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Business in Action 8th Edition Bovee Solutions Manual

Bovee/Thill, Business in Action 8/e Instructor’s Manual

Chapter 8
ORGANIZATION AND TEAMWORK

Chapter Overview

This chapter covers the important topics of organizational structure and teamwork. It
first discusses how different types of businesses are organized in order to best
achieve their goals. It then highlights the pros and cons of working in teams, what
constitutes effective teams, and how to resolve team conflicts. Lastly it discusses
managing unstructured organizations.

Chapter Outline

I. Designing an Effective Organization Structure


A. A company’s organization structure is the framework that enables
managers to divide responsibilities, ensure employee accountability, and
distribute decision-making authority
1. To design the organization’s structure, managers use an organization
chart, a visual representation of how employees and tasks are grouped
and where lines of communication and authority flow
2. The goal of many companies today is establishing an agile organization,
one in which company structure, policies, and capabilities allow
employees to respond quickly to customer needs and changes in the
business environment
B. Designing the most effective structure for the organization involves:
1. Determining which functions need to be done in-house and which
functions can be outsourced
a. A company’s core competencies are those activities that the
company considers central and vital to its business
2. Identifying job responsibilities and determining the most appropriate
level of work specialization – the degree to which organizational tasks
are broken down into separate jobs
3. Defining the chain of command – the lines of authority that connect the
various groups and levels within the organization. Two basic types:
a. Line organization – a system that establishes a clear line of
authority flowing from the top down
b. Line-and-staff organization – a system that has a clear chain of
command but also includes functional groups of people who provide
advice and specialized services
4. Establishing the span of management – the number of people under
one’s manager’s control; this is also called the span of control
a. In a flat organization, there are fewer levels of management but each
manager is responsible for more employees
b. In a tall organization, there are more layers of management, with
each manager responsible for fewer people
5. Determining decision-making authority

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a. Centralization is the concentration decision-making authority at the


top levels of the organization
b. Decentralization is the delegation of decision-making authority to
employees in lower level positions in the organization

II. Organizing the Workforce


A. The arrangement of activities into logical groups that are then clustered into
larger departments and units to form the total organization is known as
departmentalization
B. Departmentalization typically occurs in one of four ways: functional,
divisional, matrix, or network
1. A functional structure groups employees according to their similar
skills, resource use, and expertise; i.e., research and development,
marketing and sales, human resources
2. A divisional structure groups departments according to similarities in
product, process, customer, or geography. Each division encompasses all
the major functional resources (research and design, manufacturing,
finance, and marketing) required to achieve its goals
3. A matrix structure is one in which employees are assigned to both a
functional group and a project team, thus using functional and divisional
patterns simultaneously
4. A network structure is one in which individual companies are
connected electronically to perform selected tasks for a small
headquarters organization

III. Organizing in Teams


A. A team is a unit of two or more people who work together to achieve a
shared goal
B. There are several types of teams:
1. A problem-solving team is assembled to find ways to improve quality,
efficiency and/or the work environment, and disbands after presenting or
implementing the solution
2. A self-managed team is one in which members are responsible for an
entire process or operation and requires minimal supervision
3. A functional team is one whose members come from a single functional
department. The structure typically follows the formal chain of command
4. A cross-functional team draws together employees from different
functional areas. It can take on several roles, including:
a. A task force, which is formed to work on a specific activity within a
specified period of time
b. A committee that may be a permanent part of the organization and
deals with regularly recurring tasks
5. A virtual team uses communication technology to bring together
geographically distant employees
C. Social networking and virtual communities are redefining teamwork and
team communication by facilitating communication and erasing the
constraints of geographic and organizational boundaries
1. Companies may use social networking technologies to form virtual
communities or communities of practice

IV. Ensuring Team Productivity

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A. The use of teams within an organization has several advantages, including:


1. Higher-quality decisions
2. Increased diversity of views
3. Increased commitment to solutions and changes
4. Lower levels of stress and destructive internal competition
5. Improved flexibility and responsiveness
B. The use of teams within an organization also has several disadvantages,
including:
1. Inefficiency
2. Groupthink – uniformity of thought that occurs when peer pressure
causes individual team members to withhold contrary or unpopular
opinions
3. Diminished individual motivation
4. Structural disruption
5. Excessive workloads
C. The size of the team (5 to 12 members is recommended) and the types of
individuals on a team are also vital to its success
D. Other factors contributing to the success and effectiveness of the team
include:
1. A clear sense of purpose
2. Open and honest communication between team members
3. Empathy and mutual understanding
4. Encouraging creative, original thinking
5. Accountability
6. Focus
7. Decision by consensus

V. Fostering Teamwork
A. Teams typically go through five stages of development, as follows:
1. Forming – a period of orientation in which members get to know each
other and what is expected of them
2. Storming – the period in which conflicts may arise as team members
jockey for position or form coalitions
3. Norming – the period in which harmony develops and team members
reach agreement on member roles
4. Performing – the stage in which members are committed to team goals
and the team focuses on task accomplishment
5. Adjourning – the stage after task completion in which issues are wrapped
up and the team is dissolved
B. As the team moves through the stages of development, it develops a certain
level of cohesiveness, a measure of how committed team members are to
their team’s goals
C. Teams will also establish norms, informal standards of conduct that guide
team behavior
D. Teams may also experience conflict
1. Conflict can be constructive or destructive
2. Conflict arises for a variety of reasons, including competing for
resources, disagreement over responsibilities, poor communication,
withholding information, differences in values, power struggles, and
differing goals

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3. Conflict can be resolved through proactive attention, communication,


openness, research, flexibility, fair play, and alliance

VI. Managing an Unstructured Organization


A. An unstructured organization is a virtual and networked organization that
lacks a conventional structure but instead assembles talent as needed from
the open market.
B. The advantages of an unstructured organization include:
1. Increased agility. It can assemble, disassemble and reconfigure as needed
2. Lower fixed costs and more flexible capacity management
3. Access to otherwise unreachable talent, because companies can “rent”
top experts in a field as needed
4. Benefits of competition, because independent contractors compete with
other contractors and must perform or risk not getting more assignments
5. Performance-based evaluation
6. Freedom and flexibility for workers, who can pick and choose projects
and clients
7. Access to jobs that may otherwise be unattainable
C. Potential disadvantages of an unstructured organization include:
1. Complexity and control, because workers report to multiple bosses in
multiple companies
2. Uncertainty
3. Loss of meaning and connection
4. Diminished loyalty – workers are often competing vendors, not long-
term employees
5. Career development – independent contractors are responsible for
developing their own careers, rather than following a designated career
path
6. Management succession
7. Accountability and liability

Learning Catalytics is a "bring your own device" student engagement, assessment,


and classroom intelligence system. It allows instructors to engage students in class
with real-time diagnostics. Students can use any modern, web-enabled device
(smartphone, tablet, or laptop) to access it. For more information on using Learning
Catalytics in your course, contact your Pearson Representative.

Classroom Activities

In-class Activity: Tall vs. Flat Organization.

Goal: Help students better understand the differences between tall and flat
organizations.

Time Limit: 10 minutes.

Details:

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1. Create a list on one side of the blackboard, including the names of different
companies such as Ford Motors, Google, Citi Group, Genentech, Microsoft,
Intuit, Netflix, Walmart, etc.
2. Draw two columns on the other side of the blackboard, one labeled “Tall
Organization” and the other labeled “Flat Organization.”
3. Ask students to pair up and recreate the content of the blackboard on their
notebooks and subsequently assign all of the line items into the correct
columns.

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End-of-Chapter

Behind the Scenes


Teaming Up for Success at The Container Store

Critical Thinking Questions


8-1. Why might it be difficult to implement a system like Shift in a well-
established company such as Cemex?
A well-established company would have a clear organizational structure and
processes for completing various tasks. Suddenly reversing this by opening up
channels of communication across geographic and hierarchical boundaries would
take some getting used to and likely face some resistance. (LO: 1, AACSB:
Reflective thinking)

8-2. Should Cemex open Shift up to business partners and customers, in


addition to employees? Why or why not? If it did, what factors would the
company have to consider first?
Opening up the system to business partners and customers could be very
beneficial. Learning early and firsthand of struggles or successes in dealing with
Cemex would allow the company to react and respond quickly. It could address
issues and replicate successes with the information from partners and customers.
However, the company would need to consider security issues regarding
proprietary information and privacy issues of partners and clients. It would also
need to consider whether opening up this channel of communication externally
would result in the company being overloaded with petty complaints from the
other users instead of substantive, useful information. (LO: 1, AACSB: Reflective
thinking)

8-3. How could Cemex use Shift to recruit new employees?


Shift could be used to do internal recruiting of employees looking to move up or
around within the organization, as well as make a geographic shift. If open to
partners and clients, potential employees could also be recruited form this pool.
The very fact of having such a collaborative tool in the workplace could make
Cemex more appealing to prospective employees. (LO: 4, AACSB: Analytic
thinking)

Learn More Online


Read more about Shift at http://shiftevolution.cemexlabs.com. How is Shift similar to
the social media and social networking systems you use in your personal life? How
does it differ? Would you feel comfortable collaborating with colleagues you’ve
never met using a system like this?

Students’ responses will depend, in large part, on the material currently posted on the
website. (LO: 1, AACSB: Reflective thinking)

Test Your Knowledge

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Questions for Review


8-4. What is an agile organization?
An agile organization is a company whose structure, policies, and capabilities
allow employees to respond quickly to customer needs and changes in the
business environment and to bring the best mix of talents and resources to every
challenge. (LO: 1)

8-5. What are the characteristics of tall organizations and flat organizations?
A flat organization has relatively few levels in the management hierarchy,
whereas a tall organization has many hierarchical levels, typically with fewer
people reporting to each manager than is the case in a flat organization. (LO: 1)

8-6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of work specialization?


Work specialization, also called a division of labor, refers to the degree to which
organizational tasks are broken down into separate jobs. When employees
specialize in one task in a series needed to complete a job, they can complete it
far more efficiently than if they performed every task necessary to complete the
job. However, because repetition of tasks creates boredom, employees can
become unmotivated, and feel isolated. For this reason, companies are balancing
specialization and employee motivation through teamwork. (LO: 1)

8-7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of functional


departmentalization?
Functional departmentalization (grouping employees according to their skills and
resource use) has several distinct advantages. First, because divisions are self-
contained, they can react quickly to change. Second, because each division
focuses on a limited number of products, processes, customers, or locations,
divisions can often provide better service to customers. However, it can also
increase costs through duplication. Also, poor coordination among divisions can
cause them to become to fixated on divisional goals at the expense of the
organization’s overall goals. Finally, divisions may compete with one another,
causing rivalries that hurt the organization as a whole (LO: 2)

8-8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the unstructured


organizational model?
Advantages of the unstructured organizational model include: (1) increased
agility to assemble, reconfigure, and disassemble organizations as dictated by
market trends; (2) lower fixed costs and more flexible capacity management; (3)
access to otherwise unreachable talent; (4) benefits of competition; (5) workers
are evaluated on measurable, performance-based evaluation; (6) freedom and
flexibility; and (7) access to jobs that might be otherwise unattainable. The
unstructured organization is not without its disadvantages, however, and these
include: (1) complexity and control issues; (2) uncertainty; (3) loss of meaning
and connection because employees do not have the opportunity to form bonds;
(4) diminished loyalty; (5) employees must assume more responsibility for career
development; (6) lack of management succession; and (7) less clarity in terms of
accountability and liability. (LO: 6)

Questions for Analysis


8-9. Why is important for companies to decide on their core competencies before
choosing an organization structure?

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Core competencies are the activities in which a company excels and have the
potential to create competitive advantages. Those are precisely the activities that
companies should focus on themselves rather than outsource to other companies.
Therefore companies need to decide on their core competencies, i.e. the activities
they should focus on before they choose an organizational structure. (LO: 1
AACSB: Analytical thinking)

8-10. How can a virtual organization reduce costs?


In the virtual organization structure, companies hire the services that are needed
when they are needed, and then are able to change them once they are no longer
needed. Thus, rather than hiring individual employees to perform specific
functions and paying for the training and development of these employees, the
virtual organization structure allows the flexibility of focusing on its core
competencies and outsourcing other key activities to firms who specialize in
those specific areas. (LO: 2, AACSB: Information technology)

8-11. What can managers do to help teams work more effectively?


To help teams work more effectively, managers can show strong support for
team concepts, give the teams the authority to make their own decisions, and help
them to establish clear objectives. Managers can also offer financial incentives
for team performance, such as stock options, profit sharing, and bonuses. Public
recognition is an additional powerful motivation for success. (LO: 4, AACSB:
Reflective thinking)

8-12. How can companies benefit from using virtual teams?


A virtual team uses communication technology to bring geographically distant
employees together to achieve goals. Companies can benefit from using virtual
teams because they have the opportunity to assemble teams of experts wherever
they may be, rather than rely on the people who happen to work in a given
geographic locations. (LO: 3, AACSB: Information technology)

8-13. Ethical considerations. A company executive accidentally emailed you a


confidential spreadsheet with the salaries of all the employees in the
company. You took only a quick peek before deleting it, but you looked
long enough to discover that other managers at your level are earning
anywhere from 10 to 40 percent more than you, even though you’ve been at
the company longer than any of them. Based on this discovery, you believe
you deserve consideration for a raise. How will you handle the situation?
Clearly, there are some ethical issues involved in this situation. Because this
information was obtained when reviewing confidential company documents,
students must take this issue into account when responding. Although the
employee should seek a raise in salary, it would be a mistake to mention the
salaries of other employees as a reason for greater pay. Answers should
emphasize the reasons that the employee deserves a raise rather than simply
comparing salaries (and it would probably be better not to mention others’
salaries at all). (LO: 3, AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning)

Questions for Application


8-14. You are the leader of a cross-functional work team whose goal is to
find ways of lowering production costs. Your team of eight employees has
become mired in the storming stage. The team members disagree on how to

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approach the task, and they are starting to splinter into factions, each
pursuing its own goals. What can you do to help the team move forward?
The team leader’s focus at this point should be to resolve the conflict and help
the team become more cohesive. The leader can encourage the disputing parties
to confront the issue by openly discussing it at a special meeting. After both
parties have stated their views, a compromise may be possible. If not, the leader
can suggest that the team vote on the issue, with all parties agreeing to accept the
outcome. If this fails, the leader can turn to a neutral third party to mediate the
dispute. (LO: 5, AACSB: Application of knowledge)

8-15.You’ve recently accepted a job as the U.S. sales manager for a German
manufacturing company. One of your first assignments is serving on a
virtual problem solving team with colleagues from Germany, France,
Japan, and South Korea. Budgets are tight, so you won’t have the
opportunity to meet with your teammates in person to get to know one
another. What steps can you take to help the team develop into a cohesive
and efficient unit?
Students’ answers will vary but some key points to consider include: A) take full
advantage of the diverse viewpoints, experiences, and skills of the various team
members; B) use technology to replicate resources that in-person teams rely on;
C) take extra care to keep the team functioning effectively. (LO: 3, AACSB:
Information technology)

8-16. Concept Integration. One of your competitors has approached you


with a merger proposal. The economies of scale would be terrific. So are
the growth possibilities. There’s just one issue to be resolved. Your
competitor is organized under a flat structure and uses lots of cross-
functional teams. Your company is organized under a traditional tall
structure that is departmentalized by function. Using your knowledge
about culture clash (see page 112), what are the likely issues you will
encounter if these two organizations are merged?
Students’ answers will vary but the following are points of consideration: A) The
organizational cultures of the two merged firms must be harmonized somehow,
which can result in clashes between different values, management styles,
communication practices, and other aspects of life on the job. A company that
simply tries to impose its culture on the merger partner firm can experience
significant resistance, and even widespread employee defection; B) A company
with a flat structure and lots of cross-functional teams tends to be more
decentralized while a firm with a tall structure that is departmentalized by
function tends to be more centralized. The two merged firms need to decide
together what the new organizational structure needs to look like (e.g. stick with
one of the existing structures or adopt a hybrid structure, etc.). (LO: 1, AACSB:
Application of knowledge)

8-17. Concept Integration. Chapter 7 discussed several styles of


leadership, including autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire. Using your
knowledge about the differences in these leadership styles, which style
would you expect to find under the following organization structures: (a)
tall organization with departmentalization by function; (b) tall
organization with departmentalization by matrix; (c) flat organization; (d)
self-directed teams?

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a. When an organization is departmentalization by function, employees are


grouped according to skill, resource use, and expertise. This kind of grouping
is typical of a vertical organization and would function well with either an
autocratic or democratic leader.
b. When an organization is departmentalized by matrix, employees from
functional departments form teams to combine specialized skills. The
structure of these organizations is less rigid than those departmentalized by
function. A leader for this style of organization would have to be
democratic. Laissez-faire leaders would be too unstructured for this
organization, and autocratic leaders would be too rigid.
c. Horizontal organizations tend to use teams and reject separation of people
and work into functional departments. Leaders for this type of organization
would likely be democratic; they cannot be autocratic as they must delegate a
lot of authority and trust employees to act with prudence.
d. Self-directed teams manage their own activities and require little supervision:
Clearly, the best leader for this structure would be a laissez faire leader. This
type of leader could act as mentor and guide but would allow the self-
directed team to function on its own. (LO: 1, AACSB: Application of
knowledge)

Expand Your Knowledge

Discovering Career Opportunities


Management jobs require a range of skills and experience, and, not surprisingly, the
demands increase with the scope and scale of the opportunity. Use a website such as
Indeed or Simply Hired to find three supervisor or management jobs in different
companies or industries. Study the listed qualifications, then choose which of the
three jobs is the most appealing to you. Compare the requirements of this job with
our current qualifications and outline a plan (additional education or stepping-
stone positions) you could pursue to develop the skills and experience to land
your chosen job.
Students’ answers will vary depending on the choice of jobs, as well as their personal
skills and experience. (LO: 1, AACSB: Application of knowledge)

Improving Your Tech Insights: Mobile Collaboration


Mobile devices gives companies a new add another set of options for team
projects and other collaborative efforts, particularly when used with cloud
computing. Mobility lets workers participate in online brainstorming sessions,
seminars, and other formal or informal events from wherever they happen to be
at the time. This flexibility can be particularly helpful during the review and
production stages of major projects, when deadlines are looming and decisions
and revisions need to be made quickly. Find an example of a company that is
using mobile devices for team collaboration. In an email to your instructor,
identify at least two business benefits that this mobile solution provides.
Students’ answers will vary depending on the choice of company. (LO: 3, AACSB:
Information technology)

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Practice Your Skills

Sharpening Your Communication Skills


In group meetings, some of your colleagues have a habit of interrupting and
arguing with the speaker, taking credit for ideas that aren’t theirs, and shooting
down ideas they don’t agree with. You’re the newest person in the group and
not sure if this is accepted behavior in this company, but it concerns you both
personally and professionally. Should you go with the flow and adopt their
behavior or stick with your own communication style, even though you might
get lost in the noise? In two paragraphs, explain the pros and cons of both
approaches.
Student answers will vary depending on personal opinion. (LO: 5, AACSB:
Interpersonal relations and teamwork)

Building Your Team Skills


What’s the most effective organization structure for your college or university? With
your team, obtain a copy of your school’s organization chart. If this chart is not
readily available, gather information by talking with people in administration, and
then draw your own chart of the organization structure.

Analyze the chart in terms of span of management. Is your school a flat or a tall
organization? Is this organization structure appropriate for your school? Does
decision making tend to be centralized or decentralized in your school? Do you
agree with this approach to decision making?

Finally, investigate the use of formal and informal teams in your school. Are
there any problem-solving teams, task forces, or committees at work in your
school? Are any teams self-directed or virtual? How much authority do these
teams have to make decisions? What is the purpose of teamwork in your school?
What kinds of goals do these teams have?

Share your team’s findings during a brief classroom presentation and then
compare the findings of all teams. Is there agreement on the appropriate
organization structure for your school?

Universities and community colleges tend to be rich with examples of different types
of organizational structures. There are usually many committees, and task forces, as
well as “tall” organizational structures to examine. This blending of structures is a
good example for students to explore because it demonstrates the ways in which
different types of structures can coexist. Students may tend to overlook the informal
committees, groups, and networks; be sure to encourage them to notice the informal
as well as the formal structures. (LO: 2, AACSB: Application of knowledge)

Developing Your Research Skills


Although teamwork can benefit many organizations, introducing and managing team
structures can be a real challenge. Search past issues of business journals or

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newspapers (print or online editions) to locate articles about how an organization has
overcome problems with teams.

8-18. Why did the organization originally introduce teams? What types of
teams are being used?
Answers will vary depending on the articles selected. (LO: 3, AACSB:
Interpersonal relations and teamwork)

8-19. What problems did each organization encounter in trying to implement


teams? How did the organization deal with these problems?
Answers will vary depending on the articles selected. (LO: 4, AACSB:
Interpersonal relations and teamwork)

8-20. Have the teams been successful from management’s perspective? From
the employees’ perspective? What effect has teamwork had on the company, its
customers, and its products?
Answers will vary depending on the articles selected. (LO: 4, AACSB:
Interpersonal relations and teamwork)

Assisted-graded Questions
8-21. What are some possible benefits and risks of having teams compete
against each other, such as having the sales teams from various regions compete
to add the most new customers?
Possible benefits of having teams compete against each other would be a stronger
drive and motivation to succeed. This could lead to some innovative ideas and
solutions that could eventually be shared with all teams throughout the company.
Possible downsides would be losing some of the actual advantages of working in
teams, namely increased diversity of views and lower levels of stress and
destructive behavior. If team members are competing against one another, they
are less likely to share their perspectives and opinions. When people work
together toward a common goal rather than competing for individual recognition,
their efforts and energies tend to focus on the common good. If they are
competing, this will not be the case. And competition could make them lose the
sense of belonging to a group and being involved in a collective effort that is a
source of job satisfaction for most people. (LO: 4, AACSB: Interpersonal
relations and teamwork)

8-22. Review the “Loss of Meaning and Connection” bullet point on page 191
in the discussion of the potential challenges of unstructured organizations.
If you were planning to launch an unstructured organization, what steps
could you take to help ensure that any independent contractors you hire on
a project-by-project basis will have the same pride in their work that a
dedicated, full-time employee would have?
A manager could try to seek out self-motivated people who take pride in their
work for its own sake and hire these kinds of people as independent contractors.
Once hired, the manager could be sure to give credit and praise to independent
contractors for their contributions to projects, so that they feel their work is
acknowledged. (LO: 6, AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork)

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CHECKPOINTS

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1: Explain the major decisions needed to design an


organization structure.

Critical thinking:
(1) What are the risks of a poorly designed organization structure?
A poorly designed structure can create enormous waste, confusion, and frustration for
employees, suppliers, and customers.

(2) How does a flat structure change the responsibilities of individual managers?
A flat structure widens the span of management for individual managers.

It’s your business:


(1) What would you say are your two or three core competencies at this point in your
career?
Students’ responses will vary depending on personal experiences and opinions.

(2) Would you function better in a highly centralized or highly decentralized


organization? Why?
Students’ responses will vary depending on personal opinions.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2: Define four major types of organization structure.

Critical thinking:
(1) Should The Container Store use the same organization structure in each of its
stores around the country? Why or why not?
It should since that will give customers all over the country the same shopping
experience and convey a uniform brand image.
(2) Why does a matrix structure create potential problems in the chain of command?
Because in a matrix structure an employee reports to two superiors simultaneously.

It’s your business:


(1) Do you think you would function well in a matrix structure, where you would
need to report to two bosses simultaneously? Why or why not?
Students’ responses will vary depending on personal opinions.

(2) How well would you function in a matrix—could you share control with another
manager?
Students’ responses will vary depending on personal opinions.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3: Explain how a team differs from a group, and


describe the six most common forms of teams.

Critical thinking:
(1) How might the work of a task force or committee disrupt the normal chain of
command in an organization?

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Because task forces and committees are cross-functional and they require team
members to take time away from their own departments or divisions to meet and
work on specific activities.

(2) Should new hires with no business experience be assigned to virtual teams? Why
or why not?
They can be assigned to virtual teams as long as they get to meet in person at least
once with other team members before working on the virtual teams.

It’s your business:


(1) Would you function well in a virtual team setting that offered little or no chance
for face-to-face contact with your colleagues? Why or why not?
Students’ responses will vary depending on personal opinions.

(2) If you had two similar job offers, one with a company that stresses teamwork and
another with a company that stresses independent accomplishment, which would you
choose? Why?
Students’ responses will vary depending on personal opinions.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 4: Highlight the advantages and disadvantages of


working in teams, and list the characteristics of effective teams.

Critical thinking:
(1) Is groupthink similar to peer pressure? Why or why not?
Groupthink is uniformity of thought that occurs when peer pressures cause individual
team members to withhold contrary or unpopular opinions; therefore, groupthink is
definitely related to peer pressure.

(2) Is supporting a group decision you don’t completely agree with always a case of
groupthink? Explain your answer.
Not necessarily. It could be that you believe the group decision is for the good of the
whole firm or group even though it may affect you negatively. In this case, it is
known as a personal sacrifice for the common good rather than groupthink.

It’s your business:


(1) How would you characterize the experience you’ve had working in teams
throughout your high school and college years?
Students’ responses will vary depending on personal experiences.

(2) How can you apply experience gained on athletic teams and other collaborative
activities to the business world?
Students’ responses will vary depending on personal opinions.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 5: Review the five stages of team development, and


explain why conflict can arise in team settings.

Critical thinking:
1) How can a team leader know when to step in when conflict arises and when to step
back and let the issue work itself out?

Copyright ©2017 Pearson Education, Inc. 8-14


Bovee/Thill, Business in Action 8/e Instructor’s Manual

It depends on whether the team leader perceives such conflicts as constructive or


destructive. If they were constructive, she should step back, but if they were
destructive, she should step in.

(2) What are the risks of not giving new teams the time and opportunity to “storm”
and “norm” before tackling the work they’ve been assigned?
The risks include delaying the potential conflicts (rather than dealing with them first)
until such conflicts prevent them from successful teamwork.

It’s your business:


(1) Have you ever had to be teammates (in any activity) with someone you simply
didn’t like on a personal level? If so, how did this affect your performance as a team
member?
Students’ responses will vary depending on personal experiences.

(2) Have you ever had to adapt your regular personality in order to succeed on a
particular team? Was this a positive or negative experience?
Students’ responses will vary depending on personal experiences.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 6: Explain the concept of an unstructured


organization, and identify the major benefits and challenges of taking this
approach.

Critical thinking:
(1) “Unstructured” organization is something of a contradiction in terms; are such
companies still “organized” if they have no permanent structure? Why or why not?
Companies with an unstructured organization are indeed organized, but in a very
flexible, nontraditional manner. These companies use digital technologies to form
and reform work patterns almost on a project-by-project basis.

(2) How can workers develop marketable skills if they work as independent
contractors?
Although independent contractors have to assume more responsibility for their career
development – as opposed to progressing through the ranks of an organization – they
also have the opportunity to seek positions in which they can learn new skills.
Independent contractors can pick and choose projects that interest them and that they
believe will assist them in obtaining marketable skills.

It’s your business:


(1) Where do you think you would be most comfortable, as a regular employee in a
conventionally structured firm or as an independent contractor, moving from project
to project? Why?
Students’ responses will vary depending on personal experiences.

(2) Assume that you went to work for a conventional employer and then left to work
as an independent contractor as soon as you developed enough of a skill set to make
it on your own. (Assume as well that you were not violating any sort of employment
contract and were free to leave.) Would you have any ethical concerns about leaving
an employer who had invested in your professional development? Why or why not?
Students’ responses will vary depending on personal experiences.

Copyright ©2017 Pearson Education, Inc. 8-15


Business in Action 8th Edition Bovee Solutions Manual

Bovee/Thill, Business in Action 8/e Instructor’s Manual

Copyright ©2017 Pearson Education, Inc. 8-16

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EARTH-BROWN ARMIES

Earth-brown armies, on the brown earth whither,


Ant-like swarming, rush ye in your wrath?
—We wrestle and we tug and we pull all together
To shift the giant Dead Thing that lies across the path.

Earth-brown armies, but should it roll and smother,


Log-like topple, and crush you in the clod?
—Earth would pour new armies, one behind another,
To shift the giant Dead Thing that blocks the way of God!
THE IMPERATIVE

Whether we lose the light


Of love or of the sun,
With body and blood and mind and might
Must this sole thing be done:

The world is a broken ball,


Stained red because it fell
Out of bounds, in a game of kings,
Over the wall of hell:

And now must the spirit of man


Arise and adventure all—
Leap the wall sheer down into hell
And bring up the broken ball.

Worth well, to lose the light


Of love or of the sun,
Worth endless fire or endless night,
So this sole thing were done!
WAR-SACRIFICE

On a rock-altar stern
In sacrificial fires,
A man goes up to burn
His memories and desires.

Sweet savors of the earth,


All innocence and ease,
All pleasantness and mirth,
He offers on his knees.

His trembling, star-white dreams;


His body’s secret fear;
His life—how dear it seems,
How knit with lives more dear!

Last offering, and most dread—


With blind arms thrust above
His bowed and suffering head,
He burns his brother-love:

Yet from that altar springs,


Magnificently bright,
A Love with fiery wings
To fill the world with light.
THE YOUTH AND WAR

She said, “I will hide all the brave books away from him,
With their scarlet letters that burn into the heart;
I will lock their spell and their sovereign sway from him;
I will rear him tenderly, a life apart.”
But the day came and the hour came,
And the foul deed struck him like a spur;
And he felt the shame and the swift flame,
And his eyes were strange to her.

In the dreams of the night had the old Captains come to him,
And the staunch old Admirals that died long ago;
From the old fields of fight came the roll of the drum to him,
With a call that his mother could not know;
It seemed that a Sword gleamed blinding-bright
At the dawn-edge of the sky;
And he said, “O Mother, the Right is the Right:
I must fight for it now though I die!”
MOTHERS OF SOLDIERS

What should we say to you, O glorious Mothers


Sacred and full of sorrows, we childless ones?
We kneel to you as haloed women, we others,
The slighter lives that could not give their sons.
Not ours the exquisite anguish of surrender,
The deep, still courage that day by day endures,
The rosary of memories piercing-tender,
The travail and the triumph that are yours.

The agony and the glory of creation


You have partaken; in that steep way you trod
You have made yourselves part of the world’s salvation,
You have shared the passion and the joy of God.
With splendor of sunrise and the surging morn,
Out of your pain shall Man be newly born.
A REPRISAL

At the deep midnight hour


Sleep, that makes all things whole,
Indulged my tortured soul.
In the jewel-chest of dreams
He stirred the elusive gleams,
And found the gift of power,
Round, pure, and perfect power,
And laid it in my hand.

I said: “I have command


Of the Prince of the Power of the Air;
His own wings will I wear!
I will soar as a great hell-kite
To be named The Terror-by-Night,
Over mine enemy’s land.”

At the thought, I rode the sky,


High over the sea, and high
Over field and city and spire;
I laughed; I had my desire.
For I came to mine enemy’s roof,
Safe in a valley aloof,
And I knew, as I poised above,
There lay his Hope and his Love,
The twain that he held most dear,
Nestled with cheeks together,
Roses in summer weather,
Sleeping without a fear.
Gray Memory, close beside,
Couched her old, kindly head.
It was mine to strike them dead,
Even as mine own had died.
I cried with a great voice,
To mine enemy I cried:
“Come forth, come forth, to hear!
Look up, look up, to see!
Lo, what is in my choice!
This deed of black disgrace,
This have you done to me;
This might I do to you;
Yet this I would not do,
Yea, this I could not do!
Let the knowledge smite your pride
Like a gauntlet in the face!”

Mine enemy stood in his gate:


He was sadder than I had thought.
I hated what he had wrought,
But him I could not hate.
His eyes were startled wide.
What would he have replied?
I know not. Ere he spoke,
The merciless morning broke.
Hawkers in sunny streets
Shrilled triumphs and defeats,
Sold horrors and despairs.
Bells called the world to prayers.
ON THE DEATH OF AN UNTRIED SOLDIER

“He was likely, had he been put on,


To have proved most royally; and for his passing
The soldiers’ music and the rites of war
Speak loudly for him.”—Hamlet.

He died in armor, died with lance in rest.


The trumpet had not sounded for the charge;
Yet shall his guerdon of golden fame be large,
For he was ready; he had met his test.

No sacrifice is more complete and clean


Than that in the locked soul, secret and still.
Take for a visible deed the perfect will;
Crown with sad pride the accomplishment unseen.

Hang his bright arms undinted on the wall.


In all brave colors whereto his dreams aspired
Blazon his blank shield as his heart desired,
And write above: “The readiness is all.”
THE AIRMAN

Splendor of chivalrous Youth, swift-soaring far


In valorous venture of eagle-battle on high
Fate of a falling star—
Nay! a new Star in the sky!
TO FRANCIS LEDWIDGE
(Killed in action, July 31, 1917)

Beauty’s boy-servant, far in Flanders dead,


There shoots across the sea a shaft of pain
To think you are gone—a memory garlanded
With wilding flowers plucked in an Irish lane.
Your songs were like sweet waters to the throat,
Or tenderness and freshness of young leaves;
Surely the blackbird checks his laughing note,
And for your loss the dripping rainbow grieves.
With Brooke you are gone, with Grenfell, on high ways
Lost to our sense, beyond the chance of wrong;
Singers fall silent in these thunderous days,
But their bright death is radiance and a song.
—God send kind sleep to those clear Irish eyes
That saw the old earth still dewy with surprise!
THE WAY OF THE WHITE SOULS
(To the Memory of Joyce Kilmer, killed in action, July 30, 1918)

I stood in the summer night, when the hosts of heaven seemed nigh,
And I saw the powdery swirl of stars, where it swept across the sky,
The wide way of the white stars, where it ran up and down,
And my heart was sad for the man who said It was Main Street,
Heaventown.

He chose to walk in the Main Street, in the wide ways of men;


He set wings to the common things with the kind touch of his pen;
He caught the lilt of the old tune that the hearts of the plain folk beat;
He might have dreamed on the far faint hills—but he walked in the
Main Street.

He knelt down with his fellows, in the warm faith of the throng;
He went forth with his fellows to fight a monstrous Wrong;
He marched away to the true tune that the hearts of brave men beat,
Shoulder to brown shoulder, with the men in the Main Street.

A road runs bright through the night of Time, since ever the world
began,
The wide Way of the White Souls, the Main Street of Man,
The sky-road of the star-souls, beyond all wars and scars;
And there the singing soul of him goes on with the marching stars.

So, as I stand in the summer night, when the hosts of heaven seem
nigh,
And look at the powdery swirl of stars, where it sweeps across the
sky,
The wide way of the white stars, where it runs up and down,
My heart shall be glad for the friend who said It was Main Street,
Heaventown.
RESPITE

O Beauty, heal my heart! I lean to thee,


Faint, having supped with horrors: give me drink!
—Red slopes beneath tall pines, ranged tree on tree;
Long cool gray lakes, with iris round the brink
In knightly companies purple and proud;
Birches as altar-candles slender and white;
A late gold sun, traced curiously with cloud;
The spacious splendors of the moon-filled night;
Among the wild-rose crowds, the perfect one;
White sea-gulls like white lilies, on brown bars
That slant athwart blue bays; gulls in the sun
Rising as galaxies of trembling stars:
Lull me awhile, O Beauty, drug my dread!
—To-morrow morn War stands beside my bed.
HAPPY COUNTRY

Here by the bright blue creek the good ships lie


A-building, and the hammers beat and beat,
And the wood-smell is pleasant in the heat;
The strong ribs curve against the marsh and sky.
Here the old men are mowing in the sun,
And the hay-sweetness blends with the wild-rose;
At the field’s edge the scarlet lily glows;
The great clouds sail, and the swift shadows run,
And the broad undulant meadows gloom and smile;
Over the russet red-top warm winds pass,
The swallow swoops and swerves, the cattle stand
In the cool of shallow brooks—and all the while
Peace basks asleep, she dreams of some sad land
Leagues over sea, where youth is mown as grass.
TO FRANCE

Sweet France, we greet thee with our cheers, our tears,


Our tardy swords! O sternly, wanly fair
In that red martyr-aureole thou dost wear!
Even for the sake of our bright pioneers,
Chapman, and Seeger, and such dear dead peers
Of thy dead sons, joyous and swift to dare
All fiery danger of the earth and air,
Forgive us, France, our hesitating years!

Quenchless as thine own spirit is our trust


That thou shalt spring resurgent, like the brave
Pure plume of Bayard, from the blood and dust
Of this grim combat-to-the-utterance,
Fresh as the foambow of the charging wave,
O plume of Europe, proud and delicate France!
TO BELGIUM
CROWNED WITH THORNS

Thou that a brave, brief space didst keep the gate


Against the German, saving all the West
By the subjection of thy shielding breast
To the brute blows and utmost shames of Fate;
Thou that in bonds of iron dost expiate
Thy nobleness as crime! Even thus oppressed,
Is not thy spirit mystically blest,
O little Belgium, marvellously great?

Thou that hast prized the soul above the flesh,


Dost thou not, starving, eat of angels’ bread?
With every sunrise crucified afresh,
Has not this guerdon for all time sufficed—
That thou shouldst wear upon thy haggard head
The awful honor of the Crown of Christ?
THE CREED OF AN AMERICAN

In God our Father, and in all men’s Sonship;


In Brother-love and breaking down of barriers;
In Law that is the just will of the People
Shaped, and still shaping, to the People’s need;
In equal Freedom and in equal Service,
Duties and Rights: in all these I believe.

In these great States bound in a greater Union,


Many in One, the framework of the Fathers,
Nobly devised, a forecast of the future
When all the Nations gather in God’s fold;
The great Experiment, the high Adventure,
The captain Hope: in all this I believe.

In this bright Flag of Liberty and Union:


Its red, the symbol of the blood of brothers
That flows through men of every race and nation;
Its white, the symbol of the peace between them
That shall be when God’s Will has wrought as leaven;
Its stars, the symbol of many Powers that move
Clustering together without clash or conflict,
In the deep blue of the vast, tender sky
That is the all-enfolding mantle of God—
With my whole soul in all these I believe.
That I in peace must show my true allegiance
To this bright Flag, this constellated Union,
By square-done work and clean unselfish living;
That I in war must show my true allegiance—
While war shall linger in this world to threaten
Such Sanctities as these—even by my dying:
In all this I believe. Amen. Amen.
THE ULTIMATE VICTORY

As men that labor in a mountain war—


Scaling sheer cliffs, hewing out stairs of stone,
Trenching the ice, quenching the torrent’s roar
With rolling thunders in the gorges lone—
Having seized a height, might stand with dazzled stare,
Seeing, beyond, a highest heavenly peak
Hung lucent as a cloud in the bright air,
Still to be won: O thus, even thus, we seek
Peace beyond War! and thus the Vision gleams
Upon us battling, that snow-crest sublime,
That holy mountain, that pure crown of dreams,
Toward which Man’s soul has struggled up through Time.
In blood and sweat we war that War may cease;
And storming the last peak, we conquer Peace.
ROOSEVELT, 1919

How shall we say “God rest him!”


Of him who loved not rest,
But the pathless plunge in the forest
And the pauseless quest,
And the call of the billowing mountains,
Crest beyond crest?

Hope rather, God will give him


His spirit’s need—
Rapture of ceaseless motion
That is rest indeed,
As the cataract sleeps on the cliff-side
White with speed.

So shall his soul go ranging


Forever, swift and wide,
With a strong man’s rejoicing,
As he loved to ride;
But all our days are poorer
For the part of him that died.
THE QUIET DAYS
OLD BURYING HILL

This is a place that has forgotten tears.


The scythe and hour-glass and the skull and bones
Have lost their menace on the marred gray stones.
The long grass flows, still as the stream of years.
The goldenrod leans low her dreaming head.
Under the loving sun and the warm sky
These lichened letters tell an outworn lie,
A slander of good Death, discredited.
A drowsy cricket harps; and do but see!
With mystic orbs upon his dusky wing,
Here goes about his airy harvesting
Our little Brother Immortality.
Lost is their title, those gaunt Fears of yore:
Beauty has made this crown-land evermore.

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