Category: Organizational Structure

Introduction

To accomplish the intended goal, the Kenyan Government with consultation of the Chinese contractor has structured an organizational structure to manage the project. Roles, powers and responsibilities are shared among the various stakeholders or participants to ensure that the end structure of the project benefits the project. To attain project goals and objectives, the project management team needs to be constituted in the right for the benefit of the entire project. This segment defines the organizational structure adopted by the project.

Thika Road Project Organizational Structure, Roles, And Responsibilities Of Participants Within A Project

When constructing Thika Road, the management from donors, Kenyan Government, the contractors and the team on the ground need to effectively coordinate. When coordination lacks, the project is likely to be completed beyond the timeframe set and the cost of the project is likely to increase. Stakeholders should play their role effectively as failure to adhere to the promises or contracts they had enacted will lead to failure of the entire project. Different segments within a project have their role to play; management should ensure that all the roles have been harmonized for the good of the project (Newbold, 2007).

Organizational structure

Organizational structure refers to the manner in which command in a project is executed; in the case of Thika Project, it refers to the general management and lines of command that the project will have. For the success of the project the main stakeholders include the government who involves experts to work along with the contractor for the good of the project. The command of power allocates different stages different strengths and control over the entire project, it gives them their mandates, defined their roles and responsibilities. The chart below shows the organizational structure adopted by Thika Road construction project. From the chart, the command of power in the company can be examined as well as the direct subordinates of a particular level of command

The following are the roles and responsibilities of the different participants in the project:

Steering committee

Steering committee are the sponsors and the main contractors for the project; in the case of Thika project, the Kenyan Government ministry of Road and Public works is the steering committee; they have the responsibility of Planning the project and finally give the project managers a written document of the process that should be followed for an effective completion of a project. Steering committee form the budget of time and cost of the project; they are important in the attainment of project goals and objectives of the project. Steering committee are the main decision makers, they are responsible of the project; their main role is to guide and manage the project in the right direction.

Project director/project leader

Thika Road project managers and project directors have their major role as ensuring that the overall performance of the project is effectively undertaken. They are the people on the ground to ensure the directions given by the steering committees have been adhered to. They are guided by the project goals and objectives to ensure planning, execution, monitoring, control and closure of the project are undertaken according to the planned and predetermined manner.

Team leaders (they are at different levels but their tasks are the same)

Thika Road has the following classification of team leaders user-team leader, technical team leaders, and application team leader. The following are the roles and responsibilities of the project team leaders:

• Management of project human, information, and physical resources are vested on the team leaders, they are expected to ensure that there is such a combination that offers maximum results.
• Leaders are responsible of building orchestrates and winning team, such a team is dedicated and motivated to see the project successes; Thika road requires employees, both casual and permanent staff work for the good of the entire project.
• They offer mentorship and leadership in the entire project and ensure that processes abide to the plan, work schedules and initiation documents are followed.
• They are the point of communication to the management and advices the board on any changes that might have occurred in the project and needs the intervention of third parties.

Project managers and project directors role may vary with project, however, the most important factor is that they hold the project, thus, they are accountable of any occurrence in the project. At every stage, quantity surveyors, architects, and other related professionals give their report gauging the success and the level of completion attained. For example, at Thika Road, there are approximately twenty bridges (undergoing and fry-overs) that the road will have. Before any of the bridge has been completed, the management starts by undertaking feasibility.

Explain How The Project Was Controlled And Co-ordinate

At the feasibility study, the government started by giving the contractor a map of the designated road through which the road was expected to pass. Before the commencement of the project, there were numerous projects/houses and businesses along Thika Road, the challenge were that some of the structures were made on road reserves. To develop the road, the contractor needed to demolish to give pathway to the road.

Demolition was the first challenge that the project faced, it, thus, needs to collaborate and work closely with the Kenyan authority for security guidance and public education. At government offices, queues were seen as people tried to prove that their premises were not on road reserve. The go-ahead to demolish the properties was given by the government. When demolishing, the government gave security to the contractors demolishing machineries like tractors and offered security for the human capital used. This is crucial for the attainment of project goals.

Other than the grabbed land that the contractor was given security and go-ahead to demolish, there are other pieces of land that the project was to affect but they were private properties. The contractors had to serve notice of demolition but with compensation. Every action that the contractor undertook was closely monitored by the government, the contractor was advised to work with local government and administration before making a decision.

At professional level, the project was rated and certified in collaboration of architects from the government side, the contractor, and other private players. The quality surveyors are responsible for giving the pathway or the go ahead; when certifying the project, professionals and specialists of certain industries are included. For example, to ensure that water and drainage have been maintained at the best level, Aqua Plumbers were considered as the quality surveyors as they have wide experience in the area. Other than the private company, a map was given by Nairobi and Thika Water Company regarding where sewage and water line pass; the need for the same is to ensure that there is good collaboration among the two teams.

Identify Project Leadership Requirements And Qualities

To ensure that Thika Road project has been a success, collaboration of the government leaders and those of the contractor are crucial; at their different levels, they should share the following objectives:

• putting all the logistics of a project into place so that there will be full attainment of project goals and objectives; for instance, the government through the ministry of road and public work ensures that the contractors get the required rights and licenses required to complete the project.
• plan, organize and control activities; the activities are taken at different levels depending with the powers and influence that someone has.
• Ensuring that the project is accomplished in time with the available resources and, if possible, have some new strategies of completion of tasks that is better than the original plan.

The leadership traits needed for the completion of the team needs charismatic leaders with high integrity and who are firm when handling issues. The multi-billion project was initiated at a time that Kenya was rated poorly as far as corruption is concerned. The leaders of the project should, thus, be very careful that public resources do not find their way to unwanted people. On the other hand, the demolitions that were to occur along the road needed a leader who knew how to control and manage people.

Leadership is an art of managing and developing strategies; Thika road leaders should be able to manage and organize resources for the benefit of the project. The leader should understand that the success of the project depends on the managerial decisions they make; they have the role of shaping and guiding the project to its path to success. The structure of well-organized organization has leadership at different levels, from the chief executive officer who can be seen as the entire organizational leader to micro teams leaders. When focusing on leaders, there is need to address the issue at all levels including team leaders; whichever the case leaders need to make decisions that are responsive to the situation and stage that the organization is; their decisions must be timely and effective. Other than making decisions at different stage levels, the leaders should assume the task of managing their team members to the attainment of the set team goals and objectives.

Plan And Specify Human Resources And Requirements For The Project

The completion of the project depends on the structuring of the human capital. Thika Road contractors have the main role of managing the human resources on the ground but at the management level the Kenyan Government is included. When managing projects, there are processes that need to take place before others, the allocation of human resources is crucial. For instance, in the construction, there are times that drainage system is hampered, in these times, the teams leaders should allocate the right number of human capital and expertise to rectify the situation. There are some projects that must be taken simultaneously, some can be delayed and others are predecessors of others; management of human resources for the project is, thus, important. To have a framework of the project, work breakdown structures are important as they assist making the right decisions as far as human resources are concerned.

Conclusion

To ensure that the project runs smoothly, the parties and stakeholders involve work in close relations to address foreseen problems and have contingency fund to cater for the occurrence of unseen things. The project leaders should manage activities and organize resources (both human and physical) for the project; contractors leaders have the role of ensuring that resources are well managed for the benefit of the project.

References

Hamilton, A., 2004. Handbook of Project Management Procedures. New York: TTL Publishing.

Newbold, C., 2007. Project Management in the Fast Lane; Applying the Theory of Constraints. New York: St. Lucie Publishers.

Homeboy Industries is an organization dedicated to rebuilding ex-gang members back into society as full-fledged citizens. In 1988, Greg Boyle took a comprehensive and revolutionary approach to rehabilitate ex-criminals (About us, n.d.). His strategy fundamentally contradicted federal and state policies of mass incarceration (About us, n.d.). Every component and department of Homeboy Industries has been designed to address the organizations motto, which states that nothing stops a bullet like a job (APB Speakers, 2018). They do this by helping ex-criminals solve their personal, mental, and social problems and develop the necessary professional skills.

Stopping the Bullet and Offering a Job

There is a variety of services and classes in Homeboy Industries that can be divided into two categories. Some of them stop the bullet while others offer jobs, figuratively speaking. The first category includes tattoo removal, mental health, domestic violence, legal services and anger management, leadership, substance abuse, and parenting classes (Homeboy Industries, 2018). They help those ex-criminals who want to start a new life by providing mental care and legal support.

Solving the problems of the past is not enough for a person to be fully rehabilitated into society; they need to be shown that they will have long-lasting success in the future. It is the reason why Homeboy Industries also has various training programs and education services. These include art academy, workforce development, solar panel training, case management, and job resource (Homeboy Industries, 2018). By offering a wide range of training options, Greg Boil makes sure that all of his homeboys and homegirls will benefit the community. It is worth noting that his organization also provides jobs for ex-offenders. I believe that religious services and classes would also contribute to the Homeboy Industries cause.

References

About us. (n.d.). Homeboy Industries. Web.

APB Speakers. (2018). Nothing stops a bullet like a job  Gregory Boyle [Video]. YouTube. Web.

Homeboy Industries. (2018). Healing trauma: Beyond gangs & prisons [Video]. YouTube. Web.

The process of choosing a new member of the board of directors in an organization whenever an incumbent one is leaving a particular office is a tricky task that requires great care and insight. It is important for leadership to change from one person to another after the agreed term of service expires or due to some other circumstances that crop up, which makes it necessary to have a person chosen to lead in particular docket.

For instance, a certain member of the board might pass on, and therefore creating a vacancy that ought to be filled. Another instance that can emerge to make it necessary to select another member due to a vacancy in the board is when a member leaves the office due to other personal reasons. In all these cases, it becomes compulsory to select a new member to fill in the available opportunity.

There is a wide range of potential candidates who can be selected to fill in the vacant space. This person can either be from within the organization or from outside the company. At the same time this person can be one of the board members, a top leader in the company, an outsider who has some affiliation with the organization, but does not have any involvement in the company, and lastly, there can be an outsider who got no connection with the company.

Members who have affiliations with the organization are likely to be slow in generating new and innovative measures of development for the corporation. Probable developments must have taken place in their presence and therefore their means to creativity are limited by the presence in that corporation if compared with outsiders.

Having been associated and having worked in the corporation lets one likely think that growth and development policies have probably been exhausted, even when that is not the case. The ability for an insider to pursue innovative processes for the corporation is therefore slow or limited to some extent.

Another aspect of an insider that may not be favorable for the corporation is the emulation of previous management by the insider once appointed, even when that management was not effective or efficient in its leadership.

The newly appointed member may continue to uphold the leadership qualities that were used before and this may result to ineffective operations, even when such changes of management is meant to achieve management change for the organization. Failure to move the corporation forward proves the entire process ineffective because such changes should be tailored towards the forward movement of the corporation (Gup 180).

New challenges are the mother of innovations, and this is not different in corporation management. Having an outsider in the management of a corporation brings in new ideas that were not present before. Generation of new management systems is also likely to take place.

This is because the outsider has no interactions with the corporation, and the basic fundamental role of managing a corporation is to oversee its success in its particular line of production. What this means is that an outsider will give the corporation a chance to grow at a faster rate than it would have been the case if an insider. This is due to the diverse creativity and innovative procedures that the outsider might have at hand, given that he or she is not an affiliate of the corporation (Hirschey, John, and Makhija 140).

Likewise, operations of any corporation are essential to the success of that corporation. The operation potential of corporation determines the level of revenues that the corporation is likely to generate. Consequently, the revenues that the corporation generates determine the profitability of the firm.

The long term plans of the corporation are solely based on the operations ability of the corporation in the long run. These plans are therefore key factors to consider in the line of management, so that the effectiveness of the management is as well brought into focus. An outside member of the management panel can pursue such policies with broad and diverse reasoning that an insider may be limited to generate (Gup 200).

In essence, the management panel should be in a position to understand that the corporation is there to make better achievements. Therefore, the management should as well welcome an insider or an outsider in the management board.

The issue in managing corporations is not who does what and where he or she is from, but it is all about making the corporation better in its overall welfare. Conflicts of interest are therefore not expected, and it is the responsibility of the entire management team to work together in accordance to the codes of ethics that govern the corporation (Hirschey, John, Makhija 150).

Works Cited

Gup, Benton. Corporate Governance in Banking: A Global Perspective. California: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2007. Print.

Hirschey, Mark, John Kose, and Makhija Anil. Corporate Governance and Finance
Volume 8 of Advances in Financial Economics, Elsevier Book Series on Science Direct, Chicago: Emerald Group Publishing, 2003. Print.

The Organizations Structure and Mission

The structure of an organization refers to both the formal and informal way that duties and responsibilities, channels of authority, avenues of communication, and levels of power are developed and coordinated in an organization.

Getting to understand the structure of an organization is not only being acquainted with the decision making process but also getting to know the chain of command that is followed, procedures that govern provision of service to the customers and how your own expectations regarding the job fit into the broad scheme of things (Kirst-Ashman and Hull, 2008, p. 24).

The organization is a drug rehabilitation group whose sole mission is to establish policies and programs that will make individuals break their drug abuse habits, develop alternatives to a life-style that is drug related. The organization has also established a youth centre to provide youth with an opportunity not only to have fun but also to take part in productive activities and socialize.

Generally, organizational structure comprises of a chain of command, decision-making process, and specifications in procedures, as well as how labor is divided (Slavin, 1985, p. 105). The organization has a simple structure with two main levels, which are the operating level and the strategic apex.

Direct supervision and oversight are the means through which coordination of the organization is carried out. Due to this simple organizational structure, the community organization has managed to attain both adaptability and flexibility.

These two virtues can be created within the organization. However, given that vices can easily emanate from the virtues, the management often initiates or inhibits change. One of the ways in which the organization enhances this is to punish unpredictably and reward colossally.

The organization comprises of the manager, counselor, educator, facilitator, advocate, and mobilizer. Being too close to the organizations daily operations can easily result to the general facilitator being not only side tracked but also losing sight of the long-term strategies (Bolman and Deal, 2008, p. 80).

Thus, daily operations have been left in the hands of the coordinator. Every member has his/her own line of duties assigned to him or her by the manager. However, teamwork is encouraged and fulfilled in the performance of duties

The counselor plays a role in giving guidance to the clients and helps them in problem solving. For example, one of our counselors may assist a teenager on choosing a suitable contraceptive. The role of the educator is to offer information as well as give relevant skills.

For example, the organizations educator may teach the youth on the negative effects of excessive drinking. The manager coordinates all group activities and connects with other agencies, facilities or organizations to ensure that needed services have been effectively rendered.

On the other hand, the mobilizer links with and convenes the people who are in the community to identify areas of need (Kirst-Ashman and Hull, 2008). Most of the decisions are made by the manager after consulting with the rest of staff members.

The organization carries out its duties in collaboration with other organizations based within the same community and receives its funding from government agencies and donors. It has been in existence for the last two years and its impact continues to be felt in most parts of the community.

The Human Relations Model as Depicted in the Organization

This draws more on the psychology rather than on engineering and accounting like the rational model would do. The model borrows much from McGregors theory X and theory Y. Theory X suggests that employees do not like work and can do all that they can to avoid it.

Therefore, managers have to employ several control schemes such as coercion and threats to ensure that employees are working towards the fulfillment of the organizations goals. The theory assumes that the normal employee is lazy, is less ambitious, and esteems security more than anything else (Schwalbe, 2008, p. 347; Fournies, 2000, p. 33).

Research seemed to disapprove this theory after which McGregor came up with a set of assumptions governing human behavior that is theory Y and is at times termed as the human relations model. This theory does not ascribe to the fact that employees do not like working, but rather regard work to be as natural as resting or playing.

Self-actualization and satisfaction of rewards are the main rewards for the workers. The two theories are based on the managers perception of workers.

Individual Role in Meeting organizational Goals

There arte specific elements of the human relations model that are evident in our organization. First, it is comprised of individual people who make collective efforts to ensure that the goals of the organization have been achieved.

The main goal of the organization is to reduce drug abuse in the community. This is achieved by carrying out several programmes in which everybody plays their respective role.

Therefore, the efforts contributed by each individual in the group count and they are required for the attainment of the organizations goal.

When the spirit of team work takes centre stage in the organization, everything is synchronized, there is flow of ideas, everybody is clear with regard to what is supposed to be done, there is clear and open communication among all members, everybody is comfortable with regard to decisions made and they operate in matching harmony (Cahill, 2003, p. 59).

Teamwork is important since it leads to devotion, innovation, growth, and support, both at an individual and organizational level (Russell and Swanburg, 2006, p. 120).

Use of Small Groups

Secondly, individuals work through small groups. These work groups are informal with many dynamics. There are groups of young people with serious emotional and behavioral problems as a result of drug abuse especially with regard to the use of hard drugs. The organization works at rehabilitation of members belonging to this group.

There are groups of parents who are taught and trained on how to deal with children who are drug abusive as well as how to effectively nurture children so as to prevent them from being caught up in drug and substance abuse.

There are other groups of youth who engage in different activities such as sports and fun. There are also school-based teams to enlighten teenagers and other young people on the drug abuse.

Conflict Resolution through Communication

Thirdly, there is good communication from the manager to all other staff members. The purpose of this is to avoid any conflict that might erupt within the organization. This is because conflict is not only unnecessary but also counterproductive. Communication breakdowns are the main cause of conflict.

Good skills in communication are very crucial in resolving conflicts and carrying out other negotiations. Whether conflict is desirable or not, it exists within the organization and is endemic. As people interact in the organization, tension is created by different values and situations.

When conflict is noticed, appreciated, and managed in a manner that is appropriate, benefits for the individual and the entire organization will result. A manager who is caring and effective uses the conflict to ensure that both the individuals involved and segments of the organization have undergone growth (Silverthome, 2005, p. 193).

The manager of the organization is effective since he often uses conflicts for stimulating personal commitment, dealing with apparent problems, ensuring that both self-appraisal and critical vigilance have been increased and in examining values that conflict when arriving at organizational decisions.

Leadership Skills

The fourth aspect of this model is the need for managers to possess and cultivate leadership skills. Having human relations, skills will enable them to have an understanding of the employees needs and then be able to coordinate the needs within the organization.

Both formal and social forms of authority are requisites if the managers have to achieve this. Hence, an effective manager will emerge as a team leader rather than a dictator.

The manager in our organization has a set of leadership skills that have helped the organization to move forward. These are technical skills, which are important in helping him maintain and navigate the organization.

He also possesses administrative skills that are helpful in managing the organizations resources such as operating funds from government agencies and other organizations, physical assets, human resources within the organization and other kinds of resources.

He also has conceptual skills, which have been enabling him to detect the potential consequences of any given decision. These skills are also exhibited by almost every member of staff in the organization since most of their roles entail leadership.

The technical, administrative, and conceptual skills are as important to the modern day organizational leader as they were to the captain of a ship during the golden era of piracy (Heatherly, 2008, p. 11).

Additionally, the manager has some interpersonal skills whose application has helped in enabling the organization to be on its feet. They include the ability: to resolve conflicts among members of staff, build a team without necessarily finding fault or pointing a finger of accusation and making suitable decisions (Levin, 2010, p. 247).

References

Bolman, L. and Deal, T. (2008). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Cahill, K.M. (2003). Basics of International Humanitarian Missions. NY: The Center for International Health and Cooperation.

Fournies, F. F. (2000). Coaching for Improved Work Experience. NY: Mc-Graw Hill Professional.

Heatherly, D. (2008). A Pirate Captains Guide to Leadership: How to Turn Workplace Pirates into Motivated and Productive Employees. Las Vegas, Nevada: A Light House for Leaders

Kirst-Ashman, K. and Hull, G. (2008). Understanding Generalist Practice. Belmont: Cengage Learning.

Levin, G. (2010). Interpersonal Skills for Portfolio, Program, and Project Managers. Vienna: Management Concepts.

Russell, L. and Swanburg, R. (2006). Management and leadership for nurse administrators. NY: Jones and Bartlett Learning.

Schwalbe, K. (2008). Information Technology Project Management. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Silverthome, C.P. (2005). Organizational psychology in cross-cultural perspective. New York and London: New York University Press.

Slavin, S. (1985). Social Administration: An introduction to human services management. New York: Routledge.

Introduction

Modern day business organizations are faced with myriad challenges ranging from being relevant to the current highly competitive business environment to globalization (Bateman & Snell, 2007). Indeed, organizations have to contend with management dynamism, ethical issues, financial upheavals, growth and sustainability. The most important is to be profitable to the stakeholders. Unless these organizations re-strategize they are unlikely to survive these challenges. In fact, organizations have to deviate from old philosophical schools of business management to modern day theoretical perspectives that have ensured their survival amid economic, social and political predicaments.

Organizational structure

Most organizations are a form of bureaucracy with a chain of command and decisions being top down. Nevertheless, many of these bureaucratic organizations have rarely succeeded in the modern day business environment. Bureaucracies are neither new in the organizational structural theory nor have they been scraped out totally. Basically, bureaucracy is still a typical modern day organizational structure though it has undergone structural readjustments that fit the new perspectives of modern organization (Beamish et al., 2003).

The old view of bureaucracies as rigid structures has totally changed. The modern view of boundaries created within various levels of bureaucracy are permeable structures and processes. Structural changes taking place actually focus on cutting down the functional precincts between various vertical levels and across departments. Essentially organizations are now encouraging sharing of business ideas and processes across these borders (Bateman & Snell, 2007). Instead of using these bureaucratic boundaries to create responsibilities, separate employees, practice and locations, many organizations are now centering their attention on how to make these boundaries permeable to information, ideas, endowment, innovations, decisions, rewards and actions.

Ashkenas et al. (2002) argue that boundaries will continue to exist. People are specialized differently thus perform different tasks. Levels of influence and authority exist differently among the organization employees while people within the production line perform different tasks. Furthermore, people are differentiated by geography and work conditions but in particular diverse culture and time zone. All these differences create bureaucratic limitations. The underlying purpose of these boundaries is to keep production focused and distinct (Jones, 2010). Definitely the modern concept of organization boundary-less is not intended to do away with these distinct functions but to make them more porous and flexible to the changes taking place in the modern day business environment. Boundary-less organization is tolerant to free flow of information and ideas whilst resources pass through its structures quickly and easily to enhance effective functioning.

Reasons for structural changes

The reason why many organizations are changing too fast to the new form of structure is because of the demise of large corporations which occurs despite the enormous investments in technology and other business processes. It is emerging that these organizations are embroiled in the traditionally rigid structures which could not allow flexibility even during turbulent times. According to Ashkenas et al. (2010), these companies fell from indomitable to evincible. They are encountered with structural changes that materialize to be beyond their ability to counter. When instability and turbulence came all these organizations were deficient of flexible structures that could quickly respond to these disasters. They had to grapple with rigid and calcified structures they created and failed to change over time.

Conclusion

The traditional notions of bureaucratic structures as fixed barriers or unyielding divisional levels are now being replaced by naturally permeable, flexible and movable modern day notion of organizational structures. Indeed the modern day structural boundary-less organizations are increasingly living up to the new challenges of business environment. The biggest challenge though is for the managers to uncover the right balance in determining the permeability of these boundaries and there places within the organization structure.

References

1. Ashkenas, R., Ulrich, D., Jick, T., & Kerr, S. (2002). The boundaryless organization: Breaking the chains of organizational structure. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
2. Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. A. (2007). Management: Leading and collaborating in a competitive world. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
3. Beamish, P., W., Morrison, A., Inkpen, A., & Rosenzweig, P. M. (2003). International management: Text and cases. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
4. Jones, G. R. (2010). Organizational theory, design, and change. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Introduction

My colleague Carswell has raised a valid point of view regarding the problems we now face. I have only worked in this company for the past four years as an I/O consultant, and frankly, I have witnessed a lot of changes, not all of them in the positive direction. It is clearly evident that Benson Metal Company is under crises.

It is also clear that the main cause of this crisis has not been investigated and it is due to this that the situation has escalated this much. It is sad that at this point in time, when the industry is harsh and struggling, that we are about to lose one of our most dedicated customers. As I see it, the main problem lies in our organization structure and conflicting lines of authority.

Organization Structure

As some of you know, a companys organization structure defines the formal reporting relationships in the company including the level of power welded by the supervisors and the amount of levels within the organization (Daft, 2009).

The organization structure also identifies the grouping together of individuals into departments within the organization as well as the design of systems that will guarantee effective coordination and communication between different departments (Baligh, 2006). Clearly, the organization structure of Benson Metal Company has failed to meet its intended purpose.

The organization structure specifies three main things that include: required work activities, the reporting relationships and departmental groupings. The company main problem lays in reporting relationships while the other two factors are quite stable.

Reporting Relationships

The biggest problem in the company is and has always been reporting relationships or more specifically, the chain of command. The chain of command denotes the uninterrupted lines of authority that links everyone in the company and indicates who reports to whom (Jones, 2010). Most of the individual holding places of power within the company are finding it hard to carry out their tasks.

This may be attributed to people being designated jobs that they are unfamiliar with and have no skills in. The assistant to the president position is occupied with an individual who does not have the correct skills or experiences required for running the company or overseeing the welfare of our employees.

Our vice president has been unable to effectively lay out the correct lines of authority and has poor management skills. Generally, a body cannot function without a head and that is one of the main problems.

Reporting relationships also involves setting up lines of authority important to ensure effective coordination between the departments. Honestly, Ramsey Stockwell has failed in this regard. Time and time again, Mr. Stockwell has been antagonistic in our efforts to improve communication and coordination.

He has not designed effective reporting relationships within his own department and even though those who serve beneath him are loyal, his attitudes are affecting the general attitude of his department regarding the company. Mr. Stockwell has proved to be very effective in ensuring that his department is up and running.

However, his job does not end there and involves improving morale in his department, developing a schedule for his workers, laying out the correct reporting relationship within his department to avoid conflicts and respecting the general chain of command in the company.

Mr. Stockwell has taken over the department and seeks to carry out all the jobs in his company. This would be well and good if he could actually deliver however as it can be seen, he is unable to deliver the required results and his actions have only led to increased confusion in his department as well as others in the company.

The relationship between Mr. Stockwell and the sales department is truly disturbing. Mr. Stockwell should learn that this is not a research facility but a company that needs to sell items in order to gain profits as well as meet its expenses. His antagonism and opposition to provide relevant information to the sales department is making us shortsighted thus losing our competitive advantage.

We have failed to deliver products in time to our most trusted customers and frankly that is unacceptable. Information sharing within the department is of outmost importance but Mr. Stockwell has set up a bureaucratic system that most members within his organization seldom know what is required of them or the progress they are making.

Conclusion

Looking at the above problems, we can conclude that several things have to change. First of all, the required work activities should be specified especially considering the strain the production of the aerospace materials has on the company. Secondly, communication both within the departments and across different departments has to be improved.

Communication and coordination between the departments can be improved in several ways. The first method is through improving teamwork between the two departments i.e. production and sales. Members of the two departments should freely intermix and be involved in the actual process involved in both departments.

Another method is by setting up an organization structure based on divisional grouping. Divisional grouping involves organizing employees according to whatever products the company produces (Fow, 2007).

Members of both the sales team and the production team should be grouped together under one department ensuring information flow between the in every stop of material production. I thank you for your time and hope we can resolve these issues in the shortest time possible.

References

Baligh, H. (2006). Organization Structures: Theory and Design, Analysis and Prescription. New York: Springer Science + Media Inc.

Daft, R. (2009). Organization Theory and Design. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning

Fow, W. (2007). Managing Organizational Behavior. Cape Town: Junta & Co.

Jones, G. R. (2010). Organizational theory, design, and change (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall.

The functional structure of an organization is developed in such a way that every section of it is grouped on the basis of functions and tasks that it performs. For instance, an organization can have a marketing section, a sales section, a customer support section, and so on. Such a structure works efficiently for smaller businesses in which every department relies on skills and knowledge of specialists in different fields (Writing, 2018).

The divisional structure of an organization is set up with the help of separate divisions, which are small organizations with a low autonomy level. Thus, the entire company is composed of divisions responsible for different processes and services. Such a structure is best suited to large organizations that need various objectives to be met in specific and rapid ways (Writing, 2018). The matrix organizational structure has qualities of both divisional and functional approaches. Usually, it is implemented in large multinational corporations to allow for the necessary distribution of tasks and processes between departments and divisions.

Virtual organizations are characterized by establishing links between the main company and outside parties such as clients, partners, vendors, and so on. Such links are supported through computerized solutions for achieving simultaneous profitability and growth. The team structure of organizations is developed so that employees work together on certain projects; thus, the structure ensures a pragmatic division or grouping of workers on the basis of objectives that they have to reach (Greechie, 2017). Team-based organizations are cross-functional and interdepartmental, which means that they include workers with different skills as well as ensure that these skills are versatile and can be used in a variety of projects.

Downsizing can have both positive and adverse effects on employees and organizational structures. For workers, there is a risk of suffering financial and psychological issues. For instance, departing employees may compare themselves to workers who remain in their positions, which contributes to lower self-esteem. They can also get angry with the management for deciding on their dismissal. Also, since employees are used to receiving regular income, their lifestyle may change drastically because they stop receiving it.

For organizational structures, downsizing can be an issue since departments that heavily rely on teamwork may suffer from the lack of talent, which is especially true for team-based and functional structures. Also, if large downsizing is involved, the structure of an organization may change completely because there will be fewer workers in departments or divisions.

Behavioral implications depend on the structure, the mechanics, the level of fairness, and formal policies that exist within organizations. Some workers may complete their assignments when the structures are heavily regulated and standardized, which is especially true for employees of highly specialized jobs. Such employees may feel secure and accomplished when their managers tell them what to do specifically.

On the other hand, workers whose everyday tasks rely on creativity may not work productively in heavily structured environments where each department has specific objectives and requirements. This type of workers performs better when there is less pressure from their managers. Also, there have been studies to show a correlation between centralization and job satisfaction, with autonomy being a preferred structure (Sadeghi, Amani, & Mahmoudi, 2013). Overall, behaviors of employees are directly linked to the type of organizational structure in which they operate due to the differences in their preferences to governance.

References

Greechie, S. (2017). Organizational team structure. Web.

Sadeghi, K., Amani, J., & Mahmoudi, H. (2013). A structural model of the impact of organizational culture on job satisfaction among secondary school teachers. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 22(4), 687-700.

Writing, A. (2018). Different types of organizational structure. Houston Chronicle. Web.

According to Agarwal (1983), formalization is the degree to which regulations, rules and processes are observed within an organization.

The fundamentals of formalizations diverge greatly from one organization to another in that some organizations have strict reporting and departure time to and from work with time clocks applied to monitor unexpected attitudes, another organization demands that workers spend enough time to get the duties accomplished while another may demand that workers have the right to exercise their own judgment in carrying out duties.

Formalization therefore is the application of rules within an organization and the extent of their codification (p. 354).

Advantages of Formalization

One of the key advantages of formalization is the fact that formal organization have easy to fathom leadership structures that are placed in concert by the given rules and regulations thereby eliminating the question of who is in control of the organization. The formal organizational structure leaves no chance for misconception of the modus operandi and processes.

Formalization also improves rationality of organizations that applies it as it seeks to standardize attitudes by enabling precise predictability. A good example is the standardization of production processes for the production unit workers in an organization with the aim of ensuring quality before products are released into the market.

Another major advantage of formalization is the fact that it enables a smooth transition of authority by enabling habitual and customary succession processes with little or no interruptions to the firms functioning. An example of such processes is the systematic appointment of the Catholic Churchs cardinals and popes.

The other significant benefit of the formalization is the fact that they offer fundamental framework of the division of labor and responsibilities. Lack of such structures makes employees to concur on roles and responsibilities. It therefore creates clarity on the level of assistance and input that every worker can anticipate from another and what is anticipated of him in return (Gupta, 2009).

The system also promotes discipline amongst the staff in the organization as it aims at controlling the attitudes of the worker and improving on the efficiency of the organization.

Other benefits of formalization include the fact that it enables easy and fast assessment and revision of the organization as a result of the changing requirements and dynamic operating environment. It also offers a framework for the structuring of pay scales and in the human resource development practices such as recruitment, elevation and workforce planning (M.Walker, Boyne, & Brewer, 2010).

Disadvantages of Formalization

Although formalization has numerous benefits, some of the disadvantages include the fact that the coded decision making process is long thereby hampering faster decision making and making the organization inefficient in meeting its obligations. Decisions are made by the leaders who cannot be influenced by the workers who are directly affected by the decisions.

The result of this is that solutions are decided by individuals with no direct knowledge or understanding of the problems. Formalization also discourages and hampers innovation and creativity by workers as a consequence of rules and regulations that demands of workers to follow laid down procedures and regulations in the performance of duties.

The system creates a state of subordination within the organization through controls that requires employees to follow strict instructions and as a result few individuals in such organizations are able to think beyond the rules, be innovative and take initiative (M.Walker, Boyne, & Brewer, 2010).

References

Agarwal, R. (1983). Organization and Management. Nodia, UP, India.: Tata McGraw- Hill Education.

Gupta. (2009). Principles of Management. Mumbai, India: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.

Walker, R. M., Boyne, G. A., & Brewer, G. A. (2010). Public Management and Performance: Research Directions. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Introduction

Several players with different duties and responsibilities constitute successful institutions. Organizations function as institutions with the integral responsibility of executing tasks to accomplish established goals and objectives. However, the success of meeting the goals and objectives is dependent on some factors. Therefore, sustained organizational behaviour for the success of the institutions is the product of well-designed rules and structural authority. For this reason, it is essential to design an organizational chart for a nursing home, describe relationships in the organization, and highlight the implementation of communication principles. It is also crucial to identify different organizational structures within the current healthcare system, and explain leadership theories for improving organizational performance.

Relationships in the Organizational Chart

The committee of management represents the final decision-making body in the nursing home. The nurse center manager reports to the committee of management. Moreover, the committee of consumer engagement undertakes operations that improve the organizations brand while reporting to the center manager. Furthermore, the nurse center manager oversees the functions of the sub-committee on safety, quality, finance, and administration. Personnel that undertake day-to-day operations such as registered nurses, home-care staff, and volunteers collaborate with visiting primary healthcare service providers such as medical practitioners, physiotherapists, and counsellors. The daily operations human resource personnel with the complementary staff are accountable to the nurse centre manager.

Communication Principles to Support Workforce Management

Effective communication is essential for the accurate transfer of information within an organization. Subsequently, the seamless information flow contributes to better coordination for enhanced organizational success. Moreover, communication principles are essential to augment administrative staff in performance. Transparency is integral for effective information transmission in an organization (Jiang & Men, 2017).

The process ensures the active involvement of employees in receiving and transmitting information factually and substantially for accountability and policy adherence. Additionally, data and measurable attributes that provide direction should guide organizational communication. Positive workforce reception of information is the product of communication sensitive to the attention and time of employees. Therefore, organizations should have a communication quality improvement team that guides the management in information transmission.

Organizational Structures and Issues within Contemporary Healthcare System

Healthcare institutions have the ethical responsibility of ensuring high-quality patient care services. Moreover, diverse approaches for organizational structures exist within the healthcare system. The variations in the organizational structures are the product of the integration of service providers. For instance, horizontally integrated healthcare organizational structures include single-speciality, independent practice, or diverse speciality of physicians providing care to patients (Heeringa et al., 2020).

Conversely, vertically oriented healthcare organizational structures include traditional hospital systems with boards of directors, chief executive officer, and departmental heads. The hospitals can either be non-profit foundations, organized partnership between organizations and physicians, or State-owned hospitals that provide service to patient populations. However, concerns exist on the best organization of the healthcare system to ensure high-quality patient care with reasonable administrative costs.

Leadership Theories for Improving Organizational, Team, or Individual Performance

Leadership is essential to influence the organizational employees towards accomplishing the established goals and objectives. Cordial relationships between leaders and their follower form the foundation of desirable behaviours in the work environment. Therefore, leadership involves guided interactions within a team, with the leader assuming the responsibility of modifying conditions to manage perceptions and expectations of the team members. For this reason, leadership is essential for improving organizational performance.

Influencers of organizational operations have different styles of managing their followers. The leadership styles have varying impacts on the organizational behaviour and employees performance. Various stakeholders in the society are advocating for transformational leadership style. The approach is practical when leaders and followers strive towards mutual motivation (Reis Neto, de Araújo, & Avelar Ferreira, 2019). The leader assumes the duty of refining the employees knowledge on the value of organizational objectives with the structural mechanisms to accomplish them. Therefore, transformational leaders function by improving the followers behaviour through enhanced work and social ideals that benefit the organization and society.

Moreover, transactional and Laissez-faire are common approaches to influence followers to improve and sustain performance. Transactional leadership highlights the dialogue between leaders and followers on conditions to accomplish established objectives with the physical or psychological rewards (Reis Neto et al., 2019). Conversely, undesired performance will attract punishment from the leader and dissatisfaction among followers. The Laissez-fare leadership approach involves passive management where employees have the liberty to make initiatives and decisions regarding task performance. However, the style contributes to lower productivity than a transformational or transactional model of leadership.

Conclusion

Institutions across various sectors in the world have well-defined structures that establishes relationships among the employees. The healthcare field is not an exception in the establishment of organizational structures to ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the execution of operations. Organizational structures shape the employees work behaviour while creating order in the institution. Healthcare institutions ensure leadership through boards or committees of management with various departments within the organization. The leadership establishments are instrumental in influencing the entire personnel towards accomplishing established objectives and goals of providing high-quality patient care.

Transparency constitutes an important element of communications principles within the organization to ensure accountability among the leaders and followers. Healthcare institutions adopt different approaches in authority structures to include vertical or horizontal arrangements. However, concerns arise on the best approach to ensure high-quality patient care with sustainable administrative cost. Leadership theories establish the foundation for adoption of different styles such as transformational, transactional, or leissez-fare leadership styles.

References

Heeringa, J., Mutti, A., Furukawa, M. F., Lechner, A., Maurer, K. A., & Rich, E. (2020). Horizontal and vertical integration of health care providers: a framework for understanding various provider organizational structures. International Journal of Integrated care, 20(1). Web.

Jiang, H., & Men, R. L. (2017). Creating an engaged workforce: The impact of authentic leadership, transparent organizational communication, and work-life enrichment. Communication Research, 44(2), 225-243. Web.

Reis Neto, M. T., de Araújo, R. N., & Avelar Ferreira, C. A. (2019). Leadership theories and individual performance. Pensamiento & Gestión, (47), 148-179. Web.

The American Nurses Associations (ANA) is a health organization that is aimed to improve the quality of healthcare all across the country. Their main goals include protecting the nurses rights and raising the standards for the nursing practice. In their 2020-2023 strategic plan, the association describes its mission to achieve a healthy world through the power of nursing and lead the profession to shape the future of nursing and health care (American Nurse Association, 2020, p. 1). The association members have computed the set of objectives that would help them reach the goals representing their mission. The achievement of these objectives will significantly improve patients outcomes, which, in turn, will increase the quality of health care for all.

These objectives can be addressed at the different levels of organization such as macro-, meso-, and micro-level. On the example of rural nurse practitioners in Australia, Smith et al. (2019) describe the enablers of each level, which can be compared to the organizational structure of the ANA. The staff of the macro-level is responsible for the regulatory systems, such as providing job opportunities and setting the health policies for other employees to follow.

For example, one of the objectives that can be attributed to this level is to advance workforce priorities and improve the work environment across diverse practice settings (American Nurse Association, 2020, p. 3). Malaska (2018) describes that even though this level addresses many social, economic, and environmental factors on the global scale, nursing individuals are an integral part of ensuring the proper regulatory support (p. 221). Therefore, by approaching the nurses directly and receiving their valuable feedback, the employees at the macro-level are capable of providing better working environments.

The meso-level is the intermediate level that helps to coordinate the micro-level systems and accommodate the nursing staff in the managerial sector. Malaska (2018) uses the promotion of health literacy education as an example of a meso-level goal. One of the objectives of the ANA (2020) is to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion across the ANA Enterprise to encourage culturally informed workplace practices (p. 5). The education of the nursing staff on the diversity issues is a part of health literacy, which places this objective on the meso-level. However, inclusivity should be achieved not only among the general nursing staff but also at the top level of management; therefore, this objective integrates with all three levels of the organization.

The micro-level represents the direct interaction of the nursing staff with patients, such as customer assistance. The micro-level objective of the ANA is to increase customers loyalty, which can be achieved through creating relevant customer-centric journeys and experiences based on data and voice of the customer (American Nurse Association, 2020, p. 3). Proper personal attention towards the patient is the backbone of the nursing organization, which represents the level of quality of the entire healthcare delivery system.

In conclusion, the comprehensive integration of nurses in all levels of the healthcare delivery systems significantly improves the quality of the provided healthcare to the patients. Nurses should be allowed to participate in the policy-making processes, work collaboratively with the management and the administrations, and have a reliable support system. Such an environment increases their leadership skills, creates more opportunities for their professional development, and improves the safety not only of the staff but also of patients.

References

American Nurses Association. (2020). ANAE Strategic Plan 2020  2023. Web.

Malaska, R. H. (2018). Chronic health conditions in the disparities population, the impact on practice settings, sociopolitical factors and stakeholders; one US citys solutions to address the issues and how nurses can advocate for changea DNP nurse reflection. Journal of Anesthesia & Critical Care: Open Access, 10(6), 220-222. Web.

Smith, T., McNeil, K., Mitchell, R., Boyle, B., & Ries, N. (2019). A study of macro-, meso- and micro-barriers and enablers affecting extended scopes of practice: The case of rural nurse practitioners in Australia. BMC Nursing, 18(1), 1-12. Web.