50 Questions
What is a potential disadvantage of group decision-making compared to individual decision-making?
Higher likelihood of conflicts and disagreements
What type of teams are made up of employees from the same hierarchical level but different functional areas of the organization?
Cross-functional teams
Why are problem-solving teams typically composed of employees from the same department or area of expertise?
To leverage similar expertise and perspectives
In building high performance teams, what is the significance of consciously recruiting members with diverse skills?
It strengthens the overall effectiveness of the team
Which concept ensures that each employee is directed by a single manager to maintain uniform information flow?
Unity of command
Which type of work team may involve members from various departments like registrar, admissions, financial aid, and legal?
Cross-Functional teams
What is a key benefit of self-managed teams in an organization?
Enhanced responsibility and decision acceptance
What is another term used to refer to the managerial hierarchy?
Management pyramid
How many levels typically exist in the management structure or management pyramid within an organization?
Three levels
Why might cross-functional teams be necessary for certain projects or tasks within an organization?
To leverage different types of expertise
What is the primary characteristic of team-based structures?
Autonomy given to groups
Which type of team involves pooling knowledge, skills, and resources in a collective effort to attain a common goal?
Cross-functional team
What distinguishes a self-managed team from a committee in terms of decision-making?
Autonomy given to groups
Which type of team is specifically designed to address complex or highly uncertain issues?
Problem-solving team
In high performance teams, what is the key factor that contributes to their effectiveness?
Collaboration and pooling of resources
What is the main downside of group cohesiveness according to the text?
Increased conflict with other work groups
How does a work team differ from a work group?
Work teams require both coordination and collaboration
What is the outcome of a work team's collaboration?
Synergy leading to greater team performance
Why do groups typically take longer in the decision-making process?
More information brought by group members
How does a work team's performance compare to the sum of individual contributions?
Greater than individual performance
Matrix structure combines functional and process departmentalization.
False
Organic organization is characterized by high job specialization and centralized decision-making.
False
Self-managed work teams require formal supervision for planning and decision-making.
False
Virtual corporation involves a network of independent companies sharing skills and costs via traditional business methods.
False
Mechanistic organization has a short chain of command and decentralized decision-making.
False
____ departmentalization is based on the production process used by the organizational unit.
Process
A network of independent companies linked by information technology to share skills and costs is known as a ____ corporation.
virtual
An organizational structure with direct, clear lines of authority and communication flowing from the top managers downward is called a ____ organization.
line
The order and design of relationships within a firm is referred to as ____.
organization
Teams without formal supervision that plan, select alternatives, and evaluate their own performance are known as self-managed ____ teams.
work
______ Legitimate power, granted by the organization and acknowledged by employees, that allows an individual to request action and expect compliance.
authority
Centralization The degree to which formal authority is concentrated in one area or level of an organization. Top management makes most of the ______.
decisions
Chain of command The line of authority that extends from one level of an organization’s hierarchy to the next, from top to bottom, and makes clear who reports to ______.
whom
Departmentalization The process of grouping jobs together so that similar or associated tasks and activities can be ______.
coordinated
Formal organization The order and design of relationships within a firm; consists of two or more people working together with a common objective and clarity of ______.
purpose
Delegation of authority involves transferring all decision-making power to the top level of an organization.
False
Chain of command refers to the informal communication channels within an organization.
False
Centralization means that decision-making authority is dispersed throughout various levels of an organization.
False
Division of labor involves combining multiple tasks into a single job for efficiency.
False
Formal organization is only concerned with individual employees working towards their personal objectives.
False
Line organization is characterized by a relatively low degree of job specialization, decentralized decision-making, and a short chain of command.
False
Matrix structure combines functional and product departmentalization by bringing together people from different functional areas to work on a special project.
True
Mechanistic organization is characterized by loose departmentalization, few levels of management, and decentralized decision-making.
False
A self-managed work team requires formal supervision for planning, selecting alternatives, and evaluating performance.
False
Informal organization refers to the order and design of relationships within a firm based on formal structures and reporting lines.
False
Line organization is characterized by direct, clear lines of authority and communication flowing from top managers downward.
True
Group cohesiveness refers to the tendency of group members to resist outside influences.
True
Centralization means decision-making authority is concentrated in one area or level of an organization.
True
Matrix structure combines functional and product departmentalization.
True
Informal organization is based on formal structures and reporting lines within a firm.
False
Study Notes
Types of Work Teams
- There are four types of work teams: problem-solving, self-managed, cross-functional, and virtual teams.
- Problem-solving teams are typically made up of employees from the same department or area of expertise and from the same level of the organizational hierarchy.
- Cross-functional teams are made up of employees from different functional areas of the organization and may be needed to work on a problem or develop a product involving different types of expertise.
- Self-managed work teams are teams without formal supervision that plan, select alternatives, and evaluate their own performance.
Characteristics of Work Teams
- Work teams require not only coordination but also collaboration, the pooling of knowledge, skills, abilities, and resources in a collective effort to attain a common goal.
- A work team creates synergy, causing the performance of the team as a whole to be greater than the sum of team members' individual contributions.
- Diverse skills strengthen the overall effectiveness of the team, so teams should consciously recruit members to fill gaps in the collective skill set.
- To be effective, teams must also have clearly defined goals.
Organizational Structure
- The managerial hierarchy (or the management pyramid) comprises the levels of management within an organization, and the managerial span of control is the number of employees the manager directly supervises.
- There are different types of departmentalization, including:
- Functional departmentalization: based on the primary functions performed within an organizational unit.
- Product departmentalization: based on the goods or services produced or sold by the organizational unit.
- Process departmentalization: based on the production process used by the organizational unit.
- Geographic departmentalization: based on the geographic segmentation of the organizational units.
- Customer departmentalization: based on the primary type of customer served by the organizational unit.
- Matrix structures bring together people from different functional areas of the organization to work on a special project.
- Team-based structures involve assigning authority and responsibility to groups rather than individuals, and give these groups autonomy to carry out their work.
Group Decision Making
- Group decision making can result in a higher-quality decision than individual decision making.
- Groups bring more information and knowledge to the decision-making process.
- However, group decision making can also result in restricted output, resistance to change, and conflict with other work groups in the organization.
Group Cohesiveness
- Group cohesiveness refers to the degree to which group members want to stay in the group and tend to resist outside influences.
- Group cohesiveness can be beneficial, but it can also lead to restricted output, resistance to change, and conflict with other work groups in the organization.### Organizational Structure
- Functional departmentalization: grouping jobs based on primary functions performed within an organizational unit
- Geographic departmentalization: grouping jobs based on geographic segmentation of organizational units
- Process departmentalization: grouping jobs based on production process used by the organizational unit
- Product departmentalization: grouping jobs based on goods or services produced or sold by the organizational unit
- Customer departmentalization: grouping jobs based on primary type of customer served by the organizational unit
Organizational Design
- Mechanistic organization: high degree of job specialization, rigid departmentalization, many layers of management, narrow spans of control, centralized decision-making, and a long chain of command
- Organic organization: low degree of job specialization, loose departmentalization, few levels of management, wide spans of control, decentralized decision-making, and a short chain of command
Management and Authority
- Line organization: direct, clear lines of authority and communication flowing from top managers downward
- Line-and-staff organization: includes both line and staff positions
- Managerial hierarchy: levels of management within an organization, including top, middle, and supervisory management
- Centralization: formal authority concentrated in one area or level of an organization
- Decentralization: pushing decision-making authority down the organizational hierarchy
- Delegation of authority: assigning some degree of authority and responsibility to persons lower in the chain of command
Teams and Groups
- Work groups: share resources and coordinate efforts to help members better perform their individual jobs
- Work teams: require pooling of knowledge, skills, abilities, and resources to achieve a common goal
- Self-managed work teams: teams without formal supervision that plan, select alternatives, and evaluate their own performance
- Problem-solving teams: members of the same department who meet regularly to suggest ways to improve operations and solve specific problems
Learn about the concept of cross-functional teams and high performance teams, including the benefits of diverse skills and hierarchical levels within the team. Explore the purpose of high performance teams and factors to consider when building them.
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