Summary: Organisational Theory - Chapter 17

Read the summary and the most important questions on Organisational Theory - Chapter 17

• 17 Organizational Design, Effectiveness, and Innovation

• 17.1 Organizations: Definition and Perspectives

• Which four common denominators form an organization's structure?

  • coordination of effort
  • a common goal
  • division of labour
  • a hierarchy of authority 

• 17.1.2 Organization Charts

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• What is an organization chart?

  An organization chart is a graphic representation of formal authority and division of labor relationships.

• What are the four dimensions of organizational structure?

  • hierarchy of authority
  • division of labour
  • spans of control
  • line and staff positions

• What does staff personal do?

  Staff personal provides research, advice, and recommendations to line managers.

• 17.1.3 An open-system Perspective of Organizations

• What does it mean when an organization has a closed system?

  A closed system is said to be a self-sufficient entity. It is "closed" to the surrounding environment.

• What does it mean when an organization has an open system?

  An open system depends on constant interaction with the environment for survival.

• 17.1.4 Learning Organizations

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• What is a learning organization?

  A learning organization is one that proactively creates, acquires, and transfers knowledge and that changes its behavior on the basis of new knowledge and insights.

• Which six factors can detract from an organization's ability to learn from failure?

  1. the blame game
  2. the inability to recognize that failures are not created equal
  3. not having a learning culture
  4. not detecting the lead indicators of failure
  5. the self-serving bias
  6. the reluctance to experiment

• 17.2 Organization Design

• What is organizational design?

  Organizational design is a structure of accountability and responsibility that an organization uses to execute its strategies.

• 17.2.1 Traditional Designs

• What are the three sorts of structures of traditional designs?

  1. functional
  2. divisional
  3. matrix