Week 7: Organizational Structure & Design Qs: - Assignment Example

According to Autry (1996), organization design “is a formal, guided process for integrating the people, information and technology of an organization.” Each organization has a set of goals and objectives to achieve and this is only possible depending on the strategy utilised. The strategy of the organization may emanate from the way tasks are designed and allocated to different people. Through organizational design, the collective efforts of the individuals involved can be easy to direct towards the desired goals.

Liedtka (2000) posits to the effect that design is a metaphor for strategy making. In order to attain a certain goal in the organization, there ought to be a systematic approach of carrying out the task. This is often possible when the strategy utilised is compatible with the goals to be achieved. In other words, the goals are clearly outlined as well as the measures that can be taken in order to achieve them. “An organizational structure defines how activities such as task allocation, coordination and supervision are directed towards the achievement of organizational aims,” (Wikipedia, 2014).

It can be observed that organizations have both informal and formal structures where duties and tasks are allocated to different people. Calculated or deliberate organizational change on informal networks and structures can positively contribute to the performance of the firm if carefully implemented. For instance, calculated change is designed to improve the performance of the organization. Unanticipated and unintended consequences of organizational redesign can be avoided if the responsible authorities carefully scan the environment in order to identify the areas that may need change.

Planned change can positively improve the performance of the organization since the change agents are fully aware that such action can bring positive results. References Autry, R. (1996). “What is organization design?” Viewed from: . Liedtka, J. (2000, Spring). In Defense of Strategy as Design. California ManagementReview, 42(3), 8-30. Retrieved August 6, 2009, from Business Source Premierdatabase.Wikipedia (2014). “Organizational structure.” Viewed from: .