1. Universities are typically organized by departments or colleges such as business, biology, engineering, political science, and so on. Is this an appropriate structure? What aspects of the environment support this structure? Are there any aspects of the internal or external environment that currently or in the near future push for changes in university structures?
2. Organizational design skills are critical to career success, but total organizational design or redesign typically is not put in the hands of newly hired managers. Why then is it important for you early in your career to understand the structure and the specific differentiation and integration mechanisms of the organization you work in?
3. What would be the likely influence of a collectivist culture (refer back to Chapter 4) on the formal or informal aspects of an organization's structure? What would you expect the influence of a strong hierarchical cultural value to be on the line of authority or chain of command in a company's structure?