Organizational Structure and Culture

Organizational Structure and Culture

Organization Structure

Management Positions/ Titles

Ideally, at the top of the organizational structure is the position of Squadron Commander who is the commander of the 18^th Civil Engineer Squadron. Next in line is the CEO in charge of Operations Flight. Below the CEO is the supervisor the operations flight commander and the major operations deputy manager. Alongside there is also the operations superintendent who is also the senior master sergeant. After the operations flight position, the next position is the operations engineering with the supervisor chief of operations engineering and the operations engineering superintended senior master sergeant being in-charge. The operations engineering superintendent senior master sergeant oversees the requirements and optimization section, material control section, and the service contract section.

Subdivision of Work, Coordination, and Control

Within the organizational environment, mechanistic and organic structures are polar opposites in the continuum of an organizational structure. In particular, mechanistic organizations are characterized by a rigid, efficient, predictable, and standardized hierarchical organization structure (Lunenburg, 2012). Organizations using this specific structure often have a high level of formalization and over-reliance on rules and policies. Decisions are centralized and have a top-to-bottom communication process, where teams are assigned narrowly defined tasks. By contrast, organic organization structures are flexible, adaptable, and more focused on teamwork. More specifically, they have a weak or several hierarchies, loose rules and policies, and a decentralized decision-making system. Communication occurs in all directions with flexible tasks. Consistently, Organization uses the mechanical structure. Usually, the subdivision of work, coordination, and control takes into consideration the identification of work requirements from the base populace to the customer service section, which is also responsible for validating the requirements. Virtually, validation ensures that the requirements match the responsibilities of the assigned section and the description is clear and not duplicated. The process is also carried out to make sure all the necessary documents are included in the request. Nonetheless, in case the requirement does not require detailed planning, then it is sent directly to the planning section for execution. After that, the engineers are tasked with the responsibility of performing site visits to the recommended areas to ensure that the customer submitted what was required. The step is critical to ensure clear communication and to avoid overlooking details. Once the engineers verify the information, they move on to the technical evaluation and do a cost analysis to assess if the work is done will have a return on investment. Depending on the viability of the project, the operations deputy approves or disapproves the requirement and is then added to the priority system. Consequently, based on the nature and cost of the job the requirement is added to the seven-year investment plan or sent directly to the material control section for the procurement process to begin. Additionally, in case the requirement is above the threshold of the shop, it is sent to the Engineer flight or to the service contract section, where they develop the statement of work, conduct market research, and develop independent estimates. Afterwards, they liaise with the Contracting Squadron to ensure the solicitation and bidding process is commenced and get the contract awarded.

Informal Structure of the Organization

Organization structure refers to the way in which various part of an organization is arranged. It can also be described as the interconnectedness of system tasks, workflows, relationships, and communication channels. Ideally, there are two types of organization structures; formal and informal structure. In a formal structure, the formal arrangements or work positions are represented by well-defined job titles, lines of authority, and communication channels showing how information flows. On the hand, informal structure compliments the formal structure. It is often described as the shadow within an organization or the unofficial but critical function of an organization. It represents the relationship between employees inside the organization, and if it were to be represented in a diagram, it would show who talks to who and the regular interaction within the work environment. As Schermerhorn (2010) notes, informal structures are social networks that are in several ways important to the success of an organization. They allow people to contact others who may be in a position to help them accomplish the tasks assigned to them by management. They also offer a source of emotional support and friendship that meet the social needs of the employees. Within the organization, employees coordinate with each other to ensure smooth operations of the different processes. Employees are willing to help their counterparts who may need help and often congratulate one another whenever a milestone has been achieved. Virtually, the atmosphere around the work environment is friendly and that of team work.

Dealing with Differentiation-integration Issues

Every business develops at their unique way and pace. Various factors often determine the way a business develops, from the personality of its leaders and managers to the economic climate. Ideally, differentiation is the way in which various departments, sections, and branches develop their own corporate culture within the main organization (Oliveira, 2012). For example, the procurement department may have a different approach to their tasks as compared to the marketing department. On the other hand, integration refers to the way different sections in an organization coordinate their operations with each working under a cohesive set of rules and strategies to achieve the goals of the organization. Integration works well in a top-down operation, where the top management dictates the structure of every department or section instead of leaving the individual to set their rules and policies. In the case of the organization, the different departments within the organization work independently to fulfill their responsibility in the process chain. However, finally, the different roles played by the different section are integrated together to ensure a smooth transition of processes. More particularly, when requirements are identified, the different sections must play their role to ensure that the requirement is either approved or disapproved for funding and added to the investment plan. Integration comes in when the same sections work together to ensure that every process of the requirement is fulfilled.

Organizational Design

Organizational design is a procedural methodology that identifies dysfunctional aspects of workflow, structures, and systems as well as the way they fit in current business goals. For organizations, the organization design processes focus on improving both the technical and human resource aspect of the business. Normally, organization designs fall into two divisions; the traditional and contemporary designs (Janakiram & Rao, 2010). In this context, the most appropriate organizational design that describes the organization is the project structure that is classified under contemporary designs. Virtually, a project structure is one where employees continuously work on projects and are similar to a matrix structure, except when the project is completed employees move on to the next project. One of the strengths associated with this type of organization structure is that it allows maximum utilization of specialized knowledge. According to Rao and Rao (1999), Knowledge and skills can also be transferred from one project to the next one. A second strength is that the project structure minimizes the complexity of the environment by facilitating by allowing faster collection and processing of information. Another strength lies in the ability of the design to promote and maintain flexibility within the organization. Projects ensure specialization necessary to achieve the organization goals are pulled together. Alongside strengths, the project structure also has various weaknesses. For instance, it creates a feeling of uncertainty and insecurity among employees. Secondly, using the design might lead to bypassing of members when opportunities arise and often leads to career redundancy. The design also creates an authority gap because responsibilities outweigh authority.

Recommendations

Despite the weaknesses, project structures can be improved to meet the organization goals and to avoid the weaknesses from spilling and limiting processes. In this case, some of the things that should be considered include giving accurate information at frequent intervals to ensure consistency and to avoid mistakes. They should consider things such as what happened in the past, current information, and the impact of the project in future. The leaders should be willing to make decisions when faced with uncertain conditions to ensure that the process is smoothly transitioned. Sometimes, a great deal of high-quality information may blur the decision-making process. Nonetheless, when faced with such a situation, it is important to make a decision as soon as possible.

References

Janakiram, B., & Rao, V. N. (2010). Management and Behavioral Processes. New Delhi: Excel Books.

Lunenburg, F. C. (2012). Mechanistic – Organic Organizations — An Axiomatic Theory: Authority Based on Bureaucracy or Professional Norms. International journal of scholarly academic intellectual diversity, 14(1), 1-7.

Oliveira, N. (2012). Automated Organizations: Development and Structure of the Modern Business Firm. (Automated organizations.) Heidelberg: Physica-Verlag HD.

Rao, M. G., & Rao, V.S.P. (1999). Organisation Design, Change And Development. New Delhi: Discovery Publishing House.

Schermerhorn, J. R. (2010). Management. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.