Assignment: The Organizing Function

The lesson explored the planning function in light of its relevance to both the managers and their dynamic position in the planning process. That week's first theme delved more into the mechanism of business or environmental scanning and how the SWOT analysis is used as a tool in helping an organization determine where it stands in four key strategic areas. The subsequent theme explored goals and objectives creation. Theme three served as a reflection towards processes and techniques employed in achieving the planning phase of a manager's functions. This week we will explore the next function - Organizing. We will attempt to understand the underlying principles involved in organizing, its classification, and relevant approaches. Before moving deeper into the intricate nature of Organizing and its relevance to today' s management role, it should be understood that organizing serves as the conduit that management or a manager uses to control the organization by systematically aligning people, resources, or both in such a way as to accomplish a specific objective. To better appreciate the depth of this function, visit the links and topics below and try to discover your professional standing and roles in your respective organizations as you study and interact with the respective topics.

Read:

Organizing - (Scroll down to read about Organizing as part of the functions of management)

Theme One: What is the organizing function?

Read/View:

• Importance of Organizing
• Principles of Organizing
• Classification of Organizations
• Line and Staff of Organizations
• Delegation and Authority
• Centralization and Decentralization
• Delegation and Decentralization

Theme Two: Organizational Structure and Managing

Read/View:

• The 21st Century Organization
• 4 Different Steps Needed in Organising Process of Management
• Characteristics of the 21st Century Organization
• Organizational Structures in the 21st Century
• Roles in organizational structure
• The Difference Between Organizational Culture and Organizational Structure
• 8 Organizational Structures and Their Pros and Cons
• Types of Organizational Structure
• Strategy First, Then Structure
• The Organizational Function

Theme Three: Organizational Culture and Managing

What is culture and how does it affect the manager's ability to organize?

Read/View:

• Organizational Culture
• Schein - Three Levels of Culture
• Organizational Culture's Effects on a Manager's Role
• Organizational Culture & Employee Performance
• The Competing Values Framework

Complete:

• Participate in learning activities.

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• Learning Activities

Discussion Forum

Updated

To complete the learning activities, please create a new thread for each theme and identify in the subject line the theme for which you are responding. Students are expected to post to each theme and to at least two other students (across all themes) by Sunday. In responding to both the learning activities and to other students, please be sure to use the course material using in-text citations and a reference list to cite the source(s) used. Remember, an in-text citation cannot exist without having a corresponding reference list and a reference list cannot exist without having a corresponding in-text citation. Use of the course material using in-text citations and a reference list is always expected in the learning activities and good practice for the assignments in the course. To respond to Learning Activities, click on the blue hyperlink.

The organizing function is where management gathers and synchronizes the resources of the organization (people, capital, and physical) to complete the goals set out in the planning stage.

Learning Activity 1 - Theme 1&2

One of the long-term goals set out by the LLB owners is to increase sales in the cowboy boot line by 15%. The short term goal to accomplish this is to create a sales campaign that targets the tourist trade. This includes:

• Creation of an Internet website (this is part of a larger plan to instigate internet sales in general)
• Create a Boot blog
• Exposure to local hotels and tourist eateries through pamphlets
• Discount Plans for hotel guests
• Boot Delivery service to hotels
• Shipping for purchases

The current budget for the cowboy/tourist portion of the marketing project is $40,000. Mohammed Abul is the marketing director. He wants to hire an assistant to oversee the cowboy/tourist boot line. The assistant will be in charge of the three current part-time sales associates, give purchasing direction to the purchasing department, run the boot blog, create new copy for the Internet website on a monthly basis, and execute all other duties related to the implementation of new boot tourist campaign. Salaries for the assistant and the associates are not included in this portion of the budget.

Additional Useful Facts

Currently the structure of the LLB has really been adhoc in nature. The long-term decisions are made by the family, Joseph Abul (father), Mohammed Abul (marketing) and Ali Abul (store manager) (sons). Fatima Abul (mother) over sees staff and Adoul Abul (brother of Joseph) does the purchasing. Yara Abul (daughter) handles the finances. There are 2 full-time sales associates and 8 par-time associates not including the new assistant and the cowboy boot associates. Store hours are M, T, W, F, S 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Thurs 10:00 am to 8:30 pm

Complete the following based on the information provided above:

• Create a plan which organizes the physical and monetary needs to accomplish the goal. This would entail defining the physical and monetary requirements that must be used by the assistant to implement the goal.

• Create an organizational structure for the business and the cowboy boot project. Explain why you chose the structure as opposed to others that you did not choose and what the decision making flow and job tasks are for each person.

• Display the structure in an organizational chart

Learning Activity 2 - Theme 3-

Continue your work and explain the type of culture that will enhance the organizational alignment of people in LLD.

• Explain what organizational culture is and how it relates to the structure of the organization.
• Explain why you chose the culture as opposed to others that you did not.