Organizational Design: Mechanistic vs. Organic Structure

Organizational Design

• A mechanistic organization is characterized by a rigid and bureaucratic structure.
• A functional organization is a type of organizational design that applies functional departmentalization to the entire organization.

Organizational Structure

• A simple structure becomes more complex and bureaucratic as it expands.
• A divisional structure is characterized by a decentralized approach, where each division operates as a separate business unit.

Leadership and Communication

• The empowering leadership style focuses on empowering professionals to respond quickly to problems.
• Spinning is the term for deliberate manipulation of information to make it appear more favorable to the receiver, leading to distorted communication.
• Grapevine communication is not defined by the organization's structural hierarchy, and can occur through informal networks.

Leadership Styles

• The transactional leadership style focuses on guiding followers through social exchanges and rewards to achieve established goals.

Motivation Theories

• According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory, basic physical needs like food, water, shelter, and sex are referred to as physiological needs.

Cognitive Barriers to Communication

• Information overload and selective perception are cognitive barriers to communication characterized by individuals receiving more information than they can process, leading to ignoring or selectively choosing what to focus on.

Test your knowledge of organizational design with a focus on mechanistic and organic structures. Explore the differences between rigid, hierarchical mechanistic organizations and flexible, adaptive organic organizations.