Structure of the Organization
Organization structures in business health and social care organizations give specialized output, development and freedom of managers, fixation of responsibilities and administrative control. Organizations are based on various structures depending on complexity, centralization and formalization for the achievement of organizational effectiveness including hierarchical, flat, matrix, bureaucratic and network organizations (Zheng, Yang and McLean, 2010 p.766). Additional factors influencing organizational effectiveness include organizational characteristics, employee characteristics and managerial practices and policies.
Road Organization is a hierarchical organization which follows the layout of a pyramid. All workers in road organization are subordinate to Frank who keeps power to himself and is their leader. The layout in hierarchical organizations consists of several entities which come down to the basic level staff, who sit at the bottom of the pyramid. The hierarchical structure based on the hierarchical dimension which is a configuration common to many simple organizations. The hierarchical structure divides the organization into smaller specialty groups such as marketing, operations, finance and IT, where the hierarchical structures are sometimes referred to as “silos”. The “silos” are believed to be entities which are vertical and connected to each other. The hierarchical structures evident in Road Organization whereby various people have different specialties and have to report to a higher authority. There is a team leader who is responsible for guiding the team to achieve its goals and objectives, a healthcare manager (Frank), a nurse, 1 cleaner, 2 assistant support workers and 1 employment workers. Each team member has their own specialized role to play in the team, with communication generally occurring within the different members and transmitted among the team.
The functional members enhance operational efficiency since all the members are aware of their roles and responsibilities and are therefore answerable in case of any issues. The members are therefore able to perform independently with the team leader acting as the cross-communication point between the members and Frank thus allowing for an improved specialization. However, not communicating with one another and only following the guidelines of Frank may reduce the group’s innovation and flexibility. Generally, hierarchical structures may also be susceptible to each function viewing the organization only from within its own operations’ frame. To deal with the issues arising from the hierarchical structure, cross-functional communication should be encouraged.
Power hierarchy diagram at Road Organization
Road organization scheme practices the Role Organization Culture which defines how things are done in the organization. The role culture for organizations is best illustrated as a building which has support from beams and columns whereby each beam and column has roles that are specific to keeping up the organization. In the role culture of organizations, individual workers are the occupants of roles, although the roles continue even after the worker leaves the organization (Pross and Schweitzer, 2010 p.103). Organizations that support and practice the role culture are characterized by specialized and functional areas that are strong and are coordinated by a narrow band of senior top managers with a high degree of standardization and formalization.
In the road organization, Frank oversees the entire organization’s functional areas whose interaction with fellow employees is controlled by procedures and rules define the job, the authority, the settlement of disputes, the clarity of work and the mode of communication. The role culture is efficient since employees who feel that their roles are not clear have been given permission to inquire from Frank. Therefore, the role culture is effective in the Road organization scheme whereby there is a rationality on the responsibility and work allocation rather than individual personalities. In a stable environment, the Road organization scheme is successful as it deals with caring for homeless men and women who served in the armed forces and have developed health complications.
However, in the role culture, the position is the main source of power whereby there is a selection of workers who can satisfactorily perform roles, with personal power being frowned upon and the expert power is acceptable when it is used properly. In addition, procedures and rules are the main influence methods. Furthermore, difficulties are experienced in adapting to change with responding and perceiving the need for change is slow. The Road organization scheme for veterans is comprised of great specialization and technical expertise in its management and employees which is typical of public service organizations. Therefore, economies of scale are deemed of greater importance as compared to flexibility. The role organization culture has offered security to the employees at Road organization through appropriate pay scales and rewards and expectations of performance up to set standards.
The organizational structure generates its impacts on organizational culture of Road through its implementation and design. Furthermore, the organizational structure shapes the role culture by forming interactive schemes of top management that selects the appropriate criteria for division of labor. The role culture shapes the interactive schemes of high number of members and also management interactive schemes. Therefore, it is clear that the role culture imposes on frank and other leaders of the organization, its purposes and its meaning. Thus, the planned shaping, conscious and formal sanctioning of the relationship that exists between members and leaders will be impacted by the meaning that the management assigns the roles that have been imposed by the organizational culture.
Analysis of How the Hierarchical structure of the Organization Can Impact On the Culture of the Organization
Organizational culture has also created a frame of reference in which the hierarchical structure of road is designed. The organization structure formed in Road organization is in accordance with dominant values, assumptions and norms. For example, in the organization, the necessity of concentrating power at the top succeeds in the culture of the organization. The organization structure directs the members’ everyday work and acts as a determinant to their methods of carrying out tasks, the manner in which leaders interact with employees and the way members can take decision and solve problems when leaders are not available. Furthermore, the structure induces different behaviors of members in the organization. Moreover, the behaviors induced by members are compatible to existing cultures as they achieve both individual and organizational interests. Therefore, it is clear that norms and values of organizational culture shape the hierarchical structure and members as desirable. Therefore, members have accepted both the organizational structure and culture.
The hierarchical structure of Road impacts on how the decisions are made, how tasks are delegated and the organization’s plan for the future. With hierarchical structure being characterized by a top-down power hierarchy, the decisions are pushed high to authorities. The organizational structure impacts the organization positively as the final decisions made by frank are appropriate and accurately. The passing of decisions through different stages for assessments ensures that the organizational role culture meets the objectives. However, hierarchical structure slows down the urgent decisions that should be made as it consumes a lot of time from one stage to another. In particular, the hierarchical structure has directed and shaped the manner in which members of the organization were initially carrying out their tasks in course of achieving organizational goals. In hierarchical structure model it is clear that members are taking actions, decisions and interacting with organization’s functioning in different ways and therefore it can be concluded that the organizational structure of road changes the organizational culture
The organization should change its culture from role culture to power culture. According to Belias and Koustelios (2014 p.140) power culture emphasizes that employees and management should perceive their organization for completing tasks and solving problems. Changing of the culture will ensure that member’s values results and accomplishments and therefore road’s objectives will be accomplished easily. Furthermore, tasks culture will boost morale of the employees as it encourage need for equality, power distribution and all members of organization will be in a position of influencing how organization functions unlike role culture.
Second, if it is for any reason impossible for them to go back to the previous model of behavior, organization members will change their values and norms for the sake of subsequent rationalization and legitimization of their new behavior.
The organization should also change its structure from hierarchical structure to professional model of organizational structure. When the organization focuses on the professional organizational structure, the team focuses on the project structure or project by its team. Furthermore, by the organization adopting this type of structure it will ensure that members who are in the operational field are professional and conducts classy tasks. The professional will also have authority of independent problem solving and high level of decision-making process participation. Furthermore, the structure will make sure all decisions are made at the right time and effective fully unlike functional and matrix structure where decisions might be delayed. Furthermore, the professional organizational structure will create an interactive environment to accommodate all the members. None of member can feel not part of the organization as the model emphasizes that people are the most valuable assets. The structure also creates a task culture that provides equal opportunities in decision making and also in the culture that forces the employees to focus on structure of work and tasks which are based on solving clients’ problems, standardization and formalization of procedures.
References:
Pross, C. and Schweitzer, S., 2010. The culture of organizations dealing with trauma: Sources of work-related stress and conflict. Traumatology, 4th ed. pp.97-108. United States: SAGE Publications
Zheng, W., Yang, B. and McLean, G.N., 2010. Linking organizational culture, structure, strategy, and organizational effectiveness: Mediating role of knowledge management. Journal of Business research. 7th ed. pp.763-771. Netherlands: Elsevier
Belias, D. and Koustelios, A., 2014. Organizational culture and job satisfaction: A review. International Review of Management and Marketing, 2nd ed. pp.132-149, econjournals
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