Which of the following shows every job in the organization and the formal reporting relationships between those jobs?
- the chain of command
- an organizational chart
- a structural map
- the scalar chain
- a Gantt chart
An organizational chart is a drawing that represents every job in the organization and the formal reporting relationships between those jobs. It helps organizational members and outsiders understand and comprehend how work is structured within the company.
Organizational Chart: A drawing that represents every job in the organization and the formal reporting relationships between those jobs.
Talia formed a technology start-up in her garage, and it has grown more rapidly than she ever imagined. She has always kept tabs on all of her people, and her company has just passed 150 employees. What should she do now?
- send managers to large corporations to bring back a sense of largeness
- add more structure for communication and decision-making
- decrease structure for communication and decision-making
- increase the number of decisions that only she can make
- eliminate some positions to keep numbers manageable
Startup CEOs relate that after they pass 150 employees, weird stuff starts to happen. The weird stuff means the company needs more structure for communications and decision-making.
Decision Making: The process of generating and choosing from a set of alternatives to solve a problem.
Which of the following actions is necessary when a company is hiring and firing at the same time?
- having honest and frequent communication with layoff survivors
- providing more money to layoff survivors
- providing more salaries to layoff survivors
- providing higher salaries to new employees
- providing better jobs for new employees
Honest and frequent communication with layoff survivors is especially necessary when the organization is hiring and firing at the same time. It greatly helps reduce their feelings of uncertainty and stress.
Communication: The process by which information and meaning is transferred from a sender to a receiver.
Which of the following is the main reason behind many organizations flattening their organizations?
- It improves employee morale.
- It provides more rewards for fewer employees.
- It is used to reduce costs and show investors that the company is profitable.
- It creates a government subsidy qualification.
- It increases employee performance.
Many organizations flatten their organizations mainly to show investors that they are reducing costs to become more profitable.
Which of the following has been the most common kind of restructuring in recent years?
- from a functional to a geographic-based structure
- from a product to a client-based structure
- from a bureaucratic to a matrix structure
- a flattening of the organization
- creating a tall structure in the organization
The most common kind of restructuring in recent years has been a "flattening" of the organization.
Restructuring: The process of changing an organization’s structure.
The first step in adapting to the environment is
- actually restructuring.
- recognizing the need to change.
- evaluating the external environment.
- evaluating the internal environment.
- exploring the competitor's structures.
The first step in adapting is recognizing the need to change. The second (and sometimes much more problematic) step is actually doing it by restructuring.
Many layoff survivors experience a great deal of guilt and remorse following a layoff.
Stress levels for layoff survivors can be much high due to additional workload and guilt.
Many restructuring efforts are designed to remove one or more organizational layers to reduce costs.
Many restructuring efforts are designed to remove one or more of the organizational layers to reduce costs.
Restructuring: The process of changing an organization’s structure.
Tatum is the CEO of a company that is undergoing a major restructuring. How should she deal with the employees who survive the layoffs in the restructuring?
- remove any control they may have
- give them a voice in the process
- tell them as little as possible
- halve their workload
- boost their salary
Research suggests that one of the best ways to help layoff survivors adjust is to do things that give them a stronger sense of control.
Restructuring: The process of changing an organization’s structure.
Although not much is known about the effect of restructuring on affective commitment, restructuring generally results in ________ level of affective commitment on the part of employees.
- no significant
- a large positive
- a moderate positive
- a small negative
- a moderate negative
Restructuring has a small negative effect on task performance. Restructuring has a more negative effect on organizational commitment. Restructuring efforts can increase stress and jeopardize employees trust in the organization. There is some evidence that the end result is a lower level of affective commitment on the part of employees because they feel less emotionally attached to the firm.
Affective Commitment: An employee’s desire to remain a member of an organization due to a feeling of emotional attachment.
According to research, restructuring has ________ effect on task performance.
- a strong positive
- a small negative
- no
- a strong negative
- a moderate positive
Restructuring has a small negative effect on task performance, likely because changes in specialization, centralization, or formalization may lead to confusion about how exactly employees are supposed to do their jobs.
Task Performance: Employee behaviors that are directly involved in the transformation of organizational resources into the goods or services that the organization produces.
________ is the process of changing an organizational structure.
- Restructuring
- Structuring
- Centralizing
- Formalization
- Layoff
The process of changing an organization's structure is called restructuring.
Very Nice Curtains is planning to restructure their business. How will this most likely affect their employees in the short-term?
- Trust will decline quite a bit.
- Task performance will increase.
- Stress will remain unchanged.
- Confusion will decline slightly.
- Learning will increase greatly.
Research suggests that restructuring has a small negative effect on task performance, likely because changes in specialization, centralization, or formalization may lead to confusion about how exactly employees are supposed to do their jobs, which hinders learning and decision making. Restructuring has a more significant negative effect on organizational commitment, however. Restructuring efforts can increase stress and jeopardize employees' trust in the organization.
Trust: The willingness to be vulnerable to an authority based on positive expectations about the authority’s actions and intentions.
Hard Facts publishing has decided to restructure their organization. During the restructuring, they will probably see
- faster employee learning.
- reduced workplace stress.
- slightly increasing employee trust.
- slightly declining task performance.
- less confusion about employee roles.
Research suggests that restructuring has a small negative effect on task performance, likely because changes in specialization, centralization, or formalization may lead to confusion about how exactly employees are supposed to do their jobs, which hinders learning and decision making. Restructuring has a more significant negative effect on organizational commitment, however. Restructuring efforts can increase stress and jeopardize employees' trust in the organization.
Routine Task Performance: Well-known or habitual responses by employees to predictable task demands.