Stéphanie MITRANO-MÉDA
Organisational Behaviour
week 5: organisational structure

Today’s Group presentations
➊ Individual & group
➍
decision making & ethics Conflicts in organisations
present in week 7
present in week 4
➋ Organisational ➎
environment Learning and motivation
present in week 5 present in week 8
➌
Organisational structure
➏ Power, politics &
influence
present in week 6
present in week 9
2 groups to present

Organisational structure

Organisation
group of people
+
relationships
+
common purpose

Organisation Structure
group of people
+
relationships
+
common purpose

Elements of structure

Job specialisation

Departmentalisaton

Centralisation
deCentralised
Centralised

Span of control

Design your organisation

Types of structure

Simple structure

Bureaucracy

Organic structure

Environment & structure

Environmental impact
Stable Dynamic
Complex
Simple
Mintzberg, 1978

Environmental impact
Stable Dynamic
Complex
Simple
Mintzberg, 1978

Environmental impact
Stable Dynamic
Decentralised
Decentralised
Bureaucratic
Complex (standardised
Organic
(mutual adjustment)
competencies)
Centralised
Centralised
Bureaucratic
Simple (standardised
Organic
(direct supervision)
processes & tasks)
Mintzberg, 1978

Structure & culture

Hofstede’s parameters :
➀ Individualism
➁ Power distance
➂ Risk taking
➃ Masculinity
➄ Long-term orientation
➅ High context

1. Individualism
Star employees, unwritten
rules, storytelling
marketing, transversal work,
flexible working hours &
open salary grid.
Matrix structure.
R&D or sales focus.
Seeking big accounts.

2. Power distance
Old company, pyramid hierarchy,
many hierarchy levels, detailed
salary grid, communication and
complex information management.
Patriarchal management style.
Focus on production.
Regional or national markets.

3. Risk taking
Opportunity seeking, export,
emotional / charismatic
management, favouring unstable
situations generating new ideas,
failure as a learning experience...
Project management.
Focus on R&D, or marketing / sales.
Seeking original and profitable
niches.

4. Masculinity
Assertive and performance
management, war-like /
competitive strategic vision,
external growth, on the
stockmarket...
Management by objectives.
Focus on production or sales.
Seeking market shares

5. Long term
orientation
Perseverance, organic growth,
stability, stable hierarchical grid,
low turnover...
Cost & people management.
Focus on R&D, production &
logistics (process).
Seeking tenders business.

6. High context
Jargon, expertise, long
socialisation, tight groups,
strong company culture...
Information management.
Focus on R&D, and expertise.
Seeking recognition and
differentiation.

Individualism
10
0
Power
Masculinity 80 distance
60
40
20
USA
China
SwEden
France
Long-term
orientation
Risk taking
High Context

Strategic Vision
CLIENT
INTIMACY
OPERATIONAL PRODUCT
EXCELLENCE LEADERSHIP

Client intimacy
Provide solutions and help clients.
Give salespeople responsibilities.
Measure customers’ loyalty.
Be flexible.
Operational
excellence Product leadership
Focus on distribution and a Develop innovation and implement it
zero defect service. into original products.
Centralise responsibilities Projects management and modular
and define clear missions. structure.
Define efficient processes. Reward individual ideas.
Act in a single clear way. Think «out of the box».

Strategic Vision
CLIENT
INTIMACY
OPERATIONAL PRODUCT
EXCELLENCE LEADERSHIP

What is your organisation’s
culture ?

Life cycles of
the organisation

Managing a growing team

Managing a growing team
ra cy
ea uc
b ur

Changing technical system
Mass
production
Unitary
production

Changing technical system
ation
rdis
anda Mass
production
st
Unitary
production

Changing property
Shareholders
Sole Associate /
owner private investor

Changing property
at ion
lis
orma Shareholders
f
Sole Associate /
owner private investor

Next week’s individual assignment subject
➊ Perceptions, attitudes &
➎
Conflicts in organisations
personality
hand in week 7
hand in week 3
➋ Individual & group ➏
decision making & ethics Learning and motivation
hand in week 8
hand in week 4
➌ Organisational ➐ Power, politics &
environment influence
hand in week 5 hand in week 9
➍ Organisational structure
➑ Leadership
hand in week 6 hand in week 10

Suggestions for individual assignment
Read chapter 14 in SNN.
• Choose a company (gather information)
and write about its structure using what
we’ve seen in today’s lecture.
• Report about your experience in class
with your group company, describing
the structure and how you came to
choose this one..

Next week’s group assignment subject
➊ Individual & group
➍
decision making & ethics Conflicts in organisations
present in week 7
present in week 4
➋ Organisational ➎
environment Learning and motivation
present in week 5 present in week 8
➌
Organisational structure
➏ Power, politics &
influence
present in week 6
present in week 9
2 groups to present each week

Suggestions for group assignment
Read chapter 14 in SNN.
• Make a presentation to answer Good
Foods CEO’s memo (p422 in SNN or
«Session5 structure material.doc» on
campus virtuel)
• Illustrate with a presentation
or a group meeting role play
what structure you chose for
your group company
and why.

further
Chapter 14
reading
about
today’s
Chapter 21
lecture

Chapter 5
preparng
for
next week
Chapter 13