Questions and Answers of Organization Theory and Design

Do you personally embrace a commercial logic or a social welfare logic? Why do you think you hold to that perspective?
1. Why is Rick Arnold’s news division losing influence at the Daily Tribune?2. How might Rick have handled the ETH story in a more collaborative way?3. Are there any power sources or political
1. What assumptions (rational or political) was Burton using in his initiative to improve the plant? Explain.2. What was the underlying cause of the conflict in the case?3. How do you think the
In which of the four cultures described in Exhibit would you prefer to work? Why?
1. What types of control did Clemmons appear to be using at Bachmeyer? What are her assumptions about her control over people in the plants?2. Why do you think her communication attempt to change
1. How would you describe the culture of NASCAR racing teams? How are these cultural values manifested?2. Describe the culture war at NASCAR. What is your evidence?3. How might the NASCAR
Describe the four elements of the feedback control model. Which of these elements is more similar to behavior control? Outcome control?
How might the symbols apparent in a business college differ from symbols in a school of social work? If you have access to both types of schools, walk through them and record any differences you see.
Do you think strong subcultures would be a good thing for an organization? Why?
Would you prefer to work in an organization with a tight or a loose culture (BookMark)? Explain why.
Why do you think Learning and Growth Culture Goals are at the bottom of the Strategy Map in Exhibit? Discuss.
1. How would you characterize the structure of Fabulous Footwear? Explain.2. In what ways is the structure appropriate or inappropriate for frequent changes in shoe styles? What structure changes
1. What type of decision process does Pitcher seem to be using in his work with other departments? What type of process should he be using in this situation? Explain.2. How would Davidson apply the
1. The initial problem for Alissa was how she would manage locations one hour apart and maintain high quality and service. The current problem is Hugo’s management style. To what extent would you
1. Why do you think CPI board members held onto the company’s success model and did not respond to the environmental changes in photo technology and customers’ desires?2. What type of
1. How would you describe the management processes within Caresource versus Quest? Which seemed more effective? Why?2. Which organizational design (Caresource or Quest) do you think was more
1. What is the role of the resource dependence and collaborative network perspectives in this case? Explain your reasoning.2. Do you think the relationship between Technomagia and AUD would have
1. Do you think it is necessary for Henderson to meet with and try to build support from such a diverse group of people before moving ahead with the color lab and paint shop? Why?2. How does the
1. What are the arguments for Halogen Analytics going international?2. What are the arguments for Halogen Analytics staying focused on the U.S. market?3. Which of the three international strategy
1. What do you see as the pros and cons of a new headquarters’ international department to coordinate across geographic regions?2. Do you support the proposal to reorganize into a worldwide product
What is a hybrid organization? How does it differ from a typical nonprofit or profit-seeking organization?
1. Why do you think there are no noticeable conflicts between the social welfare logic and the commercial logic at SOLO?2. Which aspect of Amaraneni’s behavior do you think was most important for
Compare and contrast the two major “logics” that organization members might hold in a hybrid organization.
1. What would Janelle be thinking right now? What would you be thinking if in her position?2. What do you think she should do? If she makes notes from the file, has she crossed an ethical line?
How might “mission drift” hurt the performance of a social enterprise?
Why would a social enterprise be better able to maintain a strong social welfare purpose by choosing other like-minded organizations with which to collaborate?
What do you think would happen if a hybrid organization focused on profit goals to the exclusion of social goals? If vice-versa? Explain.
There is research evidence to suggest that employees are happier working for a company that provides them with opportunities to contribute to environmental sustainability. Why do you think this would
1. How does the technology change from small-batch to continuous process in the Acetate Department reflect the differences in structural characteristics suggested by Woodward in Exhibit?2. How do you
What is the difference between “reluctance to simplify” and “sensitivity to operations” in a high reliability organization?
1. What is meant in the case by “jobs being de-skilled”? Do you think the knowledge and skillsets based on older technologies are worth saving for a company? Explain.2. Do you think computer
Why does Woodward suggest that span of control needs to decrease as technological complexity increases? Can you think of any circumstances that might change the relationship between the two?
Do you think the characteristics of a high reliability organization could be applied in nonHRO organizations? Explain.
1. How might Hermitage codify and manage the knowledge of experienced maintenance technicians into the new rules to be written for handling maintenance responses under the upcoming deluge of big data
How has the Internet of Things caused an explosion in the data available for analysis in organizations?
How do the underlying assumptions differ for a traditional “pipe” organization and a new platform-based digital organization?
In what ways might artificial intelligence incorporate bias into its decision making? Explain.
Is Amazon an exchange platform or maker platform organization? Explain.
Caesars Entertainment centralized its big data analytics function to be more efficient. Can you think of some competitive issues that might lead a company to go from a centralized big data function
1. Why do you think Marissa Mayer adopted a more centralized and bureaucratic approach by bringing all employees on-site to work at Yahoo?2. Why do you think many employees resisted this change?3.
What is one contingency factor that might help explain the poor performance of GE when Jeffrey Immelt was CEO? Explain.
1. Assuming the survey scores are accurate, what conclusions can you draw about Craft Originalities’ culture? What is your evidence?2. If Craft Originalities adopted a mass production manufacturing
How might the top management of an organization use SWOT analysis or scenario planning to set goals and strategy? Explain.
1. What are the possible purposes of the Addling ton Gallery of Art? Which purpose would you choose for the museum?2. Who are or should be the museum’s customers?3. What are the implications of the
1. The managers seem to agree on the overall goal of growth. Which of their strategies would you recommend Millier take as the most likely way to achieve growth? Explain.2. Using Exhibit, Four
1. In general, how did Holtzclaw’s first organizational structure contribute to the dissatisfaction of store managers, poor coordination, and Holtzclaw’s slow adaptation to change?2. How would
1. Analyze Aquarius with respect to the five contextual variables (contingency factors) described. Which of the five contextual variables would you say is having the greatest impact on Aquarius?2.
Large corporations tend to use different structures in different parts of the organization. Why would that be so?
Why do you think the pressure of scarce resources across product lines causes managers to consider a matrix structure?