORM ADHOCRACY
12
Choose Structural Configuration
SIMPLE STRUCTURE MACHINE BUREAUCRACY PROFESSIONA
L BUREAUCRACY DIVISIONALIZED FORM ADHOCRACY
13
Choose Structural Configuration
SIMPLE STRUCTURE MACHINE BUREAUCRACY PROFESSIONA
L BUREAUCRACY DIVISIONALIZED FORM ADHOCRACY
14
Choose Structural Configuration
SIMPLE STRUCTURE MACHINE BUREAUCRACY PROFESSIONA
L BUREAUCRACY DIVISIONALIZED FORM ADHOCRACY
15
Choose Structural Configuration
SIMPLE STRUCTURE MACHINE BUREAUCRACY PROFESSIONA
L BUREAUCRACY DIVISIONALIZED FORM ADHOCRACY
16
Alternative Configuration
HELGESENS WEB OF INCLUSION Instead of the
creature taking the usual shape of the
hierarchical order that happens, it forms more
of a circular web that allows communication to
take place along various passages that exist.
17
Configure Structural Implications
Size and Age (complexity and formalization
increase with size and age) Environment (st
able suits a simpler structure uncertain
requires more complex, adaptable
structure) Information Technology (permits
flatter, more flexible, and more decentralized
structure) Nature of the Workforce (more
educated / professional workers need and want
greater autonomy and discretion)
YOUNG
OLD
SMALL
BIG
STABLE
UNSTABLE
0
100
UNED.
EDUCATED
18
Configure Structural Implications
Core Processes or Technology (must align with
structure ) ENTER HERE
Vegetarian creature, loves berries and absorbs
them. Strategy and Goals (variation in
clarity and consistency of goals requires
appropriate structural adaptations) ENTER
HERE Picking and eating berries,
being friendly and living in plain
areas.
19
Handle Structural Dilemmas
Differentiation Integration As complexity
grows, organizations require more sophisticated
coordination strategies. Gap
Overlap Roles and activities can overlap,
creating conflict, wasted effort and
redundancy. Underuse
Overload Not enough work results in boredom,
too much work results in inefficiency and
stress. Lack of Clarity Lack of
Creativity Lack of clarity leads to roles
shaped by per- sonal rather than organizational
goals.    
20
Handle Structural Dilemmas
Autonomy Interdependence Too
autonomous isolated unsupported Too
interdependent spurious coordination. Too Loose
Too Tight Too loose
Losing sense of what others do Too tight
Trying to break free of the system. Goalless
Goal bound Goals need to be
clear and relevant to ensure teamwork and
efficiency. Irresponsible
Unresponsive Irresponsibility results in poor
performance, adhering too strictly to in
alienation.  
21
Organ(isation)ism Complete!
22
Organ(isation)ism Complete!
23
!?
24
(No Transcript)
25

• Conclusion
• The basic structure of an organization and its
  various
• structural configurations are always supposed
  to align its
• internal processes to its external environment
  while
• balancing structural dilemmas.
• Restructuring and adjusting to the environment
  is
• necessary to ensure that roles and
  relationships
• within the organization are coordinated to
  ensure
• the highest degree of efficiency.
• The company has to adapt to any kind of
  pressures
• (environmental, internal, technological, ).

THANK YOU FOR PLAYING!