MGMT Chapter 10

In which of the following situations would a smaller span of control be more appropriate?

A great deal of time is required in nonsupervisory activities.

Kairos works for a company whose main strategic goal is one of differentiation. The organization atmosphere values innovation and flexibility. Which of the following best fits with the description of Kairos's company?

An organic system with horizontal teams

Kelly would like to build relational coordination into the fabric of the organization. Which of the following statements best expresses what relational coordination looks like?

Managers resolve cross-departmental conflicts based on shared goals rather than emphasizing goals of their separate departments.

Which of the following statements is NOT part of the definition of organizational structure?

Organizational structure is the creation of a shared culture and values that communicate goals and infuses employees with the desire to perform at a high level.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of the functional structure?

Separating people into distinct departments shrinks communication and coordination across functions, deterring response to environmental changes.

In the matrix structure, which of the following provides traditional control within functional departments?

The vertical structure

Carly manages a production department. Operators within the department simply read dials, fix machines that break down, and manage the production process that has no starting and stopping. Carly manages a _____.

continuous process production

In order to provide maximum flexibility to meet customer needs and adapt to shifts in the environment, most organizations today encourage managers to _____.

delegate authority to the lowest possible level

An organization attempts to develop innovative products unique to the market with a _____.

differentiation strategy

If Justin wants to avoid duplication of activities among various business divisions, he would choose ____.

greater centralization

Manufacturing technologies differ in terms of technical complexity which refers to the degree to which complicated machinery is involved in the production process to the exclusion of people; therefore, a continuous process would be _____.

high in this category

A corn processing plant is adding a new building for starch conversion processes. Coordinating the construction of the building and its integration into the functioning of the company has been assigned to Trae. His position is located outside the departments and is responsible for coordinating several departments to achieve desired project outcomes. Trae's job title is _____.

project manager

Indira is working to flatten out the structure of the organization by introducing horizontal teams. The goal of the teams is to help the organization achieve dramatic improvements in the company's costs and product quality. Indira is engaged in _____.

reengineering

Because the focus of reengineering is on horizontal workflows rather than functions _______.

reengineering generally leads to a shift away from a strong vertical structure to one emphasizing stronger horizontal coordination

Shante manages the payroll function for her company. She advises other managers about ranges for pay raises for employees and changes in various benefits offered by the company. In this role, Shante exercises _____.

staff authority

A large fire broke out in the main warehouse at Tess's company. No one was hurt, but the fire caused a lot of damage. To deal with the questions from suppliers, customers, and employees, Tess created a team with members from various departments across the company to address important issues and make immediate plans for moving forward. This is known as a _____.

task force

As a strategic manager in a manufacturing company, Kofi knows that making structural decisions must take into consideration pressures from the bottom up. These pressures would include _____.

technology and work processes

The primary difference between divisional and functional structures is that in a divisional structure _____.

the chain of command from each function converges lower in the hierarchy

With a team-based structure _____.

the entire organization is made up of horizontal teams that coordinate their work and work directly with customers to accomplish the organization's goals

Coulson's company has an exceptional research and development department with several of the industry's preeminent researchers. Coulson would rather focus efforts on facilitating the work of these researchers rather than to manufacture and distribute the products. He outsourced those functions, along with the accounting and human resource functions to companies that do those functions well and at a lower cost than his company could. Coulson's company is an example of a _____.

virtual network