1. We sometimes talk of organizations being mechanistic or organismic.

How
valid is this distinction? Illustrate your answer with examples.

The decorum, expertise, and optimization of organic organizations are low. Their decision-
making processes are autonomous, and their operations are well-coordinated. The organic
framework is typically flat, with cross-functional departments and a robust knowledge
structure that includes both lateral and upward interaction, as well as downward
communication. A consultancy company is an example of an organismic organization.
Consumer issues are heard by a consulting firm, and those concerns move as the retail
environment shifts. Consulting firms are prone to quickly adapting to transition, so they opt
for an evolutionary structure in order to be flexible and respond to their clients' needs.

Mechanistic organizations include systematic, standardized management structures and

unified decision-making. Insecure, specific settings, mechanistic business organizations
excel. Managers use organized meetings and administrative channels to organize the
activities of specific departments. Often organizational levels and an emphasis on chain of
command are common features. The Department of Transportation is an example of a
mechanistic paradigm. You move from one department to the next to get a driver's license,
take a writing examination, an eye check, a real driving test, filling out papers, and then
obtaining your driving license.

2. Select one of the approaches to organizational concepts - Classical, Human

Relations, or Contingency. Explain the idea behind it giving organizational
examples to illustrate. Is the approach you selected valid?

According to the contingency approach, administrative decisions and organizational

configuration must be relevant to the issue, and a specific decision is only applicable under
certain circumstances. Managers can improve condition awareness and realistic efficacy.
This approach can be beneficial in the development of policies, the creation of productive
organizations, the preparation of information processes, the establishment of coordination
and control systems, the forming of motivational and leadership styles, the resolution of
disputes, and the management of the transition, among other things. It emphasizes the
multi-variate existence of organizations and tries to comprehend how they function in
different environments and different situations. Contingency perspectives are ultimately
aimed at recommending the most suitable organizational designs and management
decisions for individual circumstances. Incentive and management are only two of the
contingency theory's several independent factors, while competitiveness, retention, and
absenteeism are amongst the dependent variables.
 3. Jay Galbraith offers a STAR model for organizational design. Apply this model
to an organization of your choice as a method to analyze the reasons for its
effectiveness.

The Star Model, developed by Jay Galbraith, assists businesses in creating the
organizational structure required to maintain their business strategies and value propositions
over time. Strategy, Structure, Processes, Rewards, and People are the five areas of the
Star Model that can be linked and integrated to positively influence your organization's
decisions and behaviors.

 Strategy: The business model is guided by strategy. If Apple Inc. wants to increase
revenue by 20% in new consumer markets, it should represent this in their business
plan in the form of new Customer Segments, Channels, or Key Activities.

 Structure: Apple Inc. must find a solution to these issues "What kind of human
resources would the model necessitate? What tasks would those individuals be
expected to complete? How can the structure be designed to meet those
requirements?"

 Processes: A low-cost business model can have lean, highly automated processes.
If Apple Inc.'s business model requires selling high-value devices, stringent quality
management processes will be expected.

 Rewards: If Apple Inc.'s business model is highly reliant on customer loyalty, their
rewards should reflect that responsibility. If the model necessitates the use of a direct
sales force to attract new buyers, the rewards should be based on results.

 People: Apple's business models depend on entrepreneurial processes to deliver

new goods and services to market daily. Human resource programs should be
structured to recruit and maintain constructive, dependable, free-thinking employees
in certain situations.
 4. National culture, leadership. Politics

 National Culture: National culture refers to the inhabitants of a sovereign

country's traditions, habits, viewpoints, activities, and values. Language, religion,
race and racial identification, traditional history, and traditions are only a few
indicators of national culture's distinguishing characteristics. For example,
Chinese or Asian Culture.

 Leadership: Leadership is the process of motivating a group of people to work

together toward a common goal. This may include directing employees and peers
on a strategy to meet the company's needs in a competitive market. Leaders
assist themselves and others in making the best decisions. They set the tone,
establish a compelling vision, and invent something different. It is complex,
thrilling, and motivational to plan out where you'll have to go in order to gain as a
team or an organization.

 Politics: Politics is a collection of activities dealing with group decision-making or

other facets of interpersonal power dynamics, such as resource sharing or status.

5. Hall offers two approaches to understanding national cultural differences.

Outline the two approaches giving examples. How does Hall’s thinking differ
from Hofstede’s?

Hall’s thinking is different from Hofstede’s because his framework was focused on value
dimensions. Hall has proposed two approaches i.e. iceberg model and the cross-cultural
communication model. The icebergs observed in polar waters influenced the Iceberg Model
of Culture. The visible pieces of an iceberg are on the sea's floor, while the invisible parts
are under it. Up to 90percent of the surface area of an iceberg is concealed under the
water's surface. Similarly, there are tangible and unseen elements of society and action. The
society we work and communicate with one another, as well as our customs, food, and
clothing, are all obvious aspects of culture. Our desires, views, principles, ideologies, and
value structures make up the unseen portion. Most of the history and attitudes, like the
iceberg, is concealed under the surface, but it cannot be overlooked. Furthermore, the cross-
cultural paradigm states that context, time, and space determine contact in every society.
 6. It is sometimes said that good leaders are born rather than made, the Trait
Theory of leadership. Do you agree? What would you say were the pros and
cons of this idea?

The Trait Theory tries to figure out who and what makes a good leader. While this
hypothesis appears to be accurate and can be shown by examples, there are also cases
where this theory is shown to be incorrect and does not hold.

 Pros: Over time, traits can be developed and learned. More people have the
potential to become leaders.

 Cons: Not all with specific leadership qualities become a leader. This theory does
not take into consideration the specific situations of a given case.

7. Define organizational politics. Are they a bad thing?

Organizational politics corresponds to an individual's personal and intent in a business,

regardless of how it affects the company's task of achieving its goals. It's a system that deals
with self-serving human actions and power and control relationships. It refers to the
procedures and methods used to establish personal influence in the workplace. Employees
are most often seen using organizational politics as a tactic to abuse their influence, achieve
extreme notoriety, and smear the reputation of everyone else in their group. Organizational
politics is sometimes portrayed as a bad thing, but this is not necessarily the case. Working
in an organization is difficult and it necessitates the ability to effectively manage changing
power bases and competing interests.

8. Discuss McKinsey 7S Model by discussing the main elements of the model?

How different is this model from that presented by Lewin?

An organization is made up of various components, the performance of which determines

the organization's strengths and weaknesses. There are two main elements of this model
which are as follows:

Hard Elements: Hard elements are those that can be quickly identified and handled by
management in the event of a problem i.e. Strategy, Structure, and Systems.

Soft Elements: Soft elements, on the other hand, are dynamic and complex. The corporate
culture is generally described by these elements i.e. Shared values, Style, Staff, and Skills.
Lewin's model is different from McKinsey's 7s model because Unfreeze – Change –
Refreeze is the description of his model, which corresponds to the three-stage change
phase he explains.

9. Environmental scanning is an important role in change management, discuss

how it is used and how It can be used to take a pro-active approach to change
management using a business example in your answer.

The method of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information for operational or

strategic reasons is known as environmental scanning. The environmental scanning process
involves gathering both objective and subjective data on the industry conditions in which an
organization operates or intends to operate.

 Ad-hoc Scanning is scanning that is conducted on a simple term, rare basis and is
normally triggered by a situation i.e. Downturn of sales of FMCG products
 Regular Scanning is carried out daily i.e. Assortment of Supermarket shelves
 Continuous Scanning is about continuously accumulating and store organized data
on a wide variety of environmental variables i.e. Covid Vaccine

10. Kotter's 8 step change management model provides us with a roadmap on how
to bring about change on an organizational level. Using a business of your
choice apply Kotter's model.

The description of Kotter's 8 Steps model is given below, along with an example of its use in
business.

 Establishing a Sense of Urgency: BMW has been losing revenue to Tesla for the
last three months. BMW conducts studies to determine the cause, and the findings
reveal that Tesla is investing in technology, which has allowed them to have better
vehicles, and as a result, they are outpacing the competition. BMW must also
persuade the organization that embracing new technologies would help both the
corporation and its staff. This would increase the initial sense of urgency to push the
button.

 Building the guiding team: BMW doesn't need to choose only from the top or
middle tiers in this regard. They should also choose from line managers who have
the skills to persuade others.
  Get the right vision: To develop an organizational vision for transformation, BMW
must concentrate on its policy and organizational principles.

 Communicate for buy-in: In the business, BMW has planned automation and other
technical upgrades. BMW's change management committee must speak with
individuals to learn about their specific needs and how they believe the change will
impact them. BMW must have options such as training and tools to assist staff in
overcoming the new obstacles for buy-in.

 Empower action by removing obstacles: BMW had to convince participants to

take action. Any people would not consent until they see evidence of success. BMW,
on the other hand, must continue.

 Create Short-term wins: BMW has to split its long-term objectives into shorter-term
objectives. Short-term objectives are essential for maintaining worker morale and
concentration. It becomes easier to attract followers to join the remainder of the
strategy when enough initial rewards have been recorded.

 Build on the change: BMW must examine the results to see what should be
changed and what is still working well to make the initiative a success.

 Make change stick: BMW has to work on creating a community that encourages
creativity. They must connect technology to organizational principles and ensure that
people follow these values. These principles must be expressed to new employers as
well as former employees. As technology advances and creativity is ingrained in
society, a climate conducive to transformation may emerge.

11. Using a business that you are familiar with discuss the process of identifying a
change agent that can bring a necessary change to your chosen business.

A change agent in Coca-Cola would be someone who encourages and facilitates change in
a community or organization. Inside the organizations, top managers are often asked to be
change agents. Change agents assist in fostering the importance of change in Coca-Cola’s
by implementing how the change can take place, directing and assisting others during the
change, and maintaining that the new policies, policies, systems, and so on are incorporated
in ways that provide the desired value of the organizational reform. In addition, a change
agent outlines why change is occurring and who will be impacted, advocates for the change
program, disseminates facts and highlights possible advantages and disadvantages to
proposed interventions.

12. What is a 'change agent network'? and how would it be used in a business that
is changing?

A Change Agent Network is a community of people that serve different aspects of a

company that would be impacted by a change. They have a variety of responsibilities,
including informing their teams about developments and advocating for their interests and
concerns. Change Agents should be committed promoters of the initiative itself, appreciate
the mission's advantages as well as the broader technology vision and approach, and be
able to communicate these benefits to their team or community. During weekly sessions,
change agents check regularly to the change network. They discuss some of the more
common questions raised, and the change team attempts to fix them. Change agent
networks serve as the end users' voices, voicing them across the project lifecycle to improve
satisfaction and acceptance.

13. Is there any relationship between Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg's
Two-factor theory of Motivation?

Higher-level psychological desires such as accomplishment, acceptance, commitment, and

development are discussed in Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory and Maslow's Hierarchy of
Needs. According to Herzberg's model, the higher-level needs of Maslow's model are the
primary motivators for all jobs who have achieved a level of social and economic
performance in community. They may be able to satisfy the lower-level conditions to keep
the current situation. Herzberg's model distinguishes between motivational and maintenance
factors, pointing out that motivational factors are often extracted from the job itself. The
majority of maintenance considerations are classified as lower-order needs while motivating
factors are similar to higher-order needs. Both theories predict the action is energized by
particular needs.

14. What do you understand by the term "Groupthink"? Does this concept have
any importance for our understanding of Teams?
When a group of individuals decides without exercising critical thought or considering the
consequences or options, this is known as groupthink. The foundation of groupthink is a
mutual desire to keep a group's equilibrium. This propensity creates an atmosphere within a
culture that suffocates creativity and individuality in order to escape the stress. In the
workplace, groupthink will transform into a team by causing staff and managers to ignore
possible issues in the search for unity. Employees can conscience and not suggest
recommendations because individual critical reflection is discouraged or discouraged upon
for threat of disrupting the status quo.

15. Tuckman and Jensen describe a model of team formation. What are the main
elements of the model? Apply the model to a work or other team environment
with which you are familiar.

The teams will go through five stages of development, according to Tuckman: forming,
storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. The phases begin when a team first meets
and finish when the project is completed. In forming, the team forms and discuss the roles
and responsibilities. In storming, the team discusses different approaches to reach the goal,
solve conflicts, overcome obstacles, and brainstorm for making decisions. The consensus on
individual members' roles is achieved at the norming stage. Interpersonal tensions fade, and
a feeling of identity and unity develops. In the performing stage, agreement and coordination
are sufficient, and the team is experienced, unified, and well-functioning. Finally, the bulk of
the team's goals have been accomplished during the adjourning stage. When the workload
reduces, individual players may be assigned to other teams, and the team may disband. For
example, The tutor forms a group of seven students at module project, they spend time
studying together and socialize regularly. They've built a strong bond of confidence, which
has resulted in improved cooperation and a desire to work through challenges and disputes
as they arise. The group disbands after unveiling the project, and the tutor forms new
groups.

16. Innovation can be explained through the Innovation Matrix by Satell (2013).
Discussion of the Innovation Matrix? Illustrate your answers with examples.

An Innovation Matrix is a graphic representation of how to quickly define various types of

innovation depending on which target is required for a particular viewpoint. There are 4
aspects of the innovation matrix which are:
  Breakthrough Innovation: The matrix reveals that the dilemma is well-formulated in
specific, but the path to it, the expertise, and the scope are still a little hazy. E.g.
When the composition of DNA was found, or when the chip was designed.

 Disruptive Innovation: Organizations get increasingly better at innovating goods

that consumers desire less and less as the basis of competition shifts, such as rivals
or technical advances. For example, Netflix is a prime case of disruptive innovation,
when it disrupted an established industry with a revolutionary business model and
technologies.

 Basic Research: Wide corporations that engage in R&D, hospitals, government

agencies, non-profit research centers, and individuals all perform basic research.

 Sustaining Innovation: The majority of innovation is carried out when something

has to do differently than it does today. The aim is to enhance and extend available
options. The new mobile industry is an excellent example of sustaining innovation.
Big brands release new, updated products every year, identifying additional benefits,
new ways of doing stuff, and incremental efficiency changes that give their product
the advantage.

17. Rodger's (1962) diffusion theory helps to explain how innovation can be done
in an organization. What are the four main areas of the theory and apply the
theory to an organization of your choice?

The diffusion of inventions theory describes how modern technological and other
advancements evolve across populations and cultures, from their emergence to widespread
acceptance. Rogers (1962) proposed the theory that a new idea's distribution is influenced
by four major factors which are innovation, communication channel, time, and social
systems.

If we take the example of Macintosh, Apple Inc. proposed the idea of new technology in
computer devices, and after generating the idea it has communicated throughout the
company. It took time for the decision-making process that whether this idea would be
successful in the market or not. After having conflicts, the idea has been implemented. Apple
inc. launched Macintosh one and managers, employees, and consumers itself made the
innovation successful throughout the industry.
 18. What do you understand by the statement “Innovation fuels entrepreneurial
practices”? Using an example apply this thinking.

Innovation does not only mean the invention of something new; innovators often refine,
change, and refine existing products to make them more convenient for their customers. The
competitiveness of a startup is measured by its creative concepts. For example, DVD rental
stores seemed to be one of the consumer video industry's foundations, while Netflix, on the
other hand, seemed to be on its way out. Not only did the company pioneer DVD distribution,
but their streaming service has revolutionized movie rental. The brand's success stems from
its desire to welcome change and see it as an opportunity for innovation.