Organizational Structure of the Audubon Zoo - Essay Example

Integrative Case 6.0 The Audubon Zoo, 1993 December 2007 CONTENTS Introduction Organizational Structure 1 The Lattice Organization 1.1.1 Mission and Operative Goals 1.1.2 Horizontal Information Linkages 1.1.3 External Environment 1.1.4 Decentralized Decision-Making 1.2 Employee Structure 1.2.1 Membership Program 1.2.2 Employees 1.3 Relationship of Department Technology to Structural and Management Characteristics 1.4 Structure Alternatives 2. Issues in the Organization System 3. SWOT Analysis 4. Alternative Analysis 5. Implementation Plan 6. Contingency Plan Conclusion References Introduction The Audubon Zoo is a fifty-eight acres city-maintained faunal and floral park in New Orleans City for outward purpose of entertainment. It is also an institution for preserving and breeding animal and plant species, conducting research and educating the public on the conservation aspects of the species. With the organization's creative, innovative and entertaining campaigns and operations which attracted patrons of major companies, the zoo was able to sustain itself within the economically troubled city. Ranked as one of the top three zoos of its size in America by the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquarium, the zoo through its "zoomaster extraordinaire" is geared toward new directions. Audubon Park Zoo's promotions on support and awareness were directed by the Friends of the Zoo, Incorporated. Involved in the funding, operating and governing the zoo, it became the Audubon Institute taking the major share of the administrative functions in the zoo. The Audubon Zoo promotes membership to ensure cash flow. Membership fees significantly augment the income of the zoo along with the admissions and food and gift operations. The self-sustaining operations of the zoo can be linked to its good organizational structure and design. 1. Organizational Structure 1.1 The Lattice Organization From having conditions in the early 1970's like "animal ghetto", "the New Orleans antiquarium" and "animal concentration camp", the Audubon Zoo had its share of improvement and development plans until its accreditation and was ranked as one of the top three zoos of its size in America. This organization underwent a series of metamorphosis due to lattice organization and core principles. The Audubon Zoo has a dominant horizontal organizational structure designed for learning in which there is shared tasks empowerment, relaxed hierarchy, few rules, face-to-face communication, many teams and task forces and decentralized decision-making. 1.1.1 Mission and Operative Goals: The Friends of the Zoo, Incorporated (FOTZ) turned Audubon Institute has its mission statement anchored on earth's life preservation through awareness and appreciation. Natural world's conservation and enrichment are also part of the mission. It was formed in 1974 for the purpose of increasing support and awareness of the Audubon Park Zoo. This simple task however logically changed as more needs arose due to the zoo's dramatic transformation. From just drawing interest and commitment from the public, the FOTZ were now involved in funding, operating and governing the zoo. At present, the Institute's goals gear toward conservation, education, research, economics and leadership. 1.1.2 Horizontal Information Linkages Horizontal information linkages refer to the amount of communication and coordination among an organization (Daft, 2004). The Audubon Park Zoo's organization as populated by FOTZ members, volunteers, zoo parents, city public, local enterprises, local television companies, city officials, neighborhood, etc. has highly encouraged communication and coordination everywhere in its organization. Such varied and loosely organized groups pose direct and indirect lines of communication between person to person and within and among groups. The advantage of the open lines of communication is improving the quality and efficiency of communication. 1.1.3 External Environment Environmental uncertainty increases the risk of failure for organizational responses (Daft, 2004). The environment that the Zoo has faced is high-moderately uncertain. They have used organic management processes due to its small organizational size to adapt to unstable changes in their simple external environment. Tasks and functions are organized through commitments and awareness, the very principle of the FOTZ towards the zoo itself. Teams adjust and redefine their tasks as called for by the given circumstance. The flexible structure helps make internal changes happen quickly and avoids many useless efforts. 1.1.4 Decentralized Decision-Making Decentralized decision making emphasizes learning associated with shared tasks, a relaxed hierarchy, few rules, and face-to-face communication (Daft, 2004). These characteristics of decentralized decision-making are all attributes of the Audubon zoo's horizontal organization. The FOTZ 24-member governing board oversees the "policies of the zoo and set guidelines for memberships, concessions, fund-raising, and marketing. Actual policy making and operations are controlled by the Audubon Park Commission." The city public has a say through referendum on the renovation, expansion and approval of bond issue. Volunteers have their duties done in goodwill as they assisted in the commissary, the Animal Health Care Center, and the Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center or helped with membership, public relations, graphics, clerical work, research, or horticulture. As a public-owned organization, all stakeholders have a part in decision-making. 1.2 Employee Structure The increasing number of the membership of the FOTZ, and the setting up of full time workers and the continuous increase in the number of volunteers, reflect the commendable employee structure of the Audubon Zoo. 1.2.1 Membership Program Membership in the FOTZ is open. With the marketing membership approach, strong and continuous patronage to the zoo is maintained. A large pool of interested and committed volunteer workers and staff in the promotion of the zoo is also encouraged by the membership program. Since 1972 all workers were paid employees until 1983. Through the membership program, the number of volunteers almost doubled by 1984 and continued to increase even more in the succeeding years, the number of which almost comparable to the number of paid employees. 1.2.2 Employees The zoo uses two types of employees: civil service and non-civil service. The civil service employees, the curators and zookeepers were part of the Audubon Park Commission and were under the city civil service system but were paid by the FOTZ. Non-civil service employees in public relations, advertising, fund-raising, etc., were hired through the FOTZ. 1.3 Relationship of Department Technology to Structural Management Characteristics The Audubon Zoo management and structure is non-routine. Its organic structural management gives rise to the following characteristics: low formalization, decentralization of decisions, makes use of staff training plus experience, moderate to narrow span of control and holding horizontal communications during meetings 1.4 Structure Alternatives The organization's structure is a hybrid of functional and modular. With its functional leadership structure, the Audubon Zoo enables in-depth knowledge of the organization and to accomplish functional goals among leaders, the Audubon Park Commission, the executive director and the FOTZ. This structure however, presents slow response time to environmental changes. To avoid hierarchy overload, poor horizontal coordination among departments, less innovation and restricted view of goals, the organization makes use of modular approach with the Associate Director and Deputy Director as headquarters of small and varied departments. This structure maximizes talent and resources and it calls flexibility and responsiveness to changing needs. Though the Audubon Park Commission and the Executive Director do not have hands-on control over many activities and employees and great deal of time is required to manage relationships, the risk of organizational failure is somewhat far from reality due to the membership program. Most of the small departments have member-volunteers who have sense of ownership over the zoo's concerns. 2 Issues in the Organization System Analysis of the zoo organizational structure seemed to reflect a sound organization. Taking a closer look at the finance records however, a number of concerns came to the surface of seemingly undisturbed water of management of the zoo. Among the issues noted, one that lies at the bottom is the continuous revenues for operating expenses. Since its adoption of renovation plans in 1972, despite of the passed bond issue and property tax dedicated to the zoo, the institution of the master plan as stated apparently needs an additional income. This root of the issue consequently calls for maintenance of attendance of visitors to zoo, which is the main source of operating income. This was the reason why the FOTZ strongly promoted their membership program which can significantly augment to the admission revenues. More than a decade later, by 1987, 75% of the master plan was completed. It's alarming to note that operation income from paid admissions and membership fees significantly and continuously increased from 1982 yet after 1987, no more improvement was done such that in 1989 still 75% of the master plan has been completed. Another notable issue is the membership program. One of the benefits of being a member is access to the volunteer program of the zoo. The data in exhibit 12 showed the staffing pattern. There was a dramatic increase in the number of membership yet only about one percent is involved as volunteers. This could also be the reason why there was a considerable increase in the number of paid employees. The construction of the Aquarium of Americas and setting up of new facilities in the zoo entails more workers needed at the influx of more visitors to the zoo and aquarium attractions. Having a balanced operating income and expenses, development fund was not given attention. The lack of fund for development gives rise to yet another concern, the expansion problem due to lack of lands in the city. This concern boils down again to the insufficiency of the development fund. 3 SWOT Analysis The heart of the issues is due to the organization's hybrid structure particularly on its modular approach of managing small departments. The membership program cannot sustain its inherent weakness as administrators do not have hands-on control over many activities and employees and great deal of time is required to manage relationships. Somewhat prevented by slow response time to changes, this can be addressed however by the in-depth knowledge of the organizational structure of the leaders through its functional structure. The director's wealth of ideas such as safari train and breeding center for rare animals presents opportunities for unlimited potential of the zoo despite of the present financial constraint unless opposed and blocked by the community and neighborhood. This threat is also present in the members' indifference to the cause of the zoo's new directions. 4 Alternative Analysis To address the issues, the following recommendations are suggested: 1. Strengthening of the volunteer program for members of the FOTZ; 2. Volunteer-Staffs are temporarily employed in place of paid employees to ensure higher revenues to the Development Fund, significantly cutting expenses and increasing operational income for the Development Fund; and 3. Making an artificial environment in a building for children's zoo, world of primates, and bird's house (at the roof top) along with the proposed species survival center, an arboretum, an insectarium, and a natural history museum, giving its space of land for further zoo expansion. 5 Implementation Plan Implementation of the first recommendation will resonate further to the implementation of two other suggestions. The FOTZ will be responsible for drafting protocols to their membership program. A policy on mandated volunteer hours will be part of the member's contribution to pooling of development fund. A quarterly schedule of volunteer work will be proposed to the members along with a quarterly information dissemination programs to ensure awareness among the members of the cause of their contribution. A minimal expense will be required for the reproduction of campaign and informative materials. Upon effective establishment of the volunteer program which is the second phase of the recommendation, third phase will be on the limelight. This suggestion however unlike the first two requires big amount of money. The financial aspect however will be met by the first and second phase of the recommendation. Given the current operating income funding the development fund, five to ten years of extensive work and planning will give reality to the expansion program of the zoo. 6 Contingency Plan If for some reasons, the recommendations discussed previously are not accepted either by the FOTZ Board of Directors or the Members, expansion program will be realized through patrons and further tax support by the citizens of the city. This would take at least another two decades. International Foundations geared on the same cause of life preservation and conservation like World Wide Foundation could be asked for support. Conclusion The Audubon Zoo with its organizational structure, issues and implementation plan is bound for far more greater challenges to promote their mission of life conservation and preservation. REFERENCES Anderson, Clair J. (1993). Integrative Case 6.0 The Audubon Zoo, Old Dominion University, and Caroline Fisher, Loyola University. New Orleans. Daft, R.L. (2004). Organization Theory and Design (8th ed.). USA: South-Western Read More