Description
APA graduate Master Writing format
Proper citations in paper (Jones, 2017, pp. 35-38)
Proper graduate valid references (3 or more)
Introduction and Conclusion
Proper Heading for each section
Words:1,200 words, APA formatted (with minimum of 3 references)
Topic:
As a reminder, the following is how we got where we are and this leads into this final assignment for our class.
Cameron Mechanical & Automation, Inc. (CMA) is a fictional company that has been in business and operating in the Silicon Valley since 1998. The company began as a successful Internet-based company (dot-com) and experienced great success with the introduction of high technology. The company also experienced decline with other dot-coms in 2001. As a result, CMA restructured and focused on its primary products; that is, computer components. The early changes in the company were done quickly to downsize. Although many other companies failed during this time, CMA managed to move forward.
CMA rebounded and continued to manufacture and sell its components to computer manufacturers worldwide. The company structure was divided into product divisions, with each division focused on specific components. For the company, this structure was meant to streamline sales and delivery worldwide.
In 2008, the economy had an effect on company profits, but the chief executive officer (CEO), Jared Smith, was in a position to focus on several internal strategic areas, including structure, work design, motivation, conflict, and company culture as a whole. To stay profitable, the company had to eliminate several management positions in an effort to flatten the organizational chart. Many of the responsibilities fell to the employees, and many people resisted the change.
As the economy recovers, CMA continues to rebuild. Since 2012, the company has been divided into a functional structure that includes four departments: Research and development (R&D), marketing, production, and finance. Each department is headed by a vice president who has responsibility over each of the functional areas. The company currently sells components to computer manufacturers. As technology continues to advance, the CMA R&D department and its vice president, Kevin Adams, are feeling pressure to keep up with the competition. However, because of the differentiation and separation between the departments, the CEO is concerned that communication is hampered.
Because of the current structure and culture, the vice presidents who run each division of the company have autonomy and are able to use different leadership styles. For example, the vice president of marketing, Jim Stevens, uses a more democratic leadership style, while the vice president of production, Melissa Simons, is adamant that her autocratic or transactional style is the only way to get results. Each leadership style has advantages, but the lack of consistency between divisions may be causing problems for the company as a whole. Further, the CEO is concerned that the workforce may not be as diverse as it should be, but he is not sure how to address the issue.
It is the end of the day, and you are meeting in Jared's office to talk about his conference with the vice presidents.
Jared, the CEO, says: "We talked about how we can change the infrastructure so that it helps organizational culture run efficiently and consistently. Everyone is getting the same message now about how structure and culture need to work in a healthy company."
"You know, it would help if I had something that explained the link between culture and structure. I need to talk to the board about the changes we're making, and I will be talking to staff about what they can expect to happen over the next 6 months. You're a better writer than I am, and I could use a well-written explanation for my discussions."
Jared also says, "Besides explaining the link between culture and structure in this assignment, and based on the problems that CMA has had, what additional changes would you suggest for the company? I want to include your recommendations in the agenda for the next quarterly meeting with the board."
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND CULTURE
Organizational Structure and Culture
Institution Affiliation
Date
1
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND CULTURE
2
Introduction
Most of the time an organization's structure and culture are usually thought to be the
same. The two should, however, be differentiated. An organizations culture is how people
conduct themselves as well as how they carry out their roles (Cawsey, et al., 2016, PP.45-49).
An organization's structure, on the other hand, depends on the number of levels of authority
that exist as well as how roles are distributed in the organization. There exist various types of
organizational cultures such as the clan, market, hierarchical, and adhocracy. Depending on
the culture that an organization prefers, it should ensure that it implements a structure that
supports the culture. The changes that should be made in CMA are those that will ensure that
there is the least possible resistance to change as well as harmony within the organization and
its management.
Link between Organizational Culture and Structure
The link between an organization’s structure and an organization’s culture is that they
influence each other and have to be compatible at all times. The culture in an organization is
the way people do things and therefore from it, an organization’s structure is decided on.
When an organizations culture and structure are incompatible then there will be a big discord
in the running of an organization that would lead to less productivity. The organization
structure usually works as a framework within which the organizational culture operates. The
organizational culture will therefore not be able to stand without the structure. The
organizational culture of a company usually affects the structure that ...
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