These assignments provide questions to help understand key concepts in organizational theory, including the purpose and effectiveness of organizations, their structure and culture, leadership and stakeholders, environmental forces and uncertainty, and organizational design, change, learning, innovation, and politics. Students are asked to answer questions about these topics, connect to examples, and discuss the importance of understanding organizational concepts.

1. Assignment 1：
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, why should we study organizations?
Please answer the following questions:
· What is the purpose of an organization?
· Why do organizations exist?
· How do managers measure and assess the effectiveness of an
organization?
· How can an organization’s effectiveness be enhanced through
the use of the principals of organization theory?
· How are the meanings of the terms ‘organizational theory’ and
‘organizational design’ related to each other?
· What is the difference between an organization’s structure and
its culture?
·
Assignment 2：
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, who runs organizations?
Please answer the following questions:
· What are the key stakeholders of an organization and the
claims of each?
· What are some of the problems facing organizations in their
quest to satisfy stakeholder claims?
· Where do authority and responsibility reside within an
organization,
and why do they reside at those levels?
· What is the agency problem?
· What are the mechanisms that can be used to align managerial
behavior with organizational goals?
· What role do ethics play in an organization?
Assignment 3
Please answer the following questions:
· What general and macro-environmental forces enhance an

2. organization’s chances of success and failure?
· Why does uncertainty exist in an organization’s environment?
· By what means can an organization respond to such
uncertainty?
· How might the main ideas of resource dependence theory be
summarized in six sentences
Assignment 4
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, ‘What are some of the basics of
organizational design?’
Please answer the following questions:
· What insight can you offer about the four main challenges
facing designers of organizations?
· If the objective is to create an effectively designed
organization need these four challenges be addressed at the
same time?
· How are these four challenges related to each other?
· If a manager wished to design a mechanistic organization,
what design choice would he or she face? Would these choices
differ if an organic structure was the desired form?
· How might the ideas of contingency theory be described?
Hint:
When thinking about how to respond to these questions, frame
them from the point of view of one type of organization such as
a church, or professional service organization or a professional
sports team, etc. It will simplify your responses.
Please limit your response to this assignment to a maximum of
four single spaced, typed pages. Where necessary please
identify relevant theories and examples noted in the text. In
some instances, your responses should take the form of a
summary, in your own words, of the main ideas of particular
sections of the chapter. Please cite your sources in the text and
please reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end
your write–up with one paragraph that suggests what you think
is the importance of this assignment.

3. Assignment 5
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, what are some of the current forms
available to designers of organizations?
Please answer the following questions.
· Why is a functional structure the most common form of
structure and what are some of the concerns associated with this
form?
· Why do organizations make use of divisional structures and
describe each type of divisional structure in three sentences.
· Please describe a network, a matrix and a product team
structure and suggest some shortcomings for each.
· What are some of the challenges facing designers seeking to
build effective organizational hierarchies?
· What is a bureaucracy and what are the advantages associated
with its usage when designing an organizational hierarchy?
· Why are empowered organizational teams and flattened
hierarchies becoming more prevalent in organizations?
Hint:
In this chapter, examples are offered that focus on the
experiences of Union Pacific, General Mills, General Gypsum
Company and EMI. Where applicable use ideas from these
examples to build your responses to these questions.
Please limit your response to this assignment to a maximum of
four single spaced, typed pages. Where necessary please
identify relevant theories and examples noted in the text. In
some instances, your responses should take the form of a
summary, in your own words, of the main ideas of particular

4. sections of the chapter. Please cite your sources in the text and
please reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end
your write–up with one paragraph that suggests what you think
is the importance of this assignment.
Assignment 6
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, ‘How can an understanding of
culture benefit managers of organizations?’
Please answer the following questions:
· How are an organization’s values different from its norms?
· How might one describe the four foundations that explain
cultural differences between organizations?
· How might an individual formally and informally learn an
organization’s culture?
· How can a manager influence the culture of an organization?
· What is the relationship between an organization’s culture and
the organizations outlook in terms of corporate social
responsibility?
Hint:
When responding to these questions, pick one organization and
use it as your frame of reference.
Please limit your response to this assignment to a maximum of
four single spaced, typed pages. Where necessary please
identify relevant theories and examples noted in the text. In
some instances, your responses should take the form of a
summary, in your own words, of the main ideas of particular
sections of the chapter. Please cite your sources in the text and
please reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end
your write–up with one paragraph that suggests what you think
is the importance of this assignment.

5. Assignment 7
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, how do technology and global
pressure affect organizational design?
Please answer the following questions:
· Please distinguish between functional, business and corporate
level strategies and summarize each in two or three sentences.
· Which organizational design problems are associated with
each of the following global expansion strategy – multi
domestic, international, global, and transnational?
· How might the relationship between technology and
organizational effectiveness be summarized?
· How might the connection of specific technologies and
organizational structures with organizational effectiveness be
summarized?
· How is corporate culture affected by technology?
Hint:
When responding to the questions above that refer to
technology, use the RIM Blackberry as the technology of
interest.
Please limit your response to this assignment to a maximum of
four single spaced, typed pages. Where necessary please
identify relevant theories and examples noted in the text. In
some instances, your responses should take the form of a
summary, in your own words, of the main ideas of particular
sections of the chapter. Please cite your sources in the text and
please reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end
your write–up with one paragraph that suggests what you think
is the importance of this assignment.

6. Assignment 8
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, why is change so difficult to
accomplish in organizations?
Please answer the following questions:
· What are the connections that link the concepts of
organizational effectiveness, redesign and organizational
change?
· How might the different forms of revolutionary and
evolutionary change be defined?
· What are some of the challenges and obstacles faced by
executives seeking to effectively manage change?
· What is organizational development (O.D.)?
· What are some of the O.D. techniques that can be used to
pursue desired future organizational outcomes?
Hint:
When responding to the questions of this assignment, do keep in
mind that the concepts of change noted in the chapter can apply
to an organization that may take the form of a government or a
local baseball league. Pick an example of an organization that
you understand fairly well when thinking about your responses.
Please limit your response to this assignment to a maximum of
four single spaced, typed pages. Where necessary please
identify relevant theories and examples noted in the text. In
some instances, your responses should take the form of a
summary, in your own words, of the main ideas of particular
sections of the chapter. Please cite your sources in the text and
please reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end

7. your write–up with one paragraph that suggests what you think
is the importance of this assignment.
Assignment 9
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is,
what is the role of growth and decline in an organization’s life?
Please answer the following questions:
· What are some of the challenges that organizations must
overcome if they are to grow beyond the organizational birth
stage?
· In general what are some of the changes that should occur in
an organization if is to prosper through growth?
· Why is decline a part of an organization’s life cycle and what
are the stages associated with decline?
· What are some of the actions that managers can take to avoid
organizational decline?
Hint:
Nortel is an example of an organization that has experienced
dramatic growth and then dramatic decline. Use the World Wide
Web to research the history of Nortel. It offers an example that
may be useful when responding to these questions.
Please limit your response to this assignment to a maximum of
four single spaced, typed pages. Where necessary please
identify relevant theories and examples noted in the text. In
some instances, your responses should take the form of a
summary, in your own words, of the main ideas of particular
sections of the chapter. Please cite your sources in the text and
please reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end
your write–up with one paragraph that suggests what you think
is the importance of this assignment.

8. Assignment 10
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, what is the role of decision making
in organizations?
Please answer the following questions:
· Please identify and describe some of the perspectives that
explain how managers make decisions.
· What is organizational learning and at what levels does it
occur?
· How can managers use information technology and knowledge
management processes to improve how organizations learn?
· Poor decision making and reduced organizational learning can
result from factors such cognitive biases. What are these
factors?
· What techniques can be used to enhance organizational
learning and overcome organizational biases?
Hint:
When responding to the questions in this chapter, look to the
ideas found in the examples from Microsoft, General Electric,
and Telus to frame your answers.
Please limit your response to this assignment to a maximum of
four single spaced, typed pages. Where necessary please
identify relevant theories and examples noted in the text. In
some instances, your responses should take the form of a
summary, in your own words, of the main ideas of particular
sections of the chapter. Please cite your sources in the text and
please reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end

9. your write–up with one paragraph that suggests what you think
is the importance of this assignment.
Assignment 11
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, how can innovative or creative
organizations be constructed?
Please answer the following questions:
· How do changes in technology affect innovation?
· In an organizational setting, what is the connection between
creativity, intrapreneurship and innovation?
· What are some of the steps that can be taken by managers to
help develop an organization rich in creativity and innovation?
· If a manager wished to speed innovation, foster creativity, and
enhance product development in an organization, how might he
or she make use of information technology?
Hint:
Once again, when responding to these questions you might want
to consider using RIM’s Blackberry as a technology or
innovation upon which to frame your answers.
Please limit your response to this assignment to a maximum of
four single spaced, typed pages. Where necessary please
identify relevant theories and examples noted in the text. In
some instances, your responses should take the form of a
summary, in your own words, of the main ideas of particular
sections of the chapter. Please cite your sources in the text and
please reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end
your write–up with one paragraph that suggests what you think

10. is the importance of this assignment.
Assignment 12
To undertake this assignment you will need to read Chapter 14.
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, why are power and politics
important in organizational life?
Please answer the following questions:
· Why does conflict exist in organizations, what forms does it
take and from where does it originate?
· What is the role of politics in organizations and how does it
play out in terms of decision making?
· How can power be used to overcome organizational inertia and
improve performance?
Hint:
An interest case example that might be used as the basis for
responding to these questions is George Bush and the neo-
conservatives who ran the White House and pushed the U.S. in
the Iraq war.
Please limit your response to this assignment to a maximum of
four single spaced, typed pages. Where necessary please
identify relevant theories and examples noted in the text. In
some instances, your responses should take the form of a
summary, in your own words, of the main ideas of particular
sections of the chapter. Please cite your sources in the text and
please reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end
your write–up with one paragraph that suggests what you think

11. is the importance of this assignment.