What is meant by the study of organizational theory, what are the classifications of organizational theory and their precepts and what can we learn from its history?
Create a time line of Organizational Theories (schools) showing the precepts of each theory/school. Then in a summary paragraph compare the various theories on the time line identifying the trends of perspective that are illustrated by the time line.
Businesses to continue to succeed must always maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. The key to doing this has changed over the last century as is illustrated in our discussion in week one of the 21st century business challenges. Using your time line explain how the change in obtaining a competitive edge is reflected in the change of organizational theory over the last century?
The change of value regarding human resource to the organization coupled with technology is shifting the design of organizations towards “boundaryless” and flat organizational structures.
Search the Internet and find an example of a boundaryless or flat organization explain how it is human resource centric.
The 21st century manager is a person who can implement the leader’s vision by creating processes, procedure, and short term goals that forward, the vision, purpose, culture, and structure set by the leader for the organization. The manager does this through the implementation of the four functions of a manager, planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. The four pillars of management function.
Select an organization that you work for, or have worked for, and identify the vision, mission, organizational structure (including the decision making flow) and the culture of the organization. Where possible use your course material to identify the structural (bureaucratic, flat, horizontal, democratic etc.) or cultural type (clan, collaborative, market, adhocracy etc.). Include in your discussion a definition of the word organization.
Some organizational theorists suggest that the four pillars do not go far enough to explain how the manager should approach the new 21st century business landscape and that a systems thinking approach is more comprehensive. Students should compare and contrast with respect to POLC.
Compare and contrast the Fayol’s POLC functions of management with the systems thinking approach and determine which is more comprehensive and explain why. Be sure to explain each of the precepts and how they work.
The manager creates a detailed action plan formulated from the long term goals, vision and mission, set by the leader. This plan is created through planning and strategizing. To understand the concept of vision and mission and its role in the process, you will get to do the leader’s job and formulate the vision and mission of an organization. By creating the vision and mission you should take away the idea of their import in crating your short term plans and goals.
Create a vision and mission statement to fit this company. Annie Oakley owns a specialty rifle manufacturing company, ANNIE”S BABIES. She designs rifles to fit the specific requirements of the individual. Her rifles range in price from $2500 to her most expensive one to date at $25,000. She wishes to become the Lamborghini of the rifle world. Currently she has a small but growing clientele and receives her orders by word of mouth. Anxious to get her plant more active Annie seeks to gain customers by being known for her attention to detail, personal designs, and quick turnaround. Her employees are expected to produce the rifles with these ideas in mind and never to give in to the temptation to lower the quality of the rifle.
In the planning phase, managers create a detailed action plan aimed at the organizational goals. Strategic management, or what you will learn as strategizing, is what an organization will do or not do to achieve the goals and objectives that lead to meeting the stated mission and vision.
Annie wishes to develop the business to incorporate a new style of rifle which is computer generated, plastic, and collapsible. It also takes plastic bullets. This process must cost less than 1 million dollars and take less than 2 months to produce. She has one large client who will pay 3 times her investment and is anxious to accept the project. However, it will be a one of a kind project and Annie is not sure others will have a use for the gun in the future. It will make a reputation for her in the gun community. Identify the principles of strategizing and then apply the principles to develop a project action plan for the company. Be sure to include the facts from the first LA to help. Use your vision and mission statement as well. If you think you need to make up facts to complete the assignment feel free.
Organization is the phase in which the manager allocates resources both human and capital within the organizational structure to best forward the vision and purpose of the organization.
Annie is considering amending her current organizational structure. Using your reading try to advise her on what structure might work well to help solve her project problem.
Annie currently has four leadership team members that each head up one division: rifle design, rifle manufacture, rifle customer service, and sales. They each have final decision making authority within their departments. Annie says that she is thinking of creating an additional link in the decision train for the new project with one department head that like the others reports to the leadership team. Alternatively, should she feel the need to disband the project after the client sale is complete Annie would like to know what would happen if the fifth link were self-contained. Explain how you would allocate the resources of the company to make the new link in the train work on a daily basis? Be creative and practical think of the types of people you would need to accomplish the goal, money, resources of the business etc. Be sure to consider the various other departments and how they would interface with the project team. Alternatively, how would the link work if it were self- contained?
How has technology changed the way in which the manager defines how tasks are performed and completed within the organizational structure? What happens to structure when the walls are missing? How do the tasks get complete and by whom?
Choose one of the two questions below and answer it through your readings and at least two additional sources from the Internet.
21) How has technology changed the way in which the manager defines how tasks are performed and completed within the organizational structure?
22) The manager’s job is to keep stability within an organization. What happens to structure when the walls are missing? How do the tasks get complete and by whom?
23. What is the manager’s perspective of leadership? How does it differ from the leader’s perspective? Managers focus on process, procedure, and implementation of the organization’s purpose. Their perspective is on getting the job done and keeping stability. The leader is about change and moving the people toward the vision. The area of overlap comes in terms of the need to use “soft or people skills” to get their job done yet even there a difference in perspective is seen. The manager motivates while the leader empowers.
