Understanding different organizational designs and structures is important to discern when, where, and under what circumstances a type of mechanistic system or part of an organization would be needed. However, not every organization or every part of most organizations may require an organic type of structure. Contemporary corporations and firms engaged in fast-paced, highly competitive, rapidly changing, and turbulent environments are becoming more organic in different ways, as we will discuss in this chapter. Exhibit 4.5 offers examples of organically structured industries, such as high tech, computer, aerospace, and telecommunications industries, that must deal with change and uncertainty. Tasks are more generalized and shared there is a wider span of control (i.e., more people reporting to managers). There is more fluidity and less-rigid ways of performing tasks there may also be fewer rules. Their structures are flatter, with participatory communication and decision-making flowing in different directions. As Exhibit 4.4 shows, these organizational forms work best in unstable, complex, changing environments. Organic organizational structures and systems, however, have opposite characteristics from mechanistic ones. Again, this type of organizational design may still be relevant, as Exhibit 4.4 suggests, in simple, stable, low-uncertainty environments. Postal Service and other manufacturing types of industries ( Exhibit 4.4) were mechanistic. This form of organization represents a traditional type of structure that evolved in environments that were, as noted above, stable with low complexity. Bosses and supervisors have fewer people working directly under them (i.e., a narrow span of control), and the organization is governed by rigid departmentalization (i.e., an organization is divided into different departments that perform specialized tasks according to the departments’ expertise). The chain of command is highly centralized and uses formal authority tasks are clearly defined and differentiated to be executed by specific specialized experts. Mechanistic organizational structures ( Exhibit 4.5) are best suited for environments that range from stable and simple to low-moderate uncertainty ( Exhibit 4.4) and are characterized by top-down hierarchies of control that are rule-based. 21 This broad, generalized characterization of organizations remains relevant. Exhibit 4.5 Mechanistic and Organic Organizations (Attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC-BY 4.0 license)Įarly organizational theorists broadly categorized organizational structures and systems as either mechanistic or organic.
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