BUS 160 Chapter 8

When designing responsive organizations, what decisions do firms have to make?

Decide the span of control Choose between tall or flat structures Decide between centralization versus decentralization

Why is adapting to change one of the hardest challenges facing any manager?

Employees and managers are sometimes resistant to change.

______ organization structures respond to customer demands faster because its lower-level employees have authority and responsibility for making decisions. Multiple choice question.

Flat

A firm that has a marketing department organized geographically and a production process organized by function has which type of departmental structure?

Hybrid

Identify the four ways to structure an organization.

Line organizations Cross-functional self-managed teams Line-and-staff organizations Matrix-style organizations

If an organization temporarily borrows its specialists from different functional areas to accomplish a common project, it is implementing what type of organization?

Matrix organization

Which is a true statement about the principles of organization?

Regardless of the business size the principles are similar.

Line managers are those who have the authority to:

adjust to changing conditions enforce discipline issue orders

A cross-functional team that is working on the development of a new prosthetic device for amputees should include:

amputees who will use it parts suppliers for medical devices product designers

Centralized authority occurs when decision making is done

at the top level of management

The line organization has direct lines of ______ that extend from the top manager to employees at the lowest level of the organization.

authority communication responsibility

Cross-functional self-managed teams are used in organizations to ______.

break down barriers between functional departments

An organization structure in which decision-making authority is maintained at the top level of management is called a(n) ______ organization. Multiple choice question.

centralized

Employees at all levels often resist ______ because they are used to doing their jobs in ways they know.

change

The result of the increase in the rate of change in the business environment from causes such as natural disasters and global competition has been that companies must:

change more quickly than ever before adapt to new technologies

An important decision to be made while designing a responsive organization is about the size of the span of

control

Less need for policy manuals, organization charts, and formal controls is a sign of shared values in a:

corporate culture that emphasizes service to others.

Organizations reorganized to empower frontline workers so that they:

could more efficiently and effectively serve customers

Groups of employees from different departments who work together on a long-term basis and are empowered to make decisions without management approval are ______.

cross-functional self-managed teams

Groups of employees from different departments who work together on a long-term basis are called ______.

cross-functional teams

Regardless of the size of the organization, the principles of organizing include:

deciding what work needs to be done recognizing employee strengths dividing up the tasks to be done

Important decisions to be made while designing an organization include:

degree of centralization departmentalization span of control

As organizations adopt empowerment, reduce the number of middle managers, and hire more talented and better educated lower-level employees the trend today is to ______ the span of control.

expand

Remaining __ is the key to an organization's success in changing times.

flexible

The ______ organization details lines of responsibility, authority, and position. It is the structure shown on organization charts.

formal

The structure that details lines of responsibility, authority, and position that represents different types of organizational design is known as a ____ organization.

formal

A system in which one person is at the top of the organization and there is a ranked or sequential ordering from the top down of managers who are responsible to that person is called a(n)

hierarchy

The principle of organizational structure where one person is at the top and the other managers are ranked sequentially from the top down is called

hierarchy

Firms may use a combination of departmentalization techniques to create a(n) ___ form of organization.

hybrid

Firms may use a combination of departmentalization techniques to create a(n) _____ form of organization.

hybrid

Because of the evolving business environment, including more global competition, technological innovations, and changing customer expectations, what has become a critical management function?

learning how to manage change

Organizations reorganize to empower frontline workers to:

let them know they are valuable assets to the organization serve customers more efficiently and effectively demonstrate appreciation and trust to frontline workers

Production workers, distribution people, and marketing personnel who are responsible for directly achieving organizational goals are called __ personnel.

line

Those directly responsible for achieving the organization's production goals by issuing orders and enforcing discipline are __ managers.

line

An organization that has direct two-way lines of responsibility, authority, and communication running from the top to the bottom of the organization, with all people reporting to only one supervisor is called a(n)

line organization

The method of producing large quantities of goods efficiently is:

mass production.

A large organization might use a flat organization structure in order to

match the flexibility of small firms

A _____ structure, also called a project management structure, sets up teams from different departments, thereby creating two or more intersecting lines of authority.

matrix

Four organizational designs include: line, line and staff, ______, and cross-functional teams.

matrix

Using communications technology to link organizations and allow them to work together on common objectives is called ______.

networking

Advantages of a positive corporate culture include:

people who enjoy working together to be productive trust between employees emphasizing service to others, especially customers

The formal organization details lines of:

position authority responsibility

Real time is the ______ moment or the ______ time in which something takes place.

present; actual

The present moment or the actual time in which an event takes place is called

real time

When businesses evolved into larger organizations producing larger amounts of product more efficiently using mass production methods, it could be said that:

the bigger the plant, the more efficient production became.

Today's trend is to expand the span of control because:

the workforce is better educated at all levels organizations save by reducing the number of middle managers

True or false: Adapting to change is difficult because over time employees get stuck in their ways and are comfortable.

true

True or false: The key to success for companies in a capitalist economy is to remain inflexible during times of change.

False

A cross-functional team that includes customers, suppliers, and distributors is

going beyond organizational boundaries

Production workers, distribution people, and marketing personnel who are responsible for directly achieving organizational goals are called _______ personnel.

line

A _________ structure, also called a project management structure, sets up teams from different departments, thereby creating two or more intersecting lines of authority.

matrix

Using communications technology and other means to link organizations and allow them to work together on common objectives is referred to as

networking