Organizational Design

A Step-by-Step Approach

Richard M. Burton, Gerardine DeSanctis, Børge Obel

Publisher: Cambridge University, 2006, 235 pages

ISBN: 978-0-521-61733-8

Keywords: Strategy, Organizational Development

Last modified: Oct. 12, 2009, 5:59 p.m.

In today's volative business environment, organizational design is a serious challenge for any manager, whether of a multinational enterprise or a small team. This book sets out a step-by-step approach to designing an organization. Its action-oriented approach helps the reader to assess and re-design the complex organization of today, and plan for the information-rich organizations of tomorrow.

  • Step 1: Getting started
    1. Define the scope of the organization and assess its goals
      • Introduction: The executive challenge of designing the organization
      • Overview of this book
      • The information-processing view
      • Select an organization for analysis
      • Define the scope of the organization
      • Assess the organization's goals
      • Diagnostic questions
      • Misfits and balancing competing design dimensions
      • Summary
      • Glossary
      • Where are you in the step-by-step approach?
  • Step 2: Strategy
    1. Strategy
      • Introduction
      • Reactor
      • Defender
      • Prospector
      • Analyzer without innovation
      • Analyzer with innovation
      • Diagnostic questions
      • Fit and misfits
      • Summary
      • Glossary
    2. Environment
      • Introduction
      • Calm environment
      • Varied environment
      • Locally stormy environment
      • Turbulent environment
      • Diagnostic questions
      • Fit and misfits
      • Summary
      • Glossary
      • Where are you in the step-by-step approach?
  • Step 3: Structure
    1. The configuration and complexity of the firm
      • Introduction
      • Configuration
      • Simple configuration
      • Functional configuration
      • Divisional configuration
      • Matrix configuration
      • Organizational complexity
      • Blob
      • Tall
      • Flat
      • Symmetric
      • Diagnostic questions
      • Fit and misfits
      • Summary
      • Glossary
    2. Distributed organizations
      • Introduction
      • Structures for spanning geography
      • Global
      • International
      • Multi-domestic
      • Transnational
      • Structures for managing knowledge exchange
      • Ad hoc communications
      • Informated
      • Cellular
      • Network
      • Diagnostic questions
      • Fit and misfits
      • Summary
      • Glossary
      • Where are you in the step-by-step approach?
  • Step 4: Process and people
    1. Task design
      • Introduction
      • Orderly
      • Complicated
      • Fragmented
      • Knotty
      • Diagnostic questions
      • Fit and misfits
      • Summary
      • Glossary
    2. People
      • Introduction
      • Shop
      • Factory
      • Laboratory
      • Office
      • Diagnostic questions
      • Fit and misfits
      • Summary
      • Glossary
    3. Leadership and organizational climate
      • Introduction
      • Leadership style
      • Maestro
      • Manager
      • Leader
      • Producer
      • Organizational climate
      • Group
      • Internal process
      • Developmental
      • Rational goal
      • Diagnostic questions
      • Fit and misfits
      • Summary
      • Glossary
      • Where are you in the step-by-step approach?
  • Step 5: Coordination and control
    1. Coordination, control, and information systems
      • Introduction
      • Coordination and control systems
      • Family
      • Machine
      • Market
      • Clan or mosaic
      • Information systems
      • Event-driven
      • Data-driven
      • People-driven
      • Relationship-driven
      • Diagnostic questions
      • Fit and misfits
      • Summary
      • Glossary
    2. Incentives
      • Introduction
      • Personal pay
      • Skill pay
      • Bonus-based
      • Profit sharing
      • Diagnostic questions
      • Fit and misfits
      • Summary
      • Glossary
      • Where are you in the step-by-step approach?
  • Applying the step-by-step approach in a dynamic world
    1. Design dynamics: managing change and multi-organizations
      • Introduction
      • Where are you in the step-by-step approach?
      • What should you change first? Make changes within each step
      • What should you change second? Make changes between steps
      • Why change? Should we live with some misfits?
      • What are the benefits of change?
      • What are the difficulties of change?
      • Managing misfits over time
      • Multi-organization: multiple units of analysis
      • The multi-organization step-by-step approach
      • Joint venture
      • Merger
      • Strategic alliance or partnership
      • Summary
      • Glossary

Reviews

Organizational Design

Reviewed by Roland Buresund

Very Good ******** (8 out of 10)

Last modified: Oct. 12, 2009, 5:58 p.m.

A very interesting book that starts of with organizational design as an effect of the strategies a company adheres to (and manages to invent some new classifications as well).

I liked it.

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