Case in Point: Toyota Struggles With Organizational Structure

Part 1

1. What changes in the organizing facet of the P-O-L-C framework might you make at Toyota to prevent future mishaps like the massive recalls related to brake and accelerator failures?
2. Do you think Toyota's organizational structure and norms are explicitly formalized in rules, or do the norms seem to be more inherent in the culture of the organization?
3. What are the pros and cons of Toyota's structure?
4. What elements of business would you suggest remain the same and what elements might need revising?
5. What are the most important elements of Toyota's organizational structure?

Part 2

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of decentralization?
2. All else being equal, would you prefer to work in a tall or flat organization? Why?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of departmentalization by product?

Part 3

1. Have you ever reported to more than one manager? What were the challenges of such a situation? As a manager, what could you do to help your subordinates who have other bosses besides yourself?
2. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of being employed by a boundaryless organization?
3. What can organizations do to institutionalize organizational learning? What practices and policies would aid in knowledge acquisition and retention?

Part 4

1. Can you think of an organizational or personal change that you had to go through? Have you encountered any resistance to this change? What were the reasons?
2. How would you deal with employees who are resisting change because their habits are threatened? How would you deal with them if they are resisting because of a fear of failure?

Part 5

1. What are the benefits of employee participation in change management?
2. Imagine that you are introducing a new system to college students where they would have to use a special ID number you create for them for activities such as logging on to campus computers or using library resources. How would you plan and implement the change? Explain using Lewin's three-stage framework.
3. Why are successful companies less likely to change? What should companies do to make organizational change part of their culture?

Part 6

1. What do you think are some key reasons why people resist change?
2. Do you think some people are more resistant to change regardless of what it is? Why do you think this is?