Which of the following would NOT be considered a contingency factor affecting structural choice?

Correct answer: The level of departmentalization

Explanation

This question requires the student to differentiate between the elements of organizational design and the contingency factors that influence which elements are chosen.

Other questions

Question 1

What is the formal arrangement of jobs within an organization called?

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT one of the six key elements of organizational design discussed in the chapter?

Question 3

The contemporary view of work specialization suggests that while it can increase efficiency, it can also lead to human diseconomies such as:

Question 4

A Japanese electronics firm organizes its divisions along functional lines, its manufacturing units around processes, and its sales units around seven geographic regions. This is an example of:

Question 5

According to Chester Barnard's acceptance theory of authority, from what does a manager's authority originate?

Question 6

The unity of command principle, one of Fayol's 14 management principles, states that:

Question 7

In the example from Exhibit 10-6, an organization with 4,096 employees and a span of control of 8 would have approximately how many fewer managers than an organization with the same number of employees and a span of 4?

Question 8

What is the term for the degree to which decision making takes place at upper levels of the organization?

Question 9

A mechanistic organization is characterized by which of the following?

Question 10

An organic structure is most effective under which of the following contingency factors?

Question 11

What type of traditional organizational design is characterized by low departmentalization, wide spans of control, and centralized authority?

Question 12

According to Joan Woodward's study on technology and structure, mass production was most effective when paired with what type of organizational structure?

Question 13

A major weakness of the functional structure is that:

Question 14

The primary strength of the divisional structure is that it:

Question 15

According to the text, what trend has been observed in recent years regarding the span of control in organizations?

Question 16

What is the term for the rights inherent in a managerial position to tell people what to do and to expect them to do it?

Question 17

According to the 'by the numbers' box on page 273, what percentage of organizations say they have increased centralization in the last five years?

Question 18

The trend toward giving employees more authority (power) to make decisions is known as:

Question 19

Line authority differs from staff authority in that line authority:

Question 20

What type of departmentalization would a company use if it wanted to group jobs based on the territory or physical location served?

Question 21

An organization's size starts to have less influence on its structure once it grows past approximately how many employees?

Question 22

The obligation or expectation to perform assigned duties is known as:

Question 23

What is the primary characteristic of an organic organization?

Question 24

A key weakness of the divisional structure is the duplication of activities and resources, which leads to:

Question 25

What type of departmentalization groups jobs based on product or customer flow?

Question 26

What did Alfred Chandler's research conclude about the relationship between strategy and structure?

Question 27

A work team composed of individuals from various functional specialties is known as a:

Question 28

What is the primary reason for the recent trend toward wider spans of control in organizations?

Question 29

An organization that is highly formalized would have which of the following characteristics?

Question 30

The term for dividing work activities into separate job tasks is:

Question 31

Which of the following is listed as a strength of the simple structure in Exhibit 10-10?

Question 32

Joan Woodward's research on technology and structure found that organizations adapt their structures based on:

Question 33

The visual representation of an organization’s structure is called a(n):

Question 35

An organization with a high degree of centralization would most likely feature:

Question 36

What did the text describe as the 'glue' that held an organization together, according to early management writers?

Question 37

The process of creating or changing an organization's structure is called:

Question 38

According to the text, a cardiac surgeon rarely closes up a patient after surgery. This is used as an example to illustrate the efficiency of what concept?

Question 39

Which of the following is a primary purpose of organizing?

Question 40

What type of traditional organizational design is most likely used by entrepreneurial ventures in their early stages?

Question 41

What is a major advantage of the functional structure?

Question 42

In the context of chain of command, managers whose organizational function contributes directly to the achievement of objectives are known as:

Question 43

Which of the following factors would favor a more decentralized organization?

Question 44

An organization that is pursuing meaningful and unique innovations would be best served by what type of structure?

Question 45

What does the 'TODAY'S VIEW' on formalization on page 273 suggest about modern organizations?

Question 46

An organization that groups together jobs such as retail accounts, wholesale accounts, and government accounts is using which form of departmentalization?

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT one of the conditions Barnard contended must be satisfied for a subordinate to accept an order?

Question 48

Which production technology in Woodward's study was described as the most technically complex?

Question 49

In the 'by the numbers' box on page 273, what percentage of white-collar workers say that teleworking is a good idea?

Question 50

Which traditional organizational design would be most appropriate for a large, multidivisional company like Walmart, which has separate business units for retail and support?