2.2.2 Organisational Structure
Matrix Organisation
• temporary structure which is created to facilitate Influences of cultural differences on ICT and
the execution of a specific project communication
• a company structure where teams report to
multiple leaders • barriers to communication that may lead to
• team members report to both a project manager misunderstandings in multinational companies:
and a department leader • Language - verbal communication can be difficult
• The organisational structure is characterised by in multinational companies. A good command of
flexibility, ensuring the project does what it is English or the languages used for communication
supposed to do, and is completed within the in a company is key to effective communication
budget and on schedule. • Cultural knowledge - knowledge of values and
• A disadvantage is that the project teams are norms, traditions and lifestyle is essential for
relatively isolated from the rest of the team as they employees who intend to live and work in a
are fairly self-sufficient and are focused on getting foreign country. Without this knowledge, even a
the work down. Another issue is continuity, some perfect mastery of the language of a country will
employees may dislike such a dynamic be of little help in avoiding misunderstandings in
environment and prefer a static working the workplace
environment • Non-verbal communication - body language
can be a major source of misunderstandings.
High context of communicators tend to
communicate more implicitly, in low context,
communication tends to be more direct
Handy’s Shamrock Organisation
• comprised of three elements: sub-contractors,
core employees and temporary workers to
practise labour flexibility. Handy theorised that a
business should have a relatively small number of
core employees and supplement them with others
as needed Innovations in ICT and communication
• The permanent workforce provides a multi-skilled
core focused on the creation or delivery of a • innovations in ICT allow business operations to stay
product competitive
• Core Workers - core managers, technicians • information systems provide a key way of effectively
and employees who are necessary for the and efficiently managing communication processes
business to fulfil its core mission and deliver on within organisations
its USP • special portals and platforms allow the creation of
• Contract employees - activities that are not at an inventory of corporate knowledge with
the core of the business but which are personalised services, the portals allow
nevertheless necessary. These activities should communication within the firm
be sub-contracted out to a specialist business • applications such as chats, forums and discussion
• Temporary workers - they constitute a flexible groups enable social interaction across the
workforce composed of part-time, temporary organisation and within teams
and seasonal workers • specific management systems, usually custom-
made for each organisation, allow users to model
• Advantages
communication and production processes
• reduction of unprofitable products and activities
• attention to efficiency • organisational communication becomes much
faster
• lower cost yet productive
• flexibility scaling up or down of operations • the internet has allowed businesses to
communicate fast across different time zones
• Disadvantages despite the high distance
• contractors have their own oversight
• notifications can divert employee attention leading
• monitoring and overheads to a decrease in productivity
• communication barriers may cause delay of
projects • there are also countries where work related to
computers, smartphones and tablets is limited by
• priorities of contractors and temporary workers law to reduce the adverse effect on people’s health
may be different from those of the core staff
• may not be applicable in many regional contexts
Matrix Organisation
• temporary structure which is created to facilitate Influences of cultural differences on ICT and
the execution of a specific project communication
• a company structure where teams report to
multiple leaders • barriers to communication that may lead to
• team members report to both a project manager misunderstandings in multinational companies:
and a department leader • Language - verbal communication can be difficult
• The organisational structure is characterised by in multinational companies. A good command of
flexibility, ensuring the project does what it is English or the languages used for communication
supposed to do, and is completed within the in a company is key to effective communication
budget and on schedule. • Cultural knowledge - knowledge of values and
• A disadvantage is that the project teams are norms, traditions and lifestyle is essential for
relatively isolated from the rest of the team as they employees who intend to live and work in a
are fairly self-sufficient and are focused on getting foreign country. Without this knowledge, even a
the work down. Another issue is continuity, some perfect mastery of the language of a country will
employees may dislike such a dynamic be of little help in avoiding misunderstandings in
environment and prefer a static working the workplace
environment • Non-verbal communication - body language
can be a major source of misunderstandings.
High context of communicators tend to
communicate more implicitly, in low context,
communication tends to be more direct
Handy’s Shamrock Organisation
• comprised of three elements: sub-contractors,
core employees and temporary workers to
practise labour flexibility. Handy theorised that a
business should have a relatively small number of
core employees and supplement them with others
as needed Innovations in ICT and communication
• The permanent workforce provides a multi-skilled
core focused on the creation or delivery of a • innovations in ICT allow business operations to stay
product competitive
• Core Workers - core managers, technicians • information systems provide a key way of effectively
and employees who are necessary for the and efficiently managing communication processes
business to fulfil its core mission and deliver on within organisations
its USP • special portals and platforms allow the creation of
• Contract employees - activities that are not at an inventory of corporate knowledge with
the core of the business but which are personalised services, the portals allow
nevertheless necessary. These activities should communication within the firm
be sub-contracted out to a specialist business • applications such as chats, forums and discussion
• Temporary workers - they constitute a flexible groups enable social interaction across the
workforce composed of part-time, temporary organisation and within teams
and seasonal workers • specific management systems, usually custom-
made for each organisation, allow users to model
• Advantages
communication and production processes
• reduction of unprofitable products and activities
• attention to efficiency • organisational communication becomes much
faster
• lower cost yet productive
• flexibility scaling up or down of operations • the internet has allowed businesses to
communicate fast across different time zones
• Disadvantages despite the high distance
• contractors have their own oversight
• notifications can divert employee attention leading
• monitoring and overheads to a decrease in productivity
• communication barriers may cause delay of
projects • there are also countries where work related to
computers, smartphones and tablets is limited by
• priorities of contractors and temporary workers law to reduce the adverse effect on people’s health
may be different from those of the core staff
• may not be applicable in many regional contexts
