管理学学习资料：robbins_mgmt11_im11.docVIP

Chapter 11 Adaptive Organizational Design In the last chapter, the basic options for organizational structure were discussed. In this chapter, we continue to address the issue of structure with an emphasis on the new designs that companies are implementing to deal with an increasingly competitive environment that focuses on efficiency. LEARNING OUTCOMES 11.1 Describe contemporary organizational designs. 11.2 Discuss how organizations organize for collaboration. 11.3 Explain flexible work arrangements used by organizations. 11.4 Discuss organizing issues associated with a contingent workforce. 11.5 Describe today’s organizational design challenges. A MANAGER’S DILEMMA While not everyone is given the opportunity to create or redesign an organization’s structure, the reasons for structure and the benefits of certain types of structure are important lessons for anyone in business. As a business owner, it sounds like a dream come true – employees working for free! In this Manager’s Dilemma, the authors explore this novel concept from a manager’s perspective. Habitat for Humanity has years of experience building homes with volunteers. The concept of free labor is now being explored by Verizon’s e-commerce unit where volunteers who are passionate about their products, (i.e. high speed internet, telephone, and television service) help answer customer questions. While this sounds like a win-win (people who are knowledge experts working for free), it has the potential to create a lot of problems for the organization. Have students explore the concept of management control and structure for this new type of arrangement. Questions that might arise include: How do you make sure people show up for ‘work?’ What if these volunteers make a mistake that puts the company at risk for a lawsuit? What if they are rude to customers? CHAPTER OUTLINE 11.1 Contemporary Organizational Designs Many of today’s organizations are finding that traditional hierarchical organization