BCOR 370 - EXAM 2 STUDY GUIDE
Organization Structure - Answer -A system that coordinates the people, tasks, and
activities necessary to carry out a particular purpose
Work Specialization - Answer -division of labor, the degree to which jobs are divided
into specific tasks
- employees who work in a certain department carry out on the tasks that relate to their
roles
- Advantages: increased efficiency, higher productivity, and elevated expertise
- Disadvantages: limited skills set, boredom, inability to multitask
Delegating - Answer -The process of transferring authority and responsibility to other to
carry out certain tasks and activities
- Benefits: increase in productivity, morale, and commitment
- Study done showing that organizations run by executives that delegate grow more
rapidly, generate higher revenue, and create more roles
Centralized Structure - Answer -an organizational structure designed to give top-level
manager the authority to make decisions on behalf of the entire community
Decentralized Structure - Answer -is an organizational structure designed to allow all
employees to make decisions and recommend changes
- improves employee motivation by giving them more responsibility and to encourage
them
- Greater risk of conflict and disagreement since everyone has a say, also risk for
duplication, and hard to ensure consistent practices
Department Types - Customer - Answer -- Ideal for an organization that has products
or services unique to specific market segments
- Disadvantages: too much autonomy across divisions, incompatible systems develop
Department Types - Product - Answer -- Ideal for organizations with multiple products
and can help shorten product development cycles - Disadvantage: difficult to scale,
duplicate resources
Department Types - Function - Answer -- Allows for higher degree of specialization and
deeper domain expertise
- Top-down and bottom-up communication
Department Types - Geography - Answer -- Spans across multiple geographic regions,
and the product or service needs to be localized, it often requires organization by region
- Best for organizations that need to be near sources of supply and/or customer
- Disadvantage: decision making becomes decentralized, geographic divisions can be
very far
, Matrix Structure - Answer -A company structure where the reporting lines are set up as
a grid or matrix
- Benefits: freedom to collaborate and innovate with coworkers across all departments
- Employee engagement is higher in matrixed organizations
- Difficulties: poor communication
· Starbucks has this type of structure
Span of Control - Answer -Refers to the number of direct reports for whom managers
are directly responsible
- Ex: a manager with three direct reports has a span of control of 3
- Optimal number of direct reports is 7
- Type of span of control depends on the size of the company and how its structured
Chain of Command - Answer -A flow of authority and power from the highest to the
lowest levels of the organization
- Top: Executive officers (CEO, CFO, CIO, President)
- Middle: Department Managers
- Bottom: Employees
Mechanistic Structure - Answer -a formalized structure based on centralization and
departmentalization
- tend to run as a bureaucracy, a system characterized by formalized rules and
regulation, specialized routine tasks, division of labor, and centralized authority
Organic Organization Structure - Answer -less formalized based on decentralization
and cross-functional teams.
- Unlike the mechanistic model, employees across the organization are given an
opportunity to participate in decision-making
- Communication is open and frequent, and employees are susceptible to change
Human Resource Management - Answer -An organizational function that deals with
people-related issues such a recruitment, performance management, benefits, training,
employee motivation, safety, and administration, while ensuring compliance with
employment and labor laws
Civil Rights Act of 1964 - Answer -- Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson
- Outlaws discrimination based on race and gender in schools, housing, and hiring
- Managers have to ensure that their businesses do not discriminate in their hiring or in
their service practices
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 - Answer -- Signed by George H.W. Bush
- Provides that persons with disabilities do not face discrimination in the workplace, are
provided access to all public places, and have access to telecommunication services
- Issues concerning public access to disabled persons must be addressed, including
physical structures and telecommunications services
Organization Structure - Answer -A system that coordinates the people, tasks, and
activities necessary to carry out a particular purpose
Work Specialization - Answer -division of labor, the degree to which jobs are divided
into specific tasks
- employees who work in a certain department carry out on the tasks that relate to their
roles
- Advantages: increased efficiency, higher productivity, and elevated expertise
- Disadvantages: limited skills set, boredom, inability to multitask
Delegating - Answer -The process of transferring authority and responsibility to other to
carry out certain tasks and activities
- Benefits: increase in productivity, morale, and commitment
- Study done showing that organizations run by executives that delegate grow more
rapidly, generate higher revenue, and create more roles
Centralized Structure - Answer -an organizational structure designed to give top-level
manager the authority to make decisions on behalf of the entire community
Decentralized Structure - Answer -is an organizational structure designed to allow all
employees to make decisions and recommend changes
- improves employee motivation by giving them more responsibility and to encourage
them
- Greater risk of conflict and disagreement since everyone has a say, also risk for
duplication, and hard to ensure consistent practices
Department Types - Customer - Answer -- Ideal for an organization that has products
or services unique to specific market segments
- Disadvantages: too much autonomy across divisions, incompatible systems develop
Department Types - Product - Answer -- Ideal for organizations with multiple products
and can help shorten product development cycles - Disadvantage: difficult to scale,
duplicate resources
Department Types - Function - Answer -- Allows for higher degree of specialization and
deeper domain expertise
- Top-down and bottom-up communication
Department Types - Geography - Answer -- Spans across multiple geographic regions,
and the product or service needs to be localized, it often requires organization by region
- Best for organizations that need to be near sources of supply and/or customer
- Disadvantage: decision making becomes decentralized, geographic divisions can be
very far
, Matrix Structure - Answer -A company structure where the reporting lines are set up as
a grid or matrix
- Benefits: freedom to collaborate and innovate with coworkers across all departments
- Employee engagement is higher in matrixed organizations
- Difficulties: poor communication
· Starbucks has this type of structure
Span of Control - Answer -Refers to the number of direct reports for whom managers
are directly responsible
- Ex: a manager with three direct reports has a span of control of 3
- Optimal number of direct reports is 7
- Type of span of control depends on the size of the company and how its structured
Chain of Command - Answer -A flow of authority and power from the highest to the
lowest levels of the organization
- Top: Executive officers (CEO, CFO, CIO, President)
- Middle: Department Managers
- Bottom: Employees
Mechanistic Structure - Answer -a formalized structure based on centralization and
departmentalization
- tend to run as a bureaucracy, a system characterized by formalized rules and
regulation, specialized routine tasks, division of labor, and centralized authority
Organic Organization Structure - Answer -less formalized based on decentralization
and cross-functional teams.
- Unlike the mechanistic model, employees across the organization are given an
opportunity to participate in decision-making
- Communication is open and frequent, and employees are susceptible to change
Human Resource Management - Answer -An organizational function that deals with
people-related issues such a recruitment, performance management, benefits, training,
employee motivation, safety, and administration, while ensuring compliance with
employment and labor laws
Civil Rights Act of 1964 - Answer -- Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson
- Outlaws discrimination based on race and gender in schools, housing, and hiring
- Managers have to ensure that their businesses do not discriminate in their hiring or in
their service practices
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 - Answer -- Signed by George H.W. Bush
- Provides that persons with disabilities do not face discrimination in the workplace, are
provided access to all public places, and have access to telecommunication services
- Issues concerning public access to disabled persons must be addressed, including
physical structures and telecommunications services
