Post by flimp (INTJ) on Aug 21, 2018 13:48:18 GMT
Answer: The organization should be structured off of the similarities between the set of all organizational structures.
Here is my thought process that I used to get my answer
I looked at this website for an idea of how organizations could be structured. www.smartdraw.com/organizational-chart/examples/
My observation from the website is that organizational structure varies. Why are organizational structures different? Because they all have diverse goals, environments and resources. Looking at the top three organizations in the link we can’t just adopt a corporate structure, research structure or a school district structure because we have our own unique goal, environment and resources.
We could build an organizational structure based on our current goal, environment and resources. However, if our circumstances change, then in order to survive, we would have to redo our organizational structure. We would essentially be reinventing the wheel for each particular set of circumstances.
I think the best way to deal with the issue of reinventing the wheel is by pursuing an understanding of the similarities between organizational structures so that every time our goal, environment or resources change, the same framework can be used.
To recap: An understanding of the underlying principles of how organizations are structured will give us a persistent framework regardless of whether our goals, environment, or resources change.
I tried to find the similarities between the set of all organizational structures, Unfortunately, I am not able to come to an answer because of limited time. However, I did find someone who found similarities between organizational structures (https://organizationalphysics.com/2012/01/09/the-5-classic-mistakes-in-organizational-structure-or-how-to-design-your-organization-the-right-way/). Essentially, he says that
What actually gives an organization its “shape” and controls how it performs are three things:
1. The functions it performs.
2. The location of each function.
3. The authority of each function within its domain.
The functions an organization performs are the core areas or activities it must engage in to accomplish its strategy (e.g. sales, customer service, marketing, accounting, finance, operations, CEO, admin, HR, legal, PR, R&D, engineering, etc.). The location of each function is where it is placed in the organizational structure and how it interacts with other functions. The authority of a function refers to its ability to make decisions within its domain and to perform its activities without unnecessary encumbrance. A sound organizational structure will make it unarguably clear what each function (and ultimately each person) is accountable for.
Perhaps he is right. Maybe we can base our framework of our organization around the function of the organization, the location of each unit in the hierarchy and the authority of each unit. Anyway, for the next cycle, if we all did case studies with the goal of finding the similarities between different organizational structures then I am sure that we could get the basic framework for the organization set up.
P.S
Looking at Mondays post, the mathematical system that was presented is a great idea and I would be willing to implement such a system into my line of thinking.
Here is my thought process that I used to get my answer
I looked at this website for an idea of how organizations could be structured. www.smartdraw.com/organizational-chart/examples/
My observation from the website is that organizational structure varies. Why are organizational structures different? Because they all have diverse goals, environments and resources. Looking at the top three organizations in the link we can’t just adopt a corporate structure, research structure or a school district structure because we have our own unique goal, environment and resources.
We could build an organizational structure based on our current goal, environment and resources. However, if our circumstances change, then in order to survive, we would have to redo our organizational structure. We would essentially be reinventing the wheel for each particular set of circumstances.
I think the best way to deal with the issue of reinventing the wheel is by pursuing an understanding of the similarities between organizational structures so that every time our goal, environment or resources change, the same framework can be used.
To recap: An understanding of the underlying principles of how organizations are structured will give us a persistent framework regardless of whether our goals, environment, or resources change.
I tried to find the similarities between the set of all organizational structures, Unfortunately, I am not able to come to an answer because of limited time. However, I did find someone who found similarities between organizational structures (https://organizationalphysics.com/2012/01/09/the-5-classic-mistakes-in-organizational-structure-or-how-to-design-your-organization-the-right-way/). Essentially, he says that
What actually gives an organization its “shape” and controls how it performs are three things:
1. The functions it performs.
2. The location of each function.
3. The authority of each function within its domain.
The functions an organization performs are the core areas or activities it must engage in to accomplish its strategy (e.g. sales, customer service, marketing, accounting, finance, operations, CEO, admin, HR, legal, PR, R&D, engineering, etc.). The location of each function is where it is placed in the organizational structure and how it interacts with other functions. The authority of a function refers to its ability to make decisions within its domain and to perform its activities without unnecessary encumbrance. A sound organizational structure will make it unarguably clear what each function (and ultimately each person) is accountable for.
Perhaps he is right. Maybe we can base our framework of our organization around the function of the organization, the location of each unit in the hierarchy and the authority of each unit. Anyway, for the next cycle, if we all did case studies with the goal of finding the similarities between different organizational structures then I am sure that we could get the basic framework for the organization set up.
P.S
Looking at Mondays post, the mathematical system that was presented is a great idea and I would be willing to implement such a system into my line of thinking.