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Written Assignment Unit 7

Organizational Structures

University of the People

BUS 1101: Principle of Business Management

Instructor Name: Prof. Lindsey Marantos

December 29, 2021

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There are three kinds of organizational structures:

Matrix, Boundaryless and Learning. In this written assignment I will seek to highlight the

challenges of reporting the challenges and advantages of these structures.

Matrix structure: in this structure employees report to more than one department

manager as they are pooled together to form projects or product teams so there is also

a product manager.

The challenge of reporting to more than one Manager in a matrix organization is that

this can cause conflict due to the use of multiple managers who are incharge of the

employee. Hence the employee might be unclear as to which Manager has the final say,

therefore the decision roles must be clear.

A benefit of the matrix organization is that there would be increased communication

and co-operation because project managers will need to coordinate their actions with

those of the department manager.

Boundaryless structure: within this structure the barriers between the organization and

the external environment are eliminated/removed. Employees organize their work and

change their own roles to suit the demands of the situation.

Advantages of being employed by a Boundaryless organization is that with the removal

of some structure and hierarchy employees and suppliers can work together to relay

and share ideas and to look for the best solution for the organization. Employees will
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also get a sense of job empowerment because they are now a part of the decision

making process. Disadvantage of being employed by a Boundaryless organization is

that there will be lack of control and it presents communication difficulties.

Learning: this is where knowledge and behavioural change come about through

experimenting, learning new things and knowledge. The information that was learnt is

passed on within the organization so it’s creating, acquiring and transferring knowledge

and adjusting behaviours to reflect such.

The main cost of maintaining an organizational learning environment is Time: learning

from past mistakes, analyzing them through the use of retrospective meetings. Learning

of the challenges encountered and areas for improvement. The greatest benefit is that

there is job satisfaction since knowledge is imparted to everyone and they’re

knowledgeable at all levels. Hence staff can now work towards achieving the mission

and vision of the organization since they would know what the organization is seeking

to accomplish and how to go about doing that.

I would like to work for an organization that uses learning structure. This is because it

provides an environment where you are educated about the workings, how you deal with

situations and the knowledge is passed on so you are always in the know and makes it

easier to adjust to any changes because you are well prepared and informed.
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Words 445

Reference

Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2010). Management principles, v.1.1. Retrieved

from:https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/management-principles-v1.1/index.html.

Valamis (2019, February 11) What is Organizational Learning and Why it’s Important.

Retrieved from:What Is Organizational Learning and Why it's Important? (valamis.com)