Organizational Structure and Job Characteristics Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary purpose of organizational structure?

To establish working relationships among employees to achieve organizational goals efficiently and effectively

What does an organization chart primarily reflect?

Working relationships among employees

What is the key concern of organizational structure?

Task and reporting relationships

Why do managers need to coordinate jobs, functions, and divisions within an organization?

To ensure that employees work together to achieve organizational goals Signup and view all the answers

What is the formal system of task and reporting relationships within an organization known as?

Organizational structure Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a product team structure?

To organize people and resources by assigning functional employees to a cross-functional team Signup and view all the answers

What is the risk associated with decentralizing authority?

Decentralized teams may pursue their own goals at the expense of organizational goals Signup and view all the answers

What does the minimum chain of command principle state?

Top managers should construct a hierarchy with the fewest levels of authority necessary for efficient use of organizational resources Signup and view all the answers

What is a strategic alliance in the context of business?

An agreement in which managers pool or share firm’s resources and know-how with a foreign company Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a boundaryless organization?

To link members by technology and reduce the need for face-to-face interactions Signup and view all the answers

What are the four important determinants of organizational structure selection?

Organizational environment, strategy, technology, and human resources Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes nonroutine technology?

High task variety and low task analyzability Signup and view all the answers

What type of organizational structure favors a highly skilled workforce and teamwork?

Flexible, decentralized structure and professional culture Signup and view all the answers

What is the aim of job enrichment?

To increase the worker's responsibility and involvement in their job Signup and view all the answers

What does job simplification involve?

Reducing the number of tasks each worker performs Signup and view all the answers

What are the five characteristics outlined in the Job Characteristics Model by Hackman and Oldham?

Skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential drawback of a functional organizational structure?

Hindered communication and goal misalignment Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes a matrix structure from other organizational structures?

It simultaneously groups people by function and product Signup and view all the answers

Why are matrix structures commonly used in high-tech companies?

For frequent new product development and the need for quick innovation Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of the Market organizational structure?

Tailoring products to customer demands and allowing for responsiveness to changing customer needs Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Designing Organizational Structure and Job Characteristics

Managers who increase job enrichment and enlargement lead to flexible and creative worker behavior.
The Job Characteristics Model by Hackman and Oldham outlines five characteristics that determine job motivation: skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback.
Organizational structure is designed based on the environment, strategy, technology, and human resources, with options such as functional, divisional, matrix, or product team structures.
Functional structure groups jobs into departments based on similar skills or knowledge, allowing for learning and easy monitoring, but it can hinder communication and goal alignment.
Divisional structures include product, market, and geographic, offering specialization and resource optimization but may lead to coordination challenges.
Product structure places distinct product lines in separate divisions, allowing for specialization, expertise, and resource management.
Geographic structure serves regions with self-contained divisions, and global geographic structure involves divisions in each world region.
Market structure tailors products to customer demands and allows for responsiveness to changing customer needs.
Matrix structure simultaneously groups people by function and product, resulting in a flexible network of reporting relationships and empowerment of product teams.
Matrix structures are commonly used in high-tech companies for frequent new product development and the need for quick innovation.
Organizational structure decisions are crucial for matching the organization's needs and can impact communication, coordination, and alignment of goals.
The Job Characteristics Model provides a framework for managers to make jobs more motivating by considering skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback.