1. Based on the case, in what way can organisational design hamper the ‘real’ pi
ID: 399567 • Letter: 1
Question
1. Based on the case, in what way can organisational design hamper the ‘real’ picture that leaders need to have in order to manage effectively?
2. Do you think that organisations that grow beyond a certain size (in terms of employee numbers), will face similar problems? Why or why not?
3. Some people have criticised the ‘undercover bosses’ for sending the message that they don’t trust their staff by using disguise and deception. Do you agree? Why or why not?
4. The ‘undercover bosses’ have invariably been affected by their experiences and have implemented changes to ensure that organisational structure does not get in the way of effective management. What do you think are some of these changes?
Questions based on Case Study below
Explanation / Answer
There are a number ways in which organisational design may hamper the ‘real’ picture that leaders have of their organisation. These include departmentalisation (different departments working as separate entities or silos), bureaucracy (overuse of formal hierarchies to share and disseminate information), geography (different parts of an organisation may be geographically removed from one another), decentralisation (decision-making may be spread out across the organisation), and the size of an organisation (the numbers of people employed).
As organisations grow in size it generally becomes harder for the leader to gain an accurate picture of what is happening in each store, division, department, section, region or country, depending on the type of business it is engaged in. As organisations grow in size they generally become more bureaucratic, relying on different levels of coordination and formal channels of communication, both of which can distort the real picture of what is going on.
the use of deception and lying could undermine workers trust. For example, workers may ask themselves what other forms of deception and lying is the CEO willing to use to spy on its workers. The use of deception by the CEO could well send the message to its workers that deception and lying is an accepted practice in the organisation. It also raises the question of why the CEO needs to deceive and lie to its workers in the first place. Surely if the CEO was an effective manager they would have put in place channels of communication that would give them an accurate picture of what is going on? Lastly, it is important to have a degree of scepticism for television programs like Undercover Boss, whose purpose is to entertain an audience and which is often used as a public relations exercise for the purpose of painting the CEO and their organisation in a positive light.
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