Flat organization Group Essay Example for Free

Flat organization Group Essay Organizational structures developed from the ancient times of hunters and collectors in tribal organizations through highly royal and clerical power structures to industrial structures and todays post-industrial structures. The typical hierarchical arrangement for lines of authorities, communications, rights and duties of an organization. Organizational structure determines how the roles, power and responsibilities are assigned, controlled, and coordinated, and how information flows between the different levels of management. A structure depends on the organizations objectives and strategy. In a centralized structure, the top layer of management has most of the decision making power and has tight control over departments and divisions. In a decentralized structure, the decision making power is distributed and the departments and divisions may have different degrees of independence. A company such as Proctor Gamble that sells multiple products may organize their structure so that groups are divided according to each product and depending on geographical area as well. The Importance of Organization Structure A number of writers have pointed out the importance of an organization’s structure and the relationship between it and an organization’s size, strategy, technology, environment and culture. Mintzberg (1989) has written extensively and significantly on the importance of organizational structure. Miller (1989) has explored the importance of configurations of strategy and structure. Burns and Stalker (1961) concluded that if an organization is to achieve maximum performance then its structure must fit with or match the rate of change in its environments. Handy (1990, 1993) has discussed the importance of culture in relation to organizational design and structure and the need for new organizational forms. Pascale, Milleman and Gioja (2000, p.197) consider ‘design is the invisible hand that brings organizations to life and life to organizations.’ Further, organizational structure and design are closely entwined (Mabey, Salaman Storey, 2001) with many aspects of human resource management. Thus structure has a key role in the all important human dimension of an organization. Too often the importance of Organization structure is overlooked and Miller (1989) points to a gap in the literature whereby the content of corporate or business strategies has not been widely considered in relation to structure. One of the most important aspects of a manager’s role is the design of Organizational structures, yet this is often a neglected responsibility (Senge, 1994). McMaster (1996) argues that Organizational design is not well understood and traditional management education does not include the development of any understanding of the principles of corporate design. The impact of the floury of corporate restructures that took place in the 1980s and 1990s, discussed later in this paper, supports this view. I would suggest that this lack of genuine understanding is a serious shortcoming. Definition of Structure Mullins (1993) and Mabey, Salaman Storey (2001) describe the structure of an Organization as the pattern of relationships between roles in an Organization and its different parts. They see the purpose of this structure as serving to allocate work and responsibilities in order to direct activities and achieve the Organization’s goals. Structure enables managers to plan, direct, organize and control the activities of the organization (Mullins, 1993, Mabey, Salaman Storey, 2001). Here is a traditional view of Organizational design that uses principles derived from classical and scientific Management. A non traditional approach is taken by Pascale, Milleman and Gioja (2000, p.197). They consider the role of architects and the principles they use to create buildings that provide ‘(1) structural integrity (sound buildings), (2) functionality (space appropriate for its intended use), and (3) aesthetic appeal.’ Using these principles an architect is able to work with the client in order to create a structure that is an integral and facilitating aspect of the life of the people who move in and around it. Thus architectural approaches can offer us a good model with which to consider Organization design principles. I would define an Organization’s structure as the architecture both visible and invisible which connects and weaves together all aspects of an Organization’s activities so that it functions as a complete dynamic entity. One simple approach is to consider how an Organization’s structure is described when represented diagrammatically, which most is often shown in the Organization chart. This provides useful insights into the underlying design principles. It will not show informal structures, but this is not the focus of this paper, except where they are an integral part of the design, as in for example, design Principles derived from complexity. The 20th Century –Traditional way Henri Fayol is credited by many as being the founder of modern management theory and practice. Writing at the beginning of the 20th century he advocated an Organization structure that was centralized, functionally specialized and hierarchical, in which everything had its specific place. Management was viewed as being all about planning, organizing, forecasting, co-coordinating and controlling. Others built on Fayol’s work, which Morgan (1986) claims provided the foundation of management theory in the first half of the last century, and which is still much in use up to the present day. Also in the early 20th century Frederick Taylor drawing on his understanding of traditional science and scientific method devised a theory of management – scientific management. He advocated the use of ‘scientific’ methods of measurement and analysis and broke all tasks down into small repetitive components. This was considered the most effective way of operating a production process and his methods achieved their apogee in the Ford motor car production line process. Thus the basic structure of many large Organizations in the 20th century was founded on linear, segmented, hierarchical design principles as typified by Figure 1. The larger the Organization the larger the structure and the more sub divisions. It was an approach to Organization design that reflected the classical scientific worldview as did the early management theorists Figure 1. Traditional Organization Chart / Structure During the mid 20th century there was a trend for Organizations to create huge corporate structures, often composed of many varied and different businesses, for example, the Hanson Trust, Trafalgar House, Unilever, and GKN in the UK and General Electric in the USA (Mabey, Salaman Storey, 2001). In the public sector too, huge bureaucracies were created with the nationalization of the public utilities after World War II and the creation of the NHS in 1948. The management of these huge Organizations required a complex multilayered structure with many sub divisions. ‘Tall structures were created with as many as 20 plus levels between the chief Executive and the shopfloor operative. Managerial control of employees at all the Multiple levels was based on a mixture of direct command and budgetary Responsibility. Hierarchy, command and control were the governing principles of Employee management.’ But by the last decades of the 20th century, however, the trend for larger and larger structures was over. Almost every Organization experimented with some kind of structural change process (Ashkenas et al, 1995). Large conglomerates were broken up and large bureaucracies slimmed down as Organizations sought to become more effective and flexible (Mabey, Salaman Storey, 2001). Companies merged and demerged, made acquisitions or sold them off and experimented with a range of approaches designed to make them more effective and responsive to a rapidly changing world. During this period Organizations were awash with notions of delayering, right / downsizing and business process re-engineering and for a time returns to shareholders were at record levels (Willis,2001). Downsizing was used by many companies as a way of adjusting their structures in order to be fitter and more effective. Large Organizations with many bureaucratic aspects like Kodak, IBM and General Motors restructured in this way (Mabey, Salaman Storey, 2001). This and the often accompanying trend for outsourcing resulted in a wave of new problems particularly with employee insecurity and loss of expert knowledge. Coulson- Thomas and Coe (1991) report that in many of these slimmer Organizations there were issues of work overload, increased work stress, lack of vision, poor decision making, corporate in fighting and so on. Further, this approach proved to be an unsatisfactory one, not only because of the immediate social costs and the loss of experience and valuable skills, but because many Organizations failed to capitalize on the restructuring and implement new supportive systems (Mabey, Salaman Storey, 2001). They changed the structure of the Organization but not in such a way as to improve its overall long term effectiveness. This apparent lack of insight concerning the importance of the relationship between structure and internal and external systems and human behaviours displays a restricted understanding of the principles of Organization design. Business process re-engineering was another approach which many adopted during this period as an effective way of improving efficiency and removing bureaucratic structures. But, Mumford and Hendricks (1996) point out, many companies became obsessed with cost cutting and associated staffing reductions and did not consider how best to reorganize and restructure. Also some chief executives used the process to rid themselves of cumbersome bureaucratic chains of command but failed to cede control Mabey, Salaman Storey (2001, p.158) describe this period as one of ‘apparent chaos’ as Organizations also tried out approaches based on networking, outsourcing and notions of virtual forms of Organization. However, they provide an analytical framework which I shall use to describe the different types of structure that still redominate. It offers four main types of structure: bureaucracy, divisionalized structures, strategic business units and ‘de-structured’ forms. Organizational – 21st Century At the end of the 20th century some less traditional forms of organization structure beganto emerge as evidenced by the ‘de-structured’ forms described by Mabey, Salaman Storey (2001). Handy (1990) observes that the old mechanistic systems are everywhere breaking down. Mabey, Salaman Storey (2001) talk of the emergence of a new paradigm for organizational form which seeks to replace the rigidity and cumbersome nature of the traditional form. Ashkenas et al (1995) report on a change in design principles that amounts to a major shift.

Romaticism and Religion in German Nationalism Essay -- Analysis, Hans

Growing out of the romantic movement of the 19th century, there were many factors and various groups that contributed to the rise of German nationalism. With the nation fragmented, and Europe in social turmoil, the German people were lusting for spiritual and emotional unity that Enlightenment thinking could not provide. The population turned to existing religious groups, romantic thinkers, and secular political religions to fill the emotional gap that existed in a modernizing Europe. In the article, â€Å"Romanticism and the Rise of German Nationalism,† Hans Kohn attempts to show how romanticism developed from a completely artistic movement, into a crucial component in the rise of German nationalism. In the first of five sections, Kohn begins by describing the origins of the romantic movement's opposition toward Enlightenment thinking, and of the French Revolution. He argues that the romantics revered history – namely the middle ages – which was the foundation for the development of the â€Å"national community.† This idealization of history that Kohn argues rejected the current times and had the emotional effect of instilling hope to the people, a point he makes clear when he states, â€Å"The romantic movement began as an artistic revolt against eighteenth-century culture which seemed not to satisfy the soul and not to warm the heart.† (FN, 445). The second section of the article focuses mainly on Novalis, who Kohn calls, â€Å"The first great German romanticist.†(FN, 447) He contends that Novalis wished the state played more of an intimate role in people's lives, but makes clear that this was not a political concept, but poetic.(FN, 448). He elaborates by stating that Novalis did not stress unification on a national basis, but based on the sp... ...an denominations – namely Protestantism. Williamson makes this abundantly clear when he states, â€Å"Indeed, I maintain in this study that the longing for myth is best understood not as a secularization of traditional religion or as a form of 'secular religion,' but rather as a development within Christian (especially German Protestant) culture...†(FN, 4) Williamson takes the time to discuss the reforms within Protestantism and keeps religion central in the study. This is a good study for anyone interested in nineteenth-century German intellectual history, and how religion played such a great role in the development of national ideas. In the midst of great change on the European continent, Germany was left in a position of uncertainty. With the arrival of modernization, the population was looking for order and emotional fulfillment in a fragmented and changing nation.

Death of a Salesman †Arthur Miller Essay

The original title for Miller’s play was ‘The Inside of His Head’. How does Miller’s use of set, lighting and stage direction help us to understand this idea? Arthur Miller wrote Death of a Salesman in 1949. This date is the period after the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression and this is significant, as one of Miller’s aims in writing this play was that it would be a tragedy that American workers could relate to. The central themes and issues in the play are consumerism and exploitation; Miller wanted to write a play that was critical of capitalism and that would expose the falseness of the American Dream. The original title reflects one of the underlying themes in the play – the central character’s struggle to grasp the distinction between illusion and reality and the past and the present; often Willy Loman’s thoughts and views do not comply with those of the majority of the remaining cast. Miller uses symbolism, set, lighting and stage direction to help us to understand what is happening inside Willy’s head. One of the several symbols that give us an insight into Willy’s thoughts is the athletic trophy. It is placed on a shelf in the sitting room where it can be clearly seen; this demonstrates how important it is to the family. This importance then in turn shows that winning and competition are key ideas here and that this part of the American Dream is important to Willy and he prizes the achievements his son made as they show him as being superior to other people, which is what Willy is always striving to achieve, particularly in regards to Charly. In the same scene is the use of the melody of the flute. It reflects Willy’s father’s success as an entrepreneur (making wooden flutes), something Willy is always striving to achieve, and also the strong influence this has on his son. Also, the actual melody that is being played ‘tell(s) of grass and trees and the horizon’, and reminds us of the stark difference between the life Willy lived as a young child (with the father who he idolises) and the position he is in now; in an overcrowded area of New York, working for someone else (i.e., not working on his own terms, like his father) on commission. Another of the important symbols in the play is the lighting at the end of Act One. Just as Willy is talking about how great Biff was when he was younger, on another part of the set Biff walks into a gold pool of light, which is reflecting the praise Willy is giving him, the gold symbolising the initial power and success that he had. Also, just after this the light fades on Willy, representing the fact that his career, his influence on his children and possibly his life are drawing to a close. A further example of Miller’s symbolism in this play and his manipulation of non-naturalistic elements is in Act Two, the restaurant scene, with varied use of both lighting and music. The first of these symbols is the use of the ‘single trumpet note’ used in conjunction with ‘the light of green leaves’. This initiates the start of Willy’s mind thinking back to an event several years ago, the green of the leaves symbolising the time when the house was not surrounded by high rise flats, noise and pollution. Miller also says that the light ‘holds the air of a†¦ dream’, which is insinuating that at this point in time Willy’s dreams for himself and his children had not yet been ruined. This is upheld by the naturalistic state of his living environment. Throughout the scene the light continues to fluctuate and highlight different places and times. Another important part in this restaurant scene I when the music changes dramatically to accompany the presence of The Woman in Willy’s mind. The music is now ‘raw and sensuous’ highlighting one major part of Willy’s life, at this point in time, that does not fit into the same mould as the rest of his life; he is a family man, supportive of his children and striving to achieve new heights for his family, but now he is doing the very opposite of this by cheating on his wife, and so the music does not reflect any of the other, often light and cheerful melodies played on the flute. Up until Biff discovers his father with The Woman, no one else is aware of her part in Willy’s life, so even at this early stage, Willy will have thoughts inside his head which do not relate to those of an of the other central characters.

Adaptive Physical Education Is Physical Education Which

Adaptive Physical Education is physical education which has been adapted or modified, so that it is as appropriate for the person with a disability as it is for a person without a disability. It is an extremely useful class especially in the high school setting. Disabled children are able to do exercises they normally cannot do, experience full gym classes with non disabled students, and learn new and useful fundamental skills they will use for the rest of their lives. To teach a class like this the teacher needs to learn the FAIER model, lean different skills to teach disabled children and be able to asses all students who are involved in the class. The FAIER model is a system to organize information in a way that you can design†¦show more content†¦This is where you analyze the evaluation results and see how the students did. If many of the students did not pass the way, the teacher wanted them to then the teacher must take the time to modify the activity even more so that it will suite the students better. This model is extremely important when the teacher is trying to figure out their students. It helps the teachers have a plan for the class so they aren’t stuck when it comes time to teach. For teachers to teach this class they are going to have to develop other skills then their basic physical education teacher. There are six standards for an APE teacher. These standards include human development, motor behavior, exercise science, curriculum development, teaching, and communication. Human development is the basic understanding of how skills develop and progress and how they apply to those with disabilities. This is important to know due to the fact there are both disabled and non disabled students in this class. The Motor behavior standard, is having the knowledge to monitor how motor skills develop and being able to keep in mind the influence of development delay for those that are disabled. This also goes along with the next standard which is curriculum development. This is the understanding of how each student has a different goal depending on their disability. Teachers must be away at all times of their students and what is different about them. 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