Comprehension Check(homework)

1. What is the main advantage of a chain of command?

The main advantage of a chain of command is the fact that the organization has a team
divided according to everyone’s skills and attributes, each division having the obligation to
report to the manager in charge so everything is supervised closely and that way the
productivity of the workers increases.

2. Why is it not usually possible to organize a large organization in a single hierarchy? In what ways
can dividing a business functionally cause problems?

To organize a large organization in a single hierarchy is usually impossible because of the

complexity of the activities, meaning lots of responsibility and work. To avoid any conflicts or
errors in the company, an organization has to have a functional structure. It can
happen ,although, when dividing a business functionally , that employers from a department
don’t get along or disagree with another department. For example, if the production and
marketing departments come to an agreement concerning the value of a product, but the
finance department rejects the proposal , it could cause some serious conflicts.

3. What factors might lead companies to flatten their hierarchies?

One factor that could lead companies to flatten their hierarchies is because the owner
wants to have more control over the business and that usually is the case for smaller firms.

4. According to what you learned in the reading, what kind of managers might not want to
delegate decision making?

According to what I learned in the reading, managers of a small firm might not want to
delegate decision making , wanting to keep as much control over their business as possible,
being in charge of every decision the firm has to make in order to succeed .

5. What is the potential disadvantage of matrix management systems?

A potential disadvantage of matrix management system is having to many managers to

get in touch with ,as a CEO, when a problem occurs , so the solution is applied immediately.

6. Under what circumstances might teams not be effective?

Delegating an entire project to a temporary group is risky because of the potential lack
of understanding, sympathy or cooperation between the colleagues. In other words, in that case
, you could call the group a not effective one because for the project to work , the environment
has to be healthy.
 Verbs and Nouns

Delegate -> responsibilities

Give -> instructions

Make -> decisions

Motivate -> staff

Take -> priority