Introduction To Business Handouts For Activity 41

Introduction to Business Handouts Handout for Activity 41 Organizatio

The purpose of this assignment is to help you understand the basic forms of organization structure and development of an organizational chart. You are to create an appropriate organizational chart for each of the specified businesses based on the limited information provided. Ensure to include logical department names and position titles, and feel free to create any missing information needed for a comprehensive chart. Additionally, you should clearly explain why you organized the company as you did and identify the specific organizational structure(s) used.

The companies to consider are the following:

• Benefit Training Resource Company: A growing publishing company providing leadership management training materials in five geographical areas in the United States. Its products include ten different leadership training programs, encompassing print and online resources. The company's personnel consist of a president, regional sales directors, production managers, and content writers and editors.
• Anderson Publishing Company: Produces books across three major areas: technical training manuals for industry, college textbooks, and K-12 textbooks. Led by a president who reports to a CEO, each division is headed by a Vice President supervising sales and editorial staff.
• American Publishing Systems: A global publisher of "how-to" books across various subjects for general audiences, sold across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia. It is headed by a CEO, with each country run by a president. Subject divisions are managed by Vice Presidents, overseeing teams of editors, writers, researchers, and production staff.

Finally, select one of these companies and describe how you might implement an emerging trend in organizational design within it. Discuss what it would take to transition from the current organizational structure to the new design, potential problems that could arise, and the advantages of implementing this change.

Paper For Above instruction

Organizational structure fundamentally influences the efficiency, communication, and overall success of a business. It delineates roles, responsibilities, and authority lines within a company, shaping its culture and operational effectiveness. This paper will examine the organizational structures suitable for the three presented companies, justify the choices, and further explore the implementation of a contemporary trend—matrix organization—within one selected company.

Organizational Chart for Benefit Training Resource Company

Given the company's geographically dispersed operations, a geographic functional structure would be appropriate. The chart would include a President at the top, with five Regional Sales Directors reporting directly to the President, each overseeing their local sales teams. Supporting departments such as Production and Content Development would be centralized under department managers reporting to the President, ensuring streamlined communication across regions. The structure allows each region to focus on local market needs while maintaining cohesion through centralized content and production management.

Organizational Chart for Anderson Publishing Company

This company’s division-based structure aligns with its product lines—technical manuals, college textbooks, and K-12 textbooks. Under the CEO, a President oversees the entire company, with each major division headed by a Vice President. Each VP manages their respective sales and editorial teams, facilitating focus and specialization within product lines. An integrated corporate functions department (HR, finance) supports all divisions, ensuring consistent policies and efficiencies across divisions.

Organizational Chart for American Publishing Systems

An international division structure suits this global enterprise. The CEO oversees regional Presidents (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia). Each regional President manages country-specific teams led by local Presidents or Directors, who oversee subject division VPs. These VPs supervise teams of editors, writers, researchers, and production staff tailored to their cultural and linguistic contexts. This structure allows responsiveness to local markets while maintaining global oversight.

Choosing a Company and Implementing an Emerging Organizational Trend

Selecting Benefit Training Resource Company, the implementation of an agile organizational structure reflects current trends emphasizing flexibility, decentralization, and cross-functional teams. Agile organizational design fosters rapid decision-making, enhances innovation, and improves responsiveness—key advantages in the competitive training materials industry.

Transitioning from a traditional hierarchical model to an agile structure requires significant cultural change, leadership development, and process adaptation. The first step involves training management and staff on agile principles, emphasizing collaboration, customer-focus, and iterative development. Reorganizing teams into cross-functional units that can operate semi-autonomously would be necessary, with a shift from centralized control to empowered teams.

Potential problems include resistance to change from employees accustomed to clear hierarchies, possible confusion over roles, and the challenge of maintaining coordination across autonomous teams. Communication breakdowns could occur if new processes are not effectively managed. Therefore, incremental implementation combined with ongoing training and feedback mechanisms is essential.

The advantages of adopting an agile structure include increased innovation capacity, flexibility in product development, faster response to market changes, and improved employee engagement. Such a model encourages continuous improvement and customer-centricity, aligning with the dynamic nature of the training industry.

Conclusion

In conclusion, correctly identifying and designing organizational structures is pivotal for operational success. Whether leveraging functional, divisional, or geographic frameworks, aligning structure with strategic goals optimizes performance. Embracing emerging trends like agility can further enhance competitiveness, provided the transition is managed thoughtfully to mitigate risks and capitalize on potential benefits.

References

• Daft, R. L. (2016). Organization Theory and Design. Cengage Learning.
• Roberts, K. H., & Bea, R. (2001). An Integrated Model of Organizational Failure. Journal of Management, 27(3), 375-395.
• Burns, T., & Stalker, G. M. (1961). The Management of Innovation. Tavistock Publications.
• Harrison, F. (2014). Organizational Change: Creating Change in Complex Organizations. SAGE Publications.
• Laloux, F. (2014). Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness. Nelson Parker.
• Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in Organizations. Pearson Education.
• Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (1993). The Wisdom of Teams. Harvard Business School Press.
• McKinsey & Company. (2018). The Impact of Organizational Design on Business Performance. McKinsey Quarterly.
• Lawrence, P. R., & Lorsch, J. W. (1967). Organization and Environment. Harvard University Press.
• Hooijberg, R., & Choi, J. (2000). Developing Leadership Talent in a Changing Organization. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 7(4), 70-83.