Organizational Structure

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

What type of organizational structure is used by your place of employment?
Do you believe this is the best approach, and what changes, if any, you would make to the current structure?

*Faculty Note: Okay, if you find the question is not relevant to your workplace feel free to think about the structure of the organization of someone you know or even a company you know as a customer – also, while the videos are great, in looking at structures and which one is best I would make sure to pull up the slide presentation for chapter 7 (seven) and see slides 14 through 30. This activity is a precursor for the work you do on Nike for the end-of-week assignment where you reflect on the current one Nike is structured and if you would recommend they use a different structure.

ANSWER

Organizational Structure

Nike’s Matrix Structure

The organizational structure is the method through which organizational accomplishments are planned, divided, and synchronized. Organizations generate structures to manage the undertakings of work as well as govern the performance of members. The structure facilitates decision-making, conflict resolution, and proper reaction to the environment. Nike relies on the matrix organizational structure that has workplace set-up where workers report to more than one executive.

The matrix organizational structure combines the divisional and functional structure to develop a dual command situation (Brenner, Schlegelmilch, and Ambos, 2013). This has created a divisional and functional partnership that focuses on the work more than individuals by reducing operation costs by sharing key people and creating a balance between cost and time of completion. The structure has been working well and leads to continuous operations. The matrix organizational structure is the best approach due to its advantages to the organization, such as operational speed, operational clarity, and specialization.

The main aim of the matrix structure is to bring together every human resource and informational resource essential for an activity in a specific place. The matric organizational structure has streamlined communication and lowered confusion among employees since they are confident about what they are about to do and clear path in their departments. The functional organizational structure has also supported the new employees by providing a perfect environment for learning, thus feeling more motivated.

One of the functional organizational structure challenges is the lack of effective communication, which complicates control and governance. This reduces the coordination and understanding across departments. Communication is one of the greatest organizational functions that enable a company to stay productive and efficient. Therefore, the organization needs to focus on collaborative and interdepartmental communication to facilitate the efficient flow of information and operational efficiency. The dual chain of command needs coordination and cooperation between the direct supervisors to determine the work assignments, priorities, and performance standards.

References

Brenner, B., Schlegelmilch, B. B., & Ambos, B. (2013). Inside the NIKE matrix.