Experts please help me answer these questions 1 Identify the

Experts please help me answer these questions.
1. Identify the contigency factors that favor either the mechanics model or the organic model of organizational design.
2. Compare and contrast traditional and contemporary organizational designs.
3. How deaign challenges faced by today\'s organizations?

Solution

1. Contingency factors that favor either the mechanistic model or the organic model of organizational design are:

(i) Strategy of the organization – Changes in corporate level strategy will have to be supported by appropriate changes in the structure and design of the organization. Depending on the strategy the design can be based on mechanistic model i.e. rigid or can be based on organic model i.e. flexible. For instance for manufacturing company and other such companies were cost control is highly important the mechanistic model will work best.

(ii) Size of the organization – When an organization starts increasing in size its design and structure will have to change correspondingly. Small companies tend to have organic model of design and when the company starts to grow and becomes large the mechanistic model will suit it better.

(iii) Technology – Different firms have different complexity of technology being used by them. Companies engaged in unit production and process production will use organic model while companies engaged in mass production will use mechanistic model of design.

(iv) Environmental uncertainty – When the environment is stable and simple then the mechanistic model is more effective. When the environment is complex and dynamic the organic model of design will be more appropriate.

2. Traditional organizational designs can have the following structures – simple structure, functional structure and divisional structure. Simple structure is defined by low departmentalization and centralized authority. Functional structure is defined by presence of groups with related occupational specialties. In divisional structure there are separate and semiautonomous divisions. Contemporary organizational designs are based on either team structure or matrix structure. In a team structure the entire organization is made of work teams and in a matrix structure specialists are there from different functional departments and they work on different projects.

3. Challenges faced by today’s organizations include the need for internal collaboration, need for external collaboration, need for having flexible work arrangements, need for having a contingent workforce.

The employees have to be kept connected and that is a key challenge. Secondly organizations are faced with the problem of managing global structural issues with regards to cultural implications and the need for formalization.