Question

what are the 3 emergent structural forms in terms of organizational and managerial flexibility and how do they differ from each other? Please describe them individually in your answer. 2-3 paragraphs minimum.

Answer 1

Emergent organizational structure is derived from the sequence of tasks in the business process.
When business process changes, the emergent structure may gradually become considerably different in comparison with the formal organizational structure. This could suggest structural changes in the organization to achieve or to re-establish a good fit between organizational process and organizational structure. At present none of the business process modeling tools fully support generation and analysis of emergent organizational structures. Nevertheless, some possibilities are provided.

New Organizational Structures

Network Structure

This modern structure includes the linking of numerous, separate organizations to optimize their interaction in order to accomplish a common, overall goal. An example is a joint venture to build a complex, technical systems such as the space shuttle. Another example is a network of construction companies to build a large structure.

Virtual Organization

This emerging form is based on organization members interacting with each other completely, or almost completely, via telecommunications. Members may never actually meet each other.


Self-Managed Teams

These teams usually include from 5-15 people and are geared to produce a product or service. Members provide a range of the skills needed to produce the product. The team is granted sufficient authority and access to resources to produce their product in a timely fashion. The hallmark of a self-managed team is that members indeed manage their own group, i.e., they manage access to resources, scheduling, supervision, etc. Team members develop their own process for identifying and rotating members in managerial roles. Often, authority at any given time rests with whomever has the most expertise about the current activity or task in the overall project. Often members are trained in various problem-solving techniques and team-building techniques. These teams work best in environments where the technologies to deliver the product or service are highly complex and the marketplace and organization environments are continually changing. Self-managed teams pose a unique challenge for the traditional manager. It can be extremely difficult for him or her to support empowerment of the self-managed team, taking the risk of letting go of his or her own control.