Internal Design Elements
DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
The student must post a reply of at least 400 words to the below discussion thread. For reply, students must support their assertions with scholarly citations in APA format. Each reply must incorporate scholarly citations in APA format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last five years.
Textbook:
Daft, R. L. (2016). Organization theory & design (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. ISBN: 9781285866345.
Discussion Thread: Internal Design Elements
Author of thread : Lucas J. Klodt
Chapter 7: Mass customization of products has become a common approach in manufacturing organizations. Explain the ways in which mass customization can be applied to service firms as well.
Mass customization has almost become the standard when it comes to the way we approach making purchases. Gone are the days when a service only offers a single service and doesn’t allow for customer customization. In today’s business market a single service business model may not last very long unless it fills a niche market space. Several businesses that started out as a standard model have had to change the way they do business to stay competitive in the market place. Take for example McDonalds, McDonalds revolutionized the fast food industry by created a product that was able to be standardized and mass produced in a cheap and effective way. They raised to the top by providing a product no matter where you went was the same tasting amazing product no matter the location. This business model has proven to be effective for McDonalds, but recently they have trying to change the way they provide their service. Several McDonalds now have a kiosk in the front of their store where the customer can customize their order creating a unique order for them. Also added to most fast food restaurants and movie theaters are the Coca-Cola Freestyle dispensing machines. These soft drink dispensing machines have up to 165 different flavors a single person can choose from, making countless numbers of variations for customer enjoyment (Tiger et al., 2017). These simple everyday businesses and products have created a mass customization scenario for other business to follow suit with.
Chapter 7: A top executive claimed that superior management is a craft technology because the work contains intangibles (such as handling personnel, interpreting the environment, and coping with unusual situations that have to be learned through experience). If this is true, is it appropriate to teach management in a business school? Does teaching management from a textbook assume that the manager’s job is analyzable and, therefore, that formal training rather than experience is most important?
Management is highly dependent on the type of organization the manager is in. If the manager is in a bureaucratic organization the lessons learned from a school may be very effective for the type of work that is needed from the manager. If the manager is part of a clan style business having the lessons learned from a school may be important but the lessons learned from performing the job and working with others will prove more beneficial. In a bureaucratic organization the managers performs a larger role in controlling the output of the workers than in other organizations. The organization is set up in a hierarchy style configuration and rule following is encouraged to maximize productivity. Managers in these organizations need to be able to handle the bureaucratic process and business teachings bridge the gap as interactions are typically lower.
In a clan organization tradition and shared trust is valued more and managers typically have to earn their position from within the organization (Daft, 2016). These types of managers usually have started with the company and have progress through the ranks to become a manager. With these lessons learned the manager is able to handle personal situations better and have the more “craft” style of leadership that is admired and seen as effective.
The third type of organization market organization is focused on the price, competition, and exchange relationships. The managers in these organizations need a balance between bureaucratic and clan to handle the design of these companies. Schooling is necessary for these organizations and having a personal connection with their employees. In each and everyone of these examples the managerial style needs to be analyzable, the criteria may differ between the three organizations but in order to effective the managers need to be effective in the skill required for that organization.
Chapter 8: Do you believe that technology will eventually enable high-level managers to do their job with little face-to-face communication?
Technology already allows for high-level manager to do their job with little face-to-face communication, and the pandemic was a proving point of this. More and more business had to telework last year then ever before and this allowed for the test of minimal face-to-face communication. Telework enhanced the work of managers but made being a leader more difficult (Contreras, Baykal, & Abid, 2020). The managers were able to focus on the bureaucratic processes as they were not bogged down with dealing with HR problems, but being an effective leader struggled. High-level managers interact directly with very few people throughout a company. Managers at the high-level are involved with policy setting and the strategic planning of the business. In largely bureaucratic organizations a normal floor worker would rarely ever have the opportunity to interact face-to-face with high-level managers. They would may see mid-level managers but would typically deal with direct managers on a normal basis. The higher the management goes up the less face-to-face interaction is required to shape the business. That doesn’t mean that high-level managers shouldn’t be proactive and try and bridge the gap of communication. Social media has become and effective way for high-level managers to bridge the communication gap with their employees. Social media allows for a direct line of communication between the top and the bottom and helps high-level managers to receive a pulse of the field.
Chapter 9: Look through several recent issues of a business magazine (Fortune, BusinessWeek, Fast Company, etc.) and find examples of 2 companies that are using approaches to busting bureaucracy. Explain the techniques that these companies are applying.
Menlo is one company that is using three different techniques to bust through bureaucracy. They first make everyone work in pairs, this allows for creative thinking and problem solving when writing code. They then did away with procedures and focused more on storytelling. The storytelling allows for information to passed from one another and breeds communication. The last method they are using is creating rituals. Instead of meetings to go over workflow they have a daily standup where each team describes what they are doing and if they need help. Once the last pair speaks the standup is completed and the pairs go back to work (Baer, 2017).
Haier is another company that is revolutionizing the way companies operated by keeping bureaucracy at bay. Haier is one of the world’s largest appliance maker and employ several creative strategies to prevent bureaucracy from happening in their company. They first start out by using microenterprises for each on of their product lines. In total they have over four thousand different microenterprises constating of ten to fifteen employees in each. These microenterprises (ME) are set up so they act like little innovative businesses (Hamel, & Zanini, 2018). The ME are part of the company but each one has the authority to work on projects that will propel the company forward. Haier has ingrained in their employees they don’t get paid by them but by the customer making the company an effective customer oriented business. When a new product is designed and parts are need bids will go out for parts and supplies needed. Different MEs and outsiders are allowed to bid on the product and the best one is selected. This allows for MEs to be competitive amongst themselves and the competition. The last thing they do different is hiring, they will typically hire from people who have put bids in with the company or submitted ideas for improvement for their products to foster creativity and keep stagnation away.
Chapter 9: Do you believe that a no growth philosophy of management should be taught in business schools?
It is important for all business philosophies to be taught in schools especially no growth. Businesses are always at different stages in their lifetimes an effective manager is one that can identify what stage of business they are currently in and apply effective business practices to change or maintain the current stage. It is important to understand no growth philosophy as the company can grow in different ways other than financial. The company can grow to become more environmental conscience or it can grow in influence in the local economy by charitable giving. By understanding no growth, the manager can find ways to strengthen the company which can lead to growth or other areas of growth.
How can/should a biblical worldview be applied
In Ecclesiastes 5:8 the bible talks about bureaucracy and its shortfalls, “If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still” (New International Version, 2011). Even in biblical times governments were bureaucratic and the pain and suffering by the poor was overlooked by the people at the top. Today in businesses the same can be applied in a different sense. The ideas and voice of individuals are repressed by the red tape that makes up the organization the higher you go up there is always more and more managers to go through to reach the top person.
References
Baer, D. (2017). How One Company Replaced Meetings and Bureaucracy With Pairs, Ceremonies, and Storytelling. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/3023353/how-one-company-replaced-meetings-and-bureaucracy-with-pairs-ceremonies-and-stor
Contreras, F., Baykal, E., & Abid, G. (2020). E-leadership and teleworking in times of COVID-19 and beyond: What we know and where do we go. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 590271-590271. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590271
Daft, R. L. (2016). Organization theory & design. Boston: Cengage Learning.
Hamel, G., & Zanini, M. (2018). Yes, You Can Eliminate Bureaucracy. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2018/11/the-end-of-bureaucracy
New International Version, (2011). Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%201&version=NIV
Tiger, A., Nance, W., Roach, C., & Emery, G. (2017). Whats all the fizz about? A teaching case study on the use of coca-cola® freestyle® machines in quick-service restaurants. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 11(2), 17.
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