1. Considering an organization that you know well, to what extent do any of the four consequences of structural deficiencies listed in Illustration 3.14 apply to it?

2. If you think that some of these deficiencies are present, what does this imply for the way the organization is structured? What changes for the better could be made?

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Illustration 3.14 Organization structures: characteristic Using the work of Child (1988), Handy (1984), Hastings (1993) and Goffee and Jones (1996) it is possible to identify characteristic problems of organization structure, as follows: 1 Motivation may be low because decisions are inconsistent, arbitrary or poorly communicated. People may hold unclear responsibilities or have confusing reporting lines. They may be subject to contradictory pressures from other parts of the organization. There may be little attempt to agree clear priorities. 2 Decisions may be inadequate because information may be inadequate. Decisions may problems not be communicated effectively, or decision making may be fragmented. 3 There may be problems of conflict between departments because of a lack of coordination. People rarely work in teams from across departments or units and there is little attempt to generate shared views between planners and those who carry out the work. Feedback between departments is poor. 4 Costs may be rising because excessive paperwork and procedures are both costly and distract people from important issues, such as meeting client needs.