Schermerhorn & Bachrach Exploring Management 6th edition Instructor’s Manual
Facts to Consider: Bosses May be Overestimating Their Managing Skills
It seems like the managers surveyed in this study have pretty good opinions of themselves and
their abilities to manage and lead. The manager in the preceding Ethics Check was probably one
of the respondents. The discussion questions in the Your Thoughts section can be used in small
group/large group discussion or in an online class discussion.
Hot Topic: Playing Musical Chairs to Increase Collaboration
Research indicates that workers spend roughly 40-60% of their interaction time every workday
Ask students to discuss whether or not musical chairs in the office going a step too far and what
their reaction is to this approach? Would they enjoy changing desks every month or so or hate it,
and why? Analyze if this idea should be used in larger organizations or the usefulness of the
approach really likely to be limited to smaller firms and startups employing a lot of new college
graduates? Evaluate if this a useful way to break down “functional silos,” or is it just a passing
fad that will soon lose its appeal?
Insight: Empowerment Gets More Things Done
It takes a lot of trust to be comfortable with empowerment—letting others make decisions and
exercise discretion in their work. But if you aren’t willing and able to empower others, you may
try to do too much on your own and end up accomplishing too little.
Schermerhorn & Bachrach Exploring Management 6th edition Instructor’s Manual
Quick Case: Crowdsourcing Performance Reviews and Flattening Structures
It used to be that one of a manager’s most important tasks was conducting annual performance
reviews. Technology now offers a way to make reviews more timely while also flattening
More of us are going to be on the giving and receiving ends of online reviews and crowdsourced
performance feedback in the future. But San Francisco State management professor John
Sullivan worries that people may end up evaluating others whose jobs they don’t know enough
about. Online peer reviews are easy and cost effective, but are they good replacements for the
formal sit-down with a team leader or manager? Ask students “When does technology flatten a
structure too far?”
Skill Building Portfolio
Terms to Define:
Bureaucracy
Centralization
Compressed workweek
Co-working center
Flexible working hours
Formal structure
Functional chimneys, or functional silos,
problem
Informal structure
Organizing
Product structure
Social network analysis
Shadow organization
Span of control
Schermerhorn & Bachrach Exploring Management 6th edition Instructor’s Manual
Test Prep 8 Multiple-Choice Questions
1. The main purpose of organizing as a management function is to ____________.
(a) make sure that results match plans
2. An organization chart is most useful for ____________.
(a) mapping informal structures
3. Rumors and resistance to change are potential disadvantages often associated with
____________.
4. When an organization chart shows that vice presidents of marketing, finance, manufacturing,
and purchasing all report to the president, top management is using a ____________
structure.
5. The “two–boss” system of reporting relationships is both a potential source of problems and
one of the key aspects of ____________ structures.
6. A manufacturing business with a functional structure has recently acquired two other
businesses with very different product lines. The president of the combined company might
consider using a ____________ structure to allow a better focus on the unique needs of each
product area.
7. An organization using a ____________ structure should expect that more problems will be
solved at lower levels and that top managers will have more time free to engage in strategic
thinking.
8. The functional chimneys problem occurs when people in different functions ____________.
Schermerhorn & Bachrach Exploring Management 6th edition Instructor’s Manual
9. An organization that employs just a few “core” or essential full-time employees and
outsources a lot of the remaining work shows signs of using a ____________ structure.
10. A “tall” organization will likely have ____________ spans of control than a “flat”
organization with the same number of members.
11. If a student in one of your course groups -volunteers to gather information for a case –
analysis and the other members tell him to go ahead and choose the information sources he –
believes are most important, the group is giving this student ____________ to fulfill the –
agreed-upon task.
12. The bureaucratic organization described by Max Weber is similar to the ____________
organization described by Burns and Stalker.
13. Which organization would likely be a good fit for a dynamic and changing external
environment?
14. Workers following a compressed workweek schedule most often work 40 hours in
____________ days.
15. Which alternative work schedule is identified by Working Mother magazine as being used by
all –companies on its list of “100 Best Employers for Working Moms”?
Schermerhorn & Bachrach Exploring Management 6th edition Instructor’s Manual
Short-Response Questions
16. Why should an organization chart be trusted “only so far”?
An organization chart depicts the formal structure of the organization. This is the official
picture of the way things are supposed to be. However, the likelihood is that an organization
17. In what ways can informal structures be good for organizations?
There are two major ways that informal structures can be good for organizations. First, they
can help get work done efficiently and well. When people know one another in informal
18. How does a matrix structure combine functional and divisional forms?
19. Why is an organic design likely to be quicker and more flexible in adapting to changes than a
mechanistic design?
Schermerhorn & Bachrach Exploring Management 6th edition Instructor’s Manual
Integration and Application Question
20. Imagine you are a consultant to your university or college president. The assignment is:
Make this organization more efficient without sacrificing its educational goals. Although the
president doesn’t realize it, you are a specialist in network structures. You are going to
suggest building a network organization, and your ideas are going to be radical and
provocative. Questions: What would be the core of the network—is it the faculty members,
who teach the various courses, or is it the administration, which provides the infrastructure
that students and faculty use in the learning experience? What might be outsourced—
grounds and facilities maintenance, food services, security, recreation programs, even
registration? What types of alliances might prove beneficial—student recruiting, faculty,
even facilities?
A network structure often involves one organization “contracting out” aspects of its
operations to other organizations that specialize in them. The example used in the text was of
Self-Assessment 8: Empowering Others
Instructions
Think of times when you have been in charge of a group—this could be a full-time or part-time
work situation, a student work group, or whatever. Complete the following questionnaire by
recording how you feel about each statement according to this scale.
1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neutral 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agree
When in charge of a team, I find that
1. Most of the time other people are too inexperienced to do things, so I prefer to do them
myself.
2. It often takes more time to explain things to others than to just do them myself.
4. Some things simply should not be delegated to others.
6. Many people are good only at very specific tasks, so they can’t be assigned additional
8. Most people just aren’t ready to handle additional responsibilities.
9. In my position, I should be entitled to make my own decisions.
Scoring
Total your responses and enter the score here [___________].
Interpretation
This instrument gives an impression of your willingness to delegate. Possible scores range
from 9 to 45. The lower your score, the more willing you appear to be to delegate to others.
Class Exercise 8: Organizational Metaphors
Instructions
1. Start by answering the following questions using this scale:
2. Work methods and procedures are specified.
4. My loyalty counts as much as my ability to do the job.
6. Top management is decisive and firm.
8. I can specialize.
10. Management is able to provide the information I need to do my job well.
12. Rules and procedures are adhered to equally by everyone.
14. People are loyal to their boss.
16. People clear things with their boss before going over his or her head.
3. Interpretation. This assessment measures your preference for working in an organization
designed along “organic” or “mechanistic” lines. The higher your score (above 64), the more
4. Form into groups and compare scores and organizational design preferences. Discuss areas of
Team Project 8: Network “U”
Instructions
Form into groups as assigned by the instructor. In the group do the following:
1. Discuss the concept of the network organization structure as described in the textbook.
3. Draw a diagram depicting the various elements in your Network “U.”
5. Present and justify your design for Network “U” to the class.
Practice Critical Thinking
Nike: Spreading out to Win the Race
1. DISCUSSION What factors drive Nike’s decision to stick with some form of network
organizational structure rather than own its manufacturing operations?
Nike has been very successful with the network organizational structure. Its core competency has
been in research and design and it continues to focus on these competencies. A network of
2. PROBLEM SOLVING Draw a diagram that shows what you believe Nike’s present
organizational structure looks like. Be sure to include all possible components. Next look at the
diagram as an organization design consultant. Ask: How can this structure be improved? How
can Nike gain even more operating efficiency without losing its performance edge in terms of
continually coming up with innovative, high quality, top-design shoes?
1. Global corporate leadership
3. Global divisions for Converse and brand licensing
Global Corporate Leadership. Nike’s organizational structure has global corporate leadership,
which involves corporate managers. The managers have offices in the company’s headquarters
in Oregon, USA. They decide for the global organizational structure of Nike. For example, the
Global Sports Marketing group releases new athletic shoe marketing campaigns for worldwide
Semi-Autonomous Geographic Divisions. Geographic divisions are a major organizational
structure characteristic of Nike, Inc. The company’s operations are divided into segments based
on regional markets. Each regional division’s managers optimize operations in the regional
sports shoes, apparel and equipment market. Nike’s organizational structure has the following
regional divisions:
• North America
Global Divisions for Converse and Brand Licensing. Nike’s organizational structure also has
two global divisions: one for the Converse brand and another for brand licensing. One global
3. FURTHER RESEARCH What is the current state of competition in this industry? Is Nike
continuing to pull away from rivals, or are they catching up? Are new, sleek, and faster rivals
starting to get into the picture? What moves has Nike made in regard to how it handles the vast
amount of subcontracting used in its supply chain? Does it still have problems keeping control of
this supply chain? Is Nike’s organizational structure still a major strength that contributes to its
Schermerhorn & Bachrach Exploring Management 6th edition Instructor’s Manual
Schermerhorn & Bachrach Exploring Management 6th edition Instructor’s Manual
Allow 15 minutes from the “start” time and call off the last minute by 15 second increments.
When time has expired, each team should take their finished production to the inspector. The
instructor should count each piece of abandoned paper by each team as a scrap product. These
should be added to those rejected by the inspector as not meeting quality standards.
a) Count the accepted (approved by the inspector) products
Then, the teams should assess what went “right” and “wrong” on their teams. Did they match
skills to jobs? Did they combine jobs? Did they change physical arrangements? Was speed
(efficiency) more important than quality (effectiveness)?