Self-Assessment: What Organizational Structure Do You Prefer?
Personal values influence how comfortable you are working in different organizational structures. You might prefer an organization with clearly defined rules or no rules at all. You might prefer a firm where almost any employee can make important decisions, or where important decisions are screened by senior executives. This self-assessment is designed to help you estimate the type of organizational structure in which you would prefer to work based on your personal needs and values. Instructions: Read each statement in this self-assessment and indicate how well the statement reflects the type of organization in which you would prefer to work. You need to complete each item honestly to get the best estimate of your preferred organizational structure. I would like to work in an organization where…
1. A person’s career ladder has several steps toward higher status and responsibility. o Not at all o A little o Somewhat o Very much 2. Employees perform their work with few rules to limit their discretion. o Not at all o A little o Somewhat o Very much 3. Responsibility is pushed down to employees who perform the work. o Not at all o A little o Somewhat o Very much 4. Supervisors have few employees, so they work closely with each person. o Not at all o A little o Somewhat o Very much 5. Senior executives make most decisions to ensure that the company is consistent in its
actions. o Not at all o A little o Somewhat o Very much 6. Jobs are clearly defined so there is no confusion over who is responsible for various
tasks. o Not at all o A little
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o Somewhat o Very much 7. Employees have their say on issues, but senior executives make most of the decisions. o Not at all o A little o Somewhat o Very much 8. Job descriptions are broadly stated or nonexistent. o Not at all o A little o Somewhat o Very much 9. Everyone’s work is tightly synchronized around top management operating plans. o Not at all o A little o Somewhat o Very much 10. Most work is performed in teams without close supervision. o Not at all o A little o Somewhat o Very much 11. Work gets done through informal discussion with co-workers rather than through formal
rules. o Not at all o A little o Somewhat o Very much 12. Supervisors have so many employees that they can’t watch anyone very closely. o Not at all o A little o Somewhat o Very much 13. Everyone has clearly understood goals, expectations, and job duties. o Not at all o A little o Somewhat o Very much 14. Senior executives assign overall goals, but leave daily decisions to front line teams. o Not at all o A little o Somewhat
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o Very much 15. Even in a large company, the CEO is only three or four levels above the lowest position.
o Not at all o A little o Somewhat o Very much
Understanding Your Score on the Preferred Organizational Structure Scale This self-assessment calculates your preferred organizational structure. Specifically, it estimates the extent to which you prefer a mechanistic or organic structure, as well as the three dimensions of a mechanistic structure: tall hierarchy, formalization, and centralization. The following graphs compare your preferred organizational structure scores to a sample of over 200 MBA students. However, due to cultural, occupational, and age differences, these results might be less relevant to you.
Low preference Average preference Strong preference
0 0 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 15
Tall hierarchy People with high scores on this dimension prefer to work in organizations with several levels of hierarchy and a narrow span of control (few employees per supervisor). Scores on this subscale range from 0 to 15. The average score among a sample of MBA students was 7.8.
Low preference Average preference Strong preference
0 0 to 8 9 to 11 12 to 15 15
Formalization People with high scores on this dimension prefer to work in organizations where jobs are clearly defined with limited discretion. Scores on this subscale range from 0 to 15. The average score among a sample of MBA students was 9.4.
Low preference Average preference Strong preference
0 0 to 6 7 to 9 10 to 15 15
Centralization People with high scores on this dimension prefer to work in organizations where decision making occurs mainly among top management rather than spread out to lower level staff. Scores on this subscale range from 0 to 15. The average score among a sample of MBA students was 7.7.
Low preference Average preference Strong preference
0 0 to 21 22 to 29 30 to 45 45
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Mechanistic Structure Preference (Total Score)
People with high scores on this overall score prefer to work in mechanistic organizations, whereas those with low scores prefer to work in organic organizational structures. Mechanistic structures are characterized by a narrow span of control and high degree of formalization and centralization. Organic structures have a wide span of control, little formalization, and decentralized decision making. Scores on this subscale range from 0 to 45. The average score among a sample of MBA students was 24.9. Scoring: To find where you stand on the “Preferred Organizational Structure Scale,” please refer to the following scoring guide: (Tall hierarchy – Questions 10, 12, 15) Not at all – 3 points A little – 2 points Somewhat – 1 point Very much – 0 points (Tall hierarchy – Questions 1, 4) Not at all – 0 points A little – 1 point Somewhat – 2 points Very much – 3 points (Formalization – Questions 2, 8, 11) Not at all – 3 points A little – 2 points Somewhat – 1 point Very much – 0 points (Formalization – Questions 6, 13) Not at all – 0 points A little – 1 point Somewhat – 2 points Very much – 3 points (Centralization – Question 3, 14) Not at all – 3 points A little – 2 points Somewhat – 1 point Very much – 0 points (Centralization – Questions 5, 7, 9) Not at all – 0 points A little – 1 point Somewhat – 2 points Very much – 3 points Mechanistic Structure Preference (Total) – add the totals for all three factors.
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