Question 1

Mondavi Corporation has a finance department, a marketing department, and a production department. Mondavi:

Accepted Answer

Mondavi Corporation has organized their departments based on their functions, such as finance, marketing, and production. This type of structure is known as a functional structure, where each division is focused on a specific function and has its own set of roles and responsibilities.

Question 2

The outcome of information and cooperation is _____.

Accepted Answer

Coordination is the outcome of information and cooperation, as it involves the integration of activities, efforts, and resources of different individuals or departments to achieve organizational goals efficiently.

Question 3

Boars' Nest Distributors is continually hampered by an inability to adapt to an unstable environment. Which of the following is a plausible explanation as to why?

Accepted Answer

A vertical structure can hinder adaptability in unstable environments due to its rigid hierarchy and slower decision-making processes.

Question 4

A(n) ____ is responsible for coordinating the activities of several departments.

Accepted Answer

A project manager is responsible for coordinating the activities of several departments to ensure that project goals are met efficiently.

Question 5

Kara's department is made up of people with similar skills and work activities. Her organization uses the _____ approach to departmentalization.

Accepted Answer

The vertical functional approach to departmentalization groups employees by common skills and work activities, which is the case with Kara's department. The other options are not a good fit based on the given information.

Question 6

The team approach to departmentalization is a response to:

Accepted Answer

The team approach to departmentalization is a response to the competitive global environment, which requires organizations to be more flexible and responsive to customer needs. Teams can be more quickly assembled and reconfigured to meet changing needs, and they can provide a more coordinated and efficient approach to problem-solving.

Question 7

When the organization is structured along _____ lines, coordination is required.

Accepted Answer

When an organization is structured along functional, divisional, or team lines, coordination is required among the different units or teams. This is because each unit might operate independently and have different goals, which require coordination to ensure overall organizational effectiveness. Therefore, the best choice is (D) all of these.

Question 8

Lisa is responsible for coordinating the efforts of several different departments. Which of the following titles best describes her position?

Accepted Answer

A project manager is responsible for coordinating efforts across different departments to achieve specific goals, which aligns with Lisa's responsibilities.

Question 9

Flash Card Inc. recently underwent a significant company-wide change that involved revision of its manufacturing and leadership processes. The result of this was a stronger emphasis on horizontal coordination. This level of change is referred to as _____.

Accepted Answer

The significant company-wide change with revision of manufacturing and leadership processes indicates reengineering, which involves radical redesign of business processes aimed at achieving dramatic improvements in performance metrics such as cost, quality, service, and speed.

Question 10

Which of the following leads to strong coordination across functional areas and greater flexibility in responding to changes in the environments?

Accepted Answer

Reengineering leads to strong coordination across functional areas and greater flexibility in responding to changes in the environments.

Question 11

Which of the following happens as organizations grow?

Accepted Answer

As organizations grow, they often develop more departments and positions, which can make it challenging to coordinate and communicate effectively across the organization. Managers must find ways to tie different departments together to achieve organizational goals. Deleting positions and departments and eliminating management layers may occur in some cases, but it is not a universal trend. Top management becoming more autocratic is also not necessarily a result of an organization's growth.

Question 12

Which of the following is a contemporary approach to structural design in departmentalization?

Accepted Answer

Teams are a contemporary approach to structural design in departmentalization as they involve structuring the organization around self-managed teams that work together to complete tasks and projects. This approach is becoming increasingly popular as it allows for greater flexibility and collaboration within the organization. Functional, divisional, traditional divisions, and geographic-based approaches are all more traditional approaches to departmentalization.

Question 13

Marissa was recently assigned to a committee whose task is to research new product opportunities. Once this group generates a list of six or seven viable options, it will be disbanded. This group is also known as a _____.

Accepted Answer

The committee described is a task force, which is a temporary group formed to address a specific task or problem and is disbanded once the task is completed. The other options (team, standing committee, permanent committee) are not suitable for this scenario as they suggest a longer-term or ongoing purpose.

Question 14

A task force is _____ committee(s) formed to solve a specific problem.

Accepted Answer

A task force is a temporary committee formed to focus on a specific problem or issue, and disbands once their task is completed. A standing or permanent committee is ongoing and focuses on a specific area of responsibility, while a task force is created for a specific purpose, often with a deadline. Therefore, the best choice is C, a temporary committee.

Question 15

Innovative Creations Corporation is designed along functional lines. New product development is very slow and the process is plagued by many problems. One of the problems is that the people in marketing never communicate with the people in production. This is an example of poor _____.

Accepted Answer

Poor communication between departments is a clear sign of lack of coordination within an organization.

Question 16

Stephanie works in one of seven research and development departments at Tara's Terrace, Inc. This would suggest that Tara's Terrace has a:

Accepted Answer

A divisional structure is one where the organization is divided into self-contained units, each with its own functional departments. In this case, Tara's Terrace, Inc. has seven research and development departments, suggesting that it has a divisional structure. A functional structure would have all the research and development departments in one functional unit, and a matrix structure involves a combination of functional and divisional structures. The wide span of control and high degree of centralization are unrelated to the structure of the organization.

Question 17

Which of the following is not an approach to structural design that reflects different uses of the chain of command?

Accepted Answer

The process approach is not an approach to structural design that reflects different uses of the chain of command. The other choices all involve different ways of organizing the chain of command within an organization to reflect different uses such as cross-functional collaboration, divisional specialization, or virtual communication networks.

Question 18

Makai's Marketing Mix (MMM) does not use its resources wisely. The employees at MMM spend too much time in meetings and not enough time focusing on the task at hand. MMM's management should consider changing the organizational structure from _____ to _____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Makai's Marketing Mix (MMM) does not use...

Question 19

Typically, project managers have authority over _____ but not over _____ assigned to it.

Accepted Answer

Project managers have authority over the project itself, including its scope, timeline, and deliverables. However, they typically do not have direct authority over the people assigned to the project, as those individuals may have their own supervisors or managers outside of the project team. Therefore, choice B is the best option as it correctly identifies the order of authority.

Question 20

Coordination is defined as:

Accepted Answer

Coordination refers to the quality of collaboration across departments or units within an organization. It involves the ability to work together effectively to achieve shared goals and objectives. While timely production and quantity of goods produced are important factors in organizational success, they do not necessarily reflect the quality of coordination. Differentiation is a separate concept that relates to the degree of specialization within an organization.

Quiz 10: Designing Organization Structure