Assignment:
CASE STUDY:
INSTRUCTIONS
Organizational Analysis: Defining Your General Organizational Realities for the Case Study
This portion of the case study assignment will require you to apply the Systems Theorieslens to your organization. This enables you to make sense of the organization in a general way before turning to the specific problem within the organization which you identified in Part 1.
Lens Two: Reviewing the Systems Theories [ORGANISM]
Use the following questions to describe, in a summative-narrative fashion, what the systems of your organization looks like. Your summary is to be 3 to 5 pages in length, include 3 to 5 references (this can include your textbook), have a title and reference page, and be formatted according to current APA style(first person should not be used).
1. What is the cycle of production for this organization? i.e., what are we about as an organization?
a. What do we bring in (input), how do we use it and form our product (throughput)?
b. What do we send out into the larger world (output)?
2. Are we open to negative feedback from the sub and super systems?
a. What are we doing to reverse the entropy of the system?
b. Are we exploring other paths to the ends (equifinality)?
3. What is our proper place in the broader society and economy?
Issue: genotypic function. (Productive, Maintenance, Adaptive, Managerial/Political)
4. Are we balancing our need for profit with a long-term view of survival?
The issue is the Maximization Principle.
5. How are we scanning the environment?
What do we know about the environmental sectors (Economic, political, social,etc.)?
Topic: 1 Using the Structural Theories Lens
Question/Prompt: Discuss how the following questions-which are based on the structural theories lens-help you better understand your organization. Include in your discussion thread the strengths and weaknesses of this lens for gaining that understanding.
Please note, this assignment should not be a reiteration of the answers you use in your case study, rather, for the Group Discussion Board assignments you are being asked to discuss how answering the questions help you to better understand your organization. That is, explain how the questions have helped you understand your organization better. For example, when discussing your views on the structural theories lens in Forum 1, you might say "viewing the chain of command helped me to realize...." or "after considering the span of control, it is clear that...." You do not have to share your views on each of the guiding questions.
1. What is the chain of command in your organization?
a. What is the formal authority in the organization?
b. That is, who has economic, legal, contractual, collegial authority?
2. Describe the span of control in the organization.
a. How many people report to managers at various levels?
b. How many levels exist in the organization?
3. Describe the departmentalization structures of the organization.
4. Where are decisions being made in the organization?
5. Explain where your organization sits on the centralized/decentralized continuum.
6. Are the staff/line distinctions being maintained in your organization?
Topic: 2 Using the Systems Theories Lens
Question/Prompt: Discuss how the following questions-which are based on the systems theories lens-help you better understand your organization. Include in your discussion thread the strengths and weaknesses of this lens for gaining that understanding.
Please note, this assignment should not be a reiteration of the answers you use in your case study, rather, for the Group Discussion Board assignments you are being asked to discuss how answering the questions help you to better understand your organization. That is, explain how the questions have helped you understand your organization better. For example, when discussing your views on the structural theories lens in Forum 1, you might say "viewing the chain of command helped me to realize...." or "after considering the span of control, it is clear that...." You do not have to share your views on each of the guiding questions.
1. What is the cycle of production for this organization? i.e., what are we about as an organization?
a. What do we bring in (input), how do we use it and form our product (throughput)?
b. What do we send out into the larger world (output)?
2. Are we open to negative feedback from the sub and super systems?
a. What are we doing to reverse the entropy of the system?
b. Are we exploring other paths to the ends (equifinality)?
3. What is our proper place in the broader society and economy? Issue: genotypic function (Productive, Maintenance, Adaptive, Managerial/Political)
4. Are we balancing our need for profit with a long-term view of survival? The issue is the Maximization Principle.
5. How are we scanning the environment? What do we know about the environmental sectors? (Economic, political, social, etc.)