PERSONAL CASE ANALYSIS: STRUCTURE

Personal Case Analysis: Structure

Christapher Cutting

Arizona State University

Pro-Seminar I
PERSONAL CASE ANALYSIS: STRUCTURE

To recap, our organization was in need of an information technology (IT) systems refresh, as our

equipment had aged and our mission was exceeding the existing systems capabilities. Dell EMC was our

preferred vendor based on an existing relationship and facility access. However, due to poor

documentation and personnel departures, I was gifted this project with very little information on the

previous acquisition and processes. Eager to capitalize on this situation, the Dell representative sought

to garner a lucrative and inflated government contract. My role was to frame the organizational

requirements, garner the best solution for both the organization and the tax-payer, and do so in a

relatively short period of time.

Being a Department of Defense (DoD) entity, this office was organized with a vertical hierarchy,

one with multiple layers of authority that created not just one line of authority and control but many. A

conglomeration of simple hierarchy and dual authority with crisscrossing lanes of responsibility and

reporting, created a complex interwoven bureaucracy. As a real-life reflection of the late 1990’s movie

Office Space, I reported to several different bosses, each with differing motivations, requirements, and

understandings of the project. Time was wasted reconfiguring requirements time and again due to

miscommunication and conflicting guidance. Rigid and stove-piped organizational functions created

further barriers to purse funding authorizations and even created barriers in regards to physical

infrastructure reviews. These contributing factors delayed the project so far that it spanned the tenure

of two Dell representatives, which further delayed the project as I had to essentially start from the

beginning with him.

Dell’s structure was polar to ours, while the corporate structure was aligned along divisions with

specific focuses, their commercial consultation division was best described as an adhocracy, a loose and

flexible organic entity that can shift and adapt rapidly (Bolman & Deal, 2017, pg. 83). Representatives
PERSONAL CASE ANALYSIS: STRUCTURE

where assigned according to regional and commercial segment alignment, Washington D.C itself had

multiple Dell consultants detailed across the spectrum of commercial and governmental agencies. With

teams of specialized technicians who coordinated a vast scope of functions. A downfall in this model was

the rate of turnover and poor talent management, and on occasion generalists who were competent in

many fields but were not experts in any. The vast range of opportunities and limited number of field

representatives meant that they could cherry pick the most lucrative and lowest hanging fruit in order to

meet their contracting quotas. Here the availability and access to a Dell representative was limited at

best.

Our organization was misaligned with authorities and responsibilities, unneeded additional

layers of management and oversight created an unnavigable environment constrained by its own

inefficiencies. Inhibited by a tight structure, there was little ability to leverage agile decision making.

Similar to Ford Motor Company’s predicament in the mid-2000s, an organizational flattening needed to

happen in order to reduce progress drag (Bolman & Deal, 2017, pg. 90). From a structural perspective, I

would recommend that self-managed teams and streamlined lanes of authority be implemented across

the organization systematically. Only one division had the authority to self-manage, and they were the

most responsive and effective during this situation, the best practices they had developed needed to be

exported across the organization. Understanding these principles, I would have championed earlier for

clearer lanes of authority and management, as well as more organic inter-office collaboration.
PERSONAL CASE ANALYSIS: STRUCTURE

References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership (6th ed.).

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass