Other Homework Help

A generally accepted assumption in the practice of organization design is that structure follows strategy, that is, strategy should determine how the organization is structured to maximize its effectiveness. In some instances, leaders may be tempted to change the organization’s structure without giving much thought to the organization’s strategy, particularly if the structure has attracted a significant amount of “buzz,” or attention, in the management literature. However, the misalignment between strategy and structure can have dire consequences for organizational effectiveness.

In this Discussion, you will examine the degree to which organizational strategies and structures align in specific organizations. You will also discuss the consequences of the misalignment between strategy and structure.

To Prepare for this Discussion:

• Read the assigned chapters in Organization Theory and Design and the assigned pages in Designing Organizations: Strategy, Structure, and Process at the Business Unit and Enterprise Levels. Pay particular attention to the role of structure in organization design as well as the different types of organizational structures that exist.
• Read the article, “The Impacts of Business Strategy on Organizational Structure.” Explore the examples of strategy-structure alignment and misalignment in the automotive industry. Reflect on the negative consequences associated with strategy-structure misalignment.
• Select an organization with which you are familiar to focus on for this Discussion. This organization should be different than the one that you selected in Module 1 to focus on throughout the course.
• Based on the strategy typologies and models from last week, identify the type of strategy that the organization implemented. Then, using the Learning Resources from this week, identify the type of structure the organization implemented. Consider whether the strategy and structure align and why or why not.

Post a response to the following:  

Explain the role of structure in organization design. Then, briefly describe one organization with which you are familiar. This organization should be different than the one that you selected in Module 1 to focus on throughout the course. Describe the type of strategy and the type of structure that the organization implemented. Finally, explain whether the strategy and structure align. Why, or why not? Be specific.

References

Daft, R. L. (2016). Fundamentals of organization structure. In Organization theory and design (12th ed., pp. 86–138). Cengage Learning. 

Galbraith, J. R. (2014). The Star Model. In Designing organizations: Strategy, structure, and process at the business unit and enterprise levels (3rd ed., pp. 22-37 only). Jossey-Bass