Sunday, January 5, 2014

4.3 THE STRATEGIST IN YOU: Understanding the Structure of Your Organization

(SHORT NOTES FROM STRATEGY TOOLS:
Organization Design at http://www.mindtools.com)
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Mintzberg's Organizational Configurations
An organization's structure can make a real difference to the way it performs.  Successful organizations are those that have figured out the best way to integrate and coordinate key internal and external elements.  According to renowned management theorist Henry Mintzberg, an organization's structure emerges from:
·        the interplay of the organization's strategy,
·        the environmental forces it experiences, and
·        the organizational structure itself.

Different structures arise from the different characteristics of these organizations.

Mintzberg's Organizational Types
The Entrepreneurial Organization
·        has a simple, flat structure
·        consists of one large unit with one or a few top managers
·        relatively unstructured and informal
·        lack of standardized systems allows the organization to be flexible
·        fast, flexible, and lean
The Machine Organization (Bureaucracy)
·        defined by its standardization
·        Work is very formalized
·        many routines and procedures
·        decision-making is centralized
·        tasks are grouped by functional departments
·        Jobs will be clearly defined
·        there will be a formal planning process with budgets and audits
·        procedures will regularly be analyzed for efficiency
·        has a tight vertical structure
·        Functional lines go all the way to the top
·        top managers maintain centralized control
The Professional Organization
·        very bureaucratic
·        rely on highly trained professionals who demand control of their own work
·        high degree of specialization
·        decision making is decentralized
·        complex
·        lots of rules and procedures
The Divisional (Diversified) Organization
·        has many different product lines and business units
·        central headquarters supports a number of autonomous divisions that make their own decisions, and have their own unique structures
·        allows line mangers to maintain more control and accountability
·        day-to-day decision-making decentralized
·        central team can focus on "big picture" strategic plans
The Innovative Organization ("Adhocracy")
·        bring in experts from a variety of areas to form a creative, functional team
·        Decisions are decentralized
·        power is delegated to wherever it's needed
·        maintain a central pool of talent from which people can be drawn at any time to solve problems
·        work in a highly flexible way
·        Workers typically move from team to team as projects are completed and as new projects develop
·        adhocracies can respond quickly to change

There's no one "right" organizational structure.  When considering your organizational structure, analyze the environment, assess your internal needs and capacities, and then make sure your structure is a good fit with your strategy and environment.

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