What did you learn about organizations? Learned that all organizations big or small, have a structural frame, also known as the “social architecture” of an organization. (Bellman and Deal, 2013. Peg. 60) learned that it is an organizational design that shows hierarchy, in order to create coordination and control. There is no one size fits all structure, many factors contribute to a successful structure of an organization, also known as Structural Imperatives.
In order to build a successful structure it is imperative to follow these six dimensions, “size and age, core process, environment, strategy ND goals, information technology, and nature of the workforce”. (Bellman and Deal, 2013. Peg. 61) The structural frame provides the framework of rules and responsibilities of an organization and ensures the organization stays aligned to meet the mission of that organization.
I learned that some organizations start off small and then eventually grow therefore they must evolve their structure to ensure the organization continues to be successful and to avoid misalignment within the current structure. Prompt #2: What did you learn about the behavior of individuals within an organization? I learned that the structural frame of an organization has a variety of impacts on the behavior of members of an organization. It relies on leadership behavior to initiate a structure and implement procedures.
Depending on the type of structure, tight or loosely fit, it can lead individuals to either feel like the organization is too lax or they can feel as though they are on a “tight leash”, each brings its own set of issues to the table. The text gives an example of a tight structure using UPS Delivery Company, “every step from pick up to delivery is highly programmed”. (Bellman and Deal, 2013. Peg. 8) while this works for this organization to meet their overall mission of customer satisfaction, it may seem a bit extreme to some by indicating that the workers are pushed too hard.
The behavior of individuals is determined by the job they are being asked to do, the policies and procedures they are being asked to follow. Feeling restrained can cause an individual to rebel and possibly leave an organization, and having a structure that allows individuals to not rely on set rules and report to a higher authority can cause irresponsible behaviors to be can lead to an unsuccessful outcome of the organizations mission.
For example, I am part of youth sports organization and I assist in coaching a cheerleaders squad, the organization is set up with a Presidents and Vice Presidents as its key authorities, however they often leave the coaching staff up to leading the teams by setting rules, implementing fair practices schedules and setting team goals based off the age groups of its members. Because this is a rather relaxed organization this works, to an extent. It requires the coaches to behave as leaders and enforce such rules and procedures.
I personally feel that my team is on a much tighter structure hat some other teams and I find that this works because of the individuals I am working with (young children). If they know exactly what to expect at each practice and what the expectations are on a regular basis it prevents the ‘chaos’ see with a more relaxed structure. I feel as though the boundaries of a good organizational structure can lead to better individual behavior. Prompt #3: How do the concepts, etc. , presented enrich your understanding of the ways in which organizations and the people working in them function?
The concepts presented really made me see how organizations are set up, before eating these chapters I never really thought about the actual structure of an organization or what it all entailed. Now I realize it is not just a leader or manager deciding and telling its members what to do so that they can get paid for a job or so they can get the outcome they want. I now have a better understanding of Lateral and Vertical Coordination, which I did not know much about but realize that these are the things that make a successful organization stay aligned.
Vertical Coordination is about control, rules and answering to a higher level, whereas Lateral Coordination is more relaxed and involves its member to work as team to make organizational decisions. According to the reading organizations can take these two concepts and blend them to create a structure that is best for its particular circumstances. (Bellman and Deal, 2013. Peg. 58) Prompt #4: How will the concepts that you learned about affect the way that you will behave in a future organizational environment?
I feel that now having learned the concepts and realizing how to connect them to the organizations that I am affiliated with, will help me be more aware of what is going on in the organization as a whole. I feel that I now know enough to be able to recognize a rarity of structures and not only understand them better but I can contribute more effectively knowing that what I do and how I react is all part of how the structure functions. If I do not feel like something is working and needs to be restructured, I have a better understanding to be able to contribute in creating a SUccessfUl structure. Loud starting with applying the Structural Imperatives listed in Exhibit 3. 2 in the text (Bellman and Deal, 2013. Page 61) I will behave in a way that best fits my organization by trying to incorporate these techniques, as ell as help others to understand these concepts and hope that I can improve my organizations for the better. Prompt #5: What is the organizational structure of your organization, unit, and/ or team? The organizational structure of my work place is set up as the Simple Hierarchy Exhibit 5. 3 on page 101 of the text.
We have a middle manager who supervises a group of members below her and then reports directly to the head of the organization. This organization also has its own mix of Vertical and Lateral Coordination, while our structure is based off of many policies, rules and control yester we are also very team oriented and we make time to have all voices heard. Prompt #6: How has structure impacted the work or culture in an organization with which you are affiliated? Describe enough of the situation concretely to provide context and use concepts from the readings in your response.
Going back to the organization I mentioned in Prompt #2, the youth sports youth sports that I volunteer for. With regards to the relaxed structure that they have I feel that it needs to be restructured. Perhaps it was a good fit when the organization started with a couple teams which totaled 25 children and as not as complicated. Since the organization has grown and now has more members, leaders (coaches) and parent volunteers I feel that it is imperative that a restructure happens soon.
As stated in the text “Growth spawns formality and complexity” (Bellman and Deal, 2013. Page 60) couldn’t agree more, since this organization has quadrupled in size which drastically changed the dynamics of how the structure should be ran and organized. I feel as though implementing a One Boss Structure as shown in Exhibit 5. 1 page 100 would work well. Having one main boss and him delegating specific organization responsibilities to overall others, possibly adding a board of members that I have seen in similar organizations would be best.
This way the responsibilities are evenly distributed and there is not so much of a relaxed or Lateral Coordination but more of Vertical Coordination with rules and regulations to keep the whole organization on the same page and not have each team on their own to figure out what the structure should be like. Prompt #7: How do structural matters affect outcomes in your place of employment (for customers, employees, stockholders, surrounding community and/or any other stake-holders)?
If you don’t think structure has any influence, think again more carefully and perhaps revisit the chapter and recommended chapters to broaden your definition and understanding. Structural matters greatly affect the outcomes of my work place, by making sure that the customers receive the goods that they request, the employees follow procedures, polices and get a pay check. It is also important in order to set a good example of a reputable organization.
