A) Strong cultures tend to encourage employee innovation, while weak cultures do not.
B) Weak cultures are found in most successful organizations, whereas strong cultures are relatively rare.
C) Strong cultures have less of an influence on employee behavior than do weak cultures.
D) Company values are more deeply held and widely shared in strong cultures than in weak cultures.
III. Scenarios
Eric the Redd (Scenario)
Eric Redd graduated from college and was hired by a corporation that manufactured parts for the automotive industry. The employees on the assembly line seemed bored, and their motivation was low. Eric's employer decided to try to reorganize to increase productivity. During his career, Eric will see his job change from an engineer to a more complex job assignment.
1. The jobs of assembly-line employees are to be changed to allow more tasks to be done by individual workers. This is a reduction in ________. A A) work specialization B) departmentalization C) chain of command D) centralization
2. Eric, who is trained as an engineer, is now in a group with production workers and marketing specialists from different departments designing a new product that the company plans to offer. This situation could be described as a(n) ________. B A) alternative assignment B) collective assignment C) advanced assignment D) project assignment
3. Eric is offered a chance to help direct the efforts of some employees assigned to his work group. This is a chance for Eric to experience ________. D A) functional structure B) divisional structure C) responsibility D) authority
4. Eric sees this new assignment as an increase in ________, or an obligation or expectation for him to perform at a new level. C A) functional structure B) divisional structure C) responsibility D) authority
IV. Short Answer Questions
1. In a short essay, list and explain the three key elements in designing an organization's structure.
2. In a short essay, list and discuss the three common forms of departmentalization, and give examples.
3. In a short essay, describe the matrix structure. What are its advantages and disadvantages?
4. In a short essay, define organizational culture.
