Communication and Theatre 4/516: Leadership Seminar

Structure and Organizational Design

Morgan: from bureaucracies to networks (six models of structure)•Rigid bureaucracy (chain of command)

bureaucracy with senior management team

bureaucracy with project teams and task forces

•Matrix for an aircraft company

Design

Production

Marketing

Civilian Commercial Military

Thus each type of project must cooperate with each department at every level

The project organization (a network of interaction)

The loosely-coupled organic network (outsource, subcontract)

Nohria: characteristics of networks (which are the communication links we maintain.)

Because of complexity and information overload, the way to keep up is to belong to a sufficient number of networks to ensure access to information needed somewhere in the network system.

Characteristics of networks:

organizations are social networks (formal & informal)

an organization exists in and participates in a sea of networks.

Individual actions are a result of position in the networks.

networks inform actions, and actions shape networks (reflexivity).

Advantages of looking at organizations as networks:

Centrality in networks is a source of power.

Advantages, cont.

One can be a central member in a group

Advantages, cont. One can be a link between groups

Advantages, cont. One can belong to many groups

Steve’s memberships: spouse, father, grandfather, son, uncle, father-in-law, teacher, colleague, Provost’s council, union, elearning trainee, friends, fisherman, muscian, church, aarp, nca, costco, seattle art museum, YAM, PBS, KEMC, man, older, home owner, etc.

Advantages, cont.

Who gets to play (be involved in a project) is dependent on chooser’s networks

Advantages, cont.

In a very dense network system, alliances among companies can be formed.

Advantages, cont.

Networks are a distinct form of organizing

•efficient,

•governable,

•flexible,

•linking pin.

Fisher: self-directed work teams, or we must use our human resources.I like the empowerment formula

e (empowerment) = f (functionality)

f = authority +

resources +

information +

accountability

http://scholar.google.com/schhp?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=ws

http://tinyurl.com/38td5h

Review this and come to class being able to state why empowerment = 0 if any of A,R,I,A = 0.

The Empowerment Continuum

low high

Employee Suggestions

Task Forces,

Quality Circles

Self-Directed Work Teams

Comparing SDWT with Traditional Orgs.

Customer driven, multi-skilled workforce

vs.

management-driven work force of isolated specialists

Few job descriptions

vs.

Many jobs descriptions

Mention job description

Information shared widely

vs.

Information limited

Few levels of

management

vs.

Many levels of

management

Whole business focus

vs.

Departmental focus

Welcome to the Department of Communication and

Theatre

Shared goals

vs.

Segregated goals

Purpose achievement emphasis

vs.

problem-solving emphasis

High worker commitment

vs.

High management commitment

Continuous improvements

vs.

Incremental improvements

Self controlled

vs.

management controlled

Values based

vs.

Policy/procedures based

Smith & Sims: teams at the top, or at least it takes commitment of top management to encourage teamwork throughout the organization