I have started the assignment but need help finishing it. The entire paper has to be 1300 words and I have already done 600. Follow directions and add information where neccesary. Please remember to cite and no plagerism. Thank you!

Directions:

HW#1: Organizational Structure
1. Provide an introduction that 1) explains the purpose of the paper and 2) briefly (one succinct paragraph) introduces your current (or a recent) work organization: major product/service, approximate number of employees, and sector: government/forprofit/non-profit. (If desired, you may use a pseudonym for the employer’s name to ensure confidentiality).

2. Structure Description – Apply concepts from the readings, your research in UMUC library, and the lecture modules to describe the structure of this organization according to the following specific dimensions:

 To what extent is it: a) formalized, b) centralized, and c) specialized (different functions and levels of hierarchy)? Tell whether it’s high, medium, or low on each of these in your judgment and briefly explain why. You may also provide short examples as necessary to illustrate.  Given the above analysis, is the structure more mechanistic or more organic?

3. Analysis of Structure’s Impact on Effectiveness – Evaluate the structure of your organization (as described above) to explain how appropriate or inappropriate this structure is for it to be effective in today’s world at meeting its stakeholders’ needs.

 Does this current structure support it being highly effective? Or, would some other design be better? Be sure to tell – on the basis of course concepts, your research, and logic – why this is so: What is the rationale for your conclusion? Cite concepts from the course readings, scholarly sources from the UMUC online library, and/or weekly modules to support your analysis.

4. Conclusions

5. You should consult and cite a minimum of five references that relate to course concepts, at least two of which should be articles from academic journals not assigned in class (i.e., not your course readings). IMPORTANT NOTE: The articles you obtain from the library should not focus on your organization but instead should focus on and help you better understand course concepts such as specialization, decentralization, and formalization. You are not researching the organization but instead you are researching course concepts.

6. The body of the paper, including an abstract on a separate page, should be no more than four pages. NOTE: The page count includes an abstract but excludes the title page and references. Follow APA style guidelines. Be sure to use headings/subheadings for different sections.

Here is what I have completed so far:

For just over the last two years I have been working at Rays Contracting, a logistics company contracted by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). I plan to measure the organizations structure and effectiveness based on class readings and research to draw a conclusion. Although the organization is a large company I plan to focus on the dozen employees that are assigned to the contract. The section primarily handles the labor within the (CBP) headquarters; including deliveries of furniture and supplies, installation and warehouse management.

The culture in the workplace seems to be a split between formal and informal, neither seeming to determine work effectiveness. I would categorize the style of this culture to be in a medium to high range because the employees are content with how balance works great in the workplace although there can always be improvements. The company contracts teams of employees to various locations which help to maximize production from the total amount of employees. For example including my contract, Ray’s Contracting currently has two other long term contracts as well as casual day to day requests handled by another branch.

The head boss of the site reports to the President and other levels of management hierarchy at the warehouse. The next level of superiority is the supervisor who deals with clients; delegates work, and coordinate job execution while also serving as point of contact on site. The Encyclopedia of Business and Finance describes a component of centralization as “a limited number of employees report to a manager, who then reports to the next management level, and so on up the ladder to the CEO.”(pg572) I believe the structure of Ray’s Contracting for the (CBP) sector to be more centralized with a top downward management approach. The orders and answers are given from one level of the chain of command to the next. I feel that the centrally structured approach in this workplace in this workplace is medium because the system is simple to successfully complete goals and task but i do feel that there could be more implementations to improve efficiency.

The managers delegate task to employees instead of a hands on approach, which in turn makes the employees knowledgeable to handle circumstances after processes and procedures have been authorized. The goal of the organization is the satisfaction of the customer and increase efficiency. Given these factors I would describe the structure of the organization as more mechanistic than organic.

“Lower level managers and employees simply follow procedures, and while this may have the side effect of stifling creativity, it also increases efficiency of established processes” Encyclopedia of Management. 6th ed. Gale, 2009 (p. 565)

In the organization there is no specialization in the work units which means the job details are designed around the task or goal rather than being centered on an individual. Positions are inner changeable because the end result remains the same and decisions are still passed down through the hierarchy of leadership. According to job design theories, increased autonomy should make employees feel a greater responsibility for the outcomes of their work, and therefore have increased work motivation. Research indicates that when employees have greater levels of autonomy, their personality traits (specifically conscientiousness and extroversion) have a stronger impact on job performance. (Gale, 2009)

I feel the current structure of Ray’s Contracting does not support it being a highly effective system for the fact that the simple job or concept should enable for maximum and satisfaction. The implementation of a more open management style may improve the motivation of employee while still creating

Refrences

"Autonomy." Encyclopedia of Management, 6th ed., Gale, 2009, pp. 19-21. Gale Virtual Reference Library,

Jahn, Christine. "Organizational Structure." Encyclopedia of Business and Finance, edited by Burton S. Kaliski, 2nd ed., vol. 2, Macmillan Reference USA, 2007, pp. 568-572. Gale Virtual Reference Library,

"Mechanistic Organizations." Encyclopedia of Management, 6th ed., Gale, 2009, pp. 565-566. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/apps/doc/CX3273100183/GVRL?u=umd_umuc&sid=GVRL&xid=f5ed4ae0.

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