Q&A Hero

Q: Network structures come close to the perfect example of a mechanistic organizational structure.

Q: One of the main advantages of network structures is that they ensure the core organization has a high degree of control over production, marketing and other functions.

Q: One of the main forces pushing organizations toward a matrix structure is the recognition that an organization has only a few core competencies.

Q: In a typical matrix structure, several satellite organizations are bee-hived around a core firm.

Q: The conflict and ambiguity associated with the matrix structure causes some employees to experience more stress.

Q: One advantage of a matrix structure is clarity of accountability.

Q: The geographic-product matrix structure is likely the most common matrix design among global companies.

Q: All employees working in a matrix organization have two bosses.

Q: A problem with the team-based organizational structure is that employees may experience more stress due to ambiguity of their roles.

Q: Team-based organizational structures are usually found within larger divisionalized structures.

Q: Organizations move toward a team-based structure by flattening the hierarchy, reducing formalization, and making extensive use of self-directed work teams.

Q: A problem with the divisional structure is that it increases the risk of duplication and underutilization of resources.

Q: Companies with divisionalized structures are increasingly adopting the geographically-based structure.

Q: The primary source of environmental diversity or uncertainty mainly determines the best form of divisional structure an organization should adopt.

Q: Divisional structures may be formed around products, geography, or clients.

Q: Functional structures tend to have higher dysfunctional conflict and poorer coordination across units than other forms of departmentalization.

Q: Functional structures foster professional identity and permit greater specialization than most other forms of departmentalization.

Q: A simple structure is one of the best structures in which to accommodate organizational growth and diversification.

Q: A problem with departmentalization is that it discourages coordination through informal communication.

Q: Departmentalization establishes interdependencies among employees and subunits and frames the membership of formal work teams.

Q: As external environments become more complex and dynamic, organizational structures should become more mechanistic and less organic.

Q: Mechanistic structures operate better in stable environments than in rapidly changing environments.

Q: A mechanistic structure is decentralized, has a wide span of control and little formalization.

Q: Formalization represents the establishment of standardization as a coordinating mechanism.

Q: Organizations tend to become less formalized as they age and grow larger in terms of the number of employees.

Q: Companies can be centralized in some parts of the organization and decentralized in other parts.

Q: Most organizations begin with centralized structures and become more decentralized as they grow larger and divide work into more specialized functions.

Q: The number of layers in an organization's hierarchy depends on the number of people employed and the average span of control.

Q: Tall hierarchies encourage employee empowerment and engagement because they focus power around employees rather than managers.

Q: The span of control is interconnected with organizational size and the number of layers in the hierarchy.

Q: When employees perform highly interdependent work, generally a narrow span of control is necessary.

Q: When a manager has many direct reports, a narrow span of control exists.

Q: When work activities are too complex to standardize through extensive training for employees, companies need to coordinate work effort through precise job descriptions.

Q: Standardizing processes is less effective for nonroutine and complex work than for routine or simple work.

Q: Job descriptions help improve quality and consistency of a product or service by standardizing work activities.

Q: When employees work in non-routine and ambiguous situations, formal hierarchy is the least time-consuming coordinating mechanism.

Q: Temporary cross-functional teams can be used to encourage informal communication as a coordinating mechanism.

Q: Integrator roles increase informal communication as a coordinating mechanism.

Q: Large organizations can encourage informal communication as a coordinating mechanism by keeping each production site small.

Q: Informal communication is a coordination mechanism only in small and a few medium-sized organizations.

Q: When work is divided among people, a coordinating mechanism is needed to ensure that everyone works in concert.

Q: Division of labor leads to increased job specialization.

Q: The two fundamental requirements of all organizational structures are divisionalization and decentralization.

Q: An organization's structure is the same as its organizational chart.

Q: According to the competency perspective of leadership, self-concept, integrity, knowledge of the business, and emotional intelligence are important leadership competencies.

Q: The competency perspective of leadership advocates the view that situational characteristics distinguish great leaders from the rest of us.

Q: Having a high level of extroversion is a weak predictor of leadership.

Q: How implicit leadership operates varies between different cultures.

Q: According to the implicit leadership perspective, we are more likely to believe that a leader is effective if the leader looks and acts consistently with our prototype.

Q: Implicit leadership theory states that everyone has beliefs about the features and behaviors of effective leaders.

Q: Implicit leadership theory focuses on followers' perceptions of leadership.

Q: Employee benefits such as reward systems cannot replace or reduce the need for task-oriented leadership.

Q: The leadership substitutes theory identifies conditions that either limit the leader's ability to influence subordinates or make a particular leadership style unnecessary.

Q: According to Fiedler's contingency model, leaders should attempt to change their style to fit the situation.

Q: Situational leadership theory is very popular among practitioners and also has received significant research support.

Q: The situational leadership model identifies four leadership styles, telling, selling, participating, and delegating.

Q: The situational leadership model states that a person's leadership style cannot be changed and leaders should be placed in situations that match their natural style.

Q: Path-goal theory has received more research support than other contingency leadership models.

Q: According to path-goal theory, supportive leadership is desirable for employees who work in teams with low cohesiveness.

Q: The directive style is most effective when employees have routine and simple tasks.

Q: According to path-goal leadership theory, directive leadership should never be applied to inexperienced employees.

Q: Managers should use directive and supportive styles of leadership when employees have an external locus of control.

Q: The achievement-oriented leadership style applies the goal-setting and self-fulfilling prophecy concepts.

Q: In the achievement-oriented leadership style, leaders expect employees to perform at an optimal level and set subordinate goals.

Q: Participative leadership behaviors encourage and facilitate subordinate involvement in decisions beyond their normal work activities.

Q: Supportive leadership is the same as people-oriented leadership.

Q: Path-goal theory has its roots in the expectancy theory of motivation.

Q: Servant leadership occurs when employees believe that their energy is put into serving their leader rather than accomplishing organizational objectives.

Q: Servant leaders try to understand employees' needs and facilitate their work performance.

Q: Job performance is higher among employees who work for supervisors with low levels of task-oriented leadership and high levels of people-oriented leadership.

Q: University students tend to value people-oriented instructors over task-oriented instructors.

Q: Task-oriented leaders assign employees to specific tasks, set goals and deadlines, clarify their work duties and procedures, define work procedures, and plan work activities.

Q: Organizations should use transformational leadership instead of managerial leadership.

Q: Managerial leaders are mainly change agents.

Q: Transformational and managerial leadership are opposite leadership perspectives.

Q: Transformational leadership is more micro-focused than managerial leadership.

Q: Managerial leadership entails the daily activities that support and guide the performance and well-being of individual employees and the work unit to support current objectives and performance.

Q: Transformational leadership is more appropriate when organizations have stable environmental conditions.

Q: Transformational leadership is usually described as a contingency-oriented model rather than a universal model.

Q: Charismatic leadership refers more to a set of behaviors that engage followers toward a better future, whereas transformational leadership refers mainly to personal traits that provide referent power over followers.