• What are the benefits and costs of flattening the organization? In your view, do the benefits outweigh the costs?
• What industries or firms are most likely to benefit from flattening? In what situations does it not make sense?
• Why is it important for managers to carefully consider the type of organizational structure that they use to implement their strategies?
• Briefly trace the dominant growth pattern of major corporations from simple structure to functional structure to divisional structure. Discuss the relationship between a firm's strategy and its structure.
• What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of the types of organizational structuresimple, functional, divisional, matrixdiscussed in the chapter?
• When a firm expands its operations into foreign markets, what are the three most important factors to take into account in deciding what type of structure is most appropriate? What are the types of international structures discussed in the text, and what are the relationships between strategy and structure?