Using your knowledge of management by objectives, comment on the following analysis of the catchball process by Gary Siegel, of DePaul University:

Ideas generated at one level of an organization are passed up or down to people at other organization levels. Those receiving the idea

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catch it, modify it so that it is relevant to the work done at their level, and pass it along to another level. This is called catchball. A major ben- efit of catchball is that it helps to vertically integrate an organization. Communication is enhanced, people participate in developing ideas, and when the ideas are implemented, the chances of success are high because people at all levels in the organization shaped it so that it would work best in their environment. Each person will know how his or her work relates to the strategic and tactical operation of the business . . . [and] crossfunctional teams work better if the organization is first verti- cally integrated.*