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Week 1 Discussion
Define and discuss the four common denominators of all organizations and provide an example
for each component.  
For an organization to gain or sustain growth and high performance four common denominators
must be put into place. The four common denominators are Coordination of effect, Aligned Goals,
Division of Labor, Hierarchy of Authority. For the past 10 years I have worked in supply chain,
manufacturing, and Logistics. To provide examples for each common denominator I will be refereeing
to Walmart Distribution, my previous employer.
1. Coordination of Effort consist of policies, rules, and regulations. At Walmart Distribution the
COE is enforced by key leaders such as the General Manager, Human Resource Team,
Environmental Health & Safety Team, Operations Managers, as well as Area Managers.
2. Aligned Goals are strategic plans put together by top leaders in order to meet customer demands
and company goals. All mangers join daily tactile meetings to discuss plans and how to
communicate it to department associates in order to meet goals.
3. Division Of Labor – Employees share the same goals but ultimately it is performed in different
task. In Walmart Distribution the main goal is to get the merchandise orders shipped out to
Walmart stores. However, for every department there is an Operations Manger who is an
expertise in there Department. For example, one department known as Order filling are
responsible for replacing items that have a high sale number. Another department known as
Receiving is responsible for unloading large items the must be shipped straight to the store.
These two departments are performing separate but related task and may encounter disruptions
that only the expertise can solve.
4. Hierarchy is imperative due to the number of positions within in any company. Working in the
Distribution center there are nine different departments. Each Department has 60 to 150
associates who are managed by 2-4 Area Managers. Area Mangers are managed by Operations
Mangers who report to the Assistant and General Manager of the Distribution.
What is the difference between an open and closed system?  Provide an example for each system.

According to (Kinicki, 2021) A closed system: is a self-sufficient entity and an open systems
depends on constant interaction with the environment for survival. In 2018 I was a supply chain
engineer for Frito Lay/ PepsiCo. Frito Lay is a prime example of having both open and closed systems.
As we all know Frito Lay makes produces the most popular chips, such as Doritos, Flaming Hot Cheetos
etc. In order to make these snacks it must first go through a process. That process heavily relies on an
open system due to the ingredients. To make the Doritos we relied on a train full of corn that had to be
soaked for 8-10 hours before beginning to process it. If there were ever an issue with the shipment of
corn, it would delay thousands of lbs. being shipped to stores.
After processing is done the chips are scaled through on an assembly line. This is an example of
a closed system. The production does not depend on external forces. We used 1 worker per/every 4
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machines to fix any mechanical issue to reduce as much as waste as possible. The electrical force is
what bags the chips up, provide serial numbers, and box chips.

Kinicki, A. (2021). Organizational behavior: A practical, problem-solving approach (3rd edition). McGraw-
Hill. https://prod.reader-ui.prod.mheducation.com/epub/sn_0c285/data-uuid