For this assignment, continue to write about the same organization that you wrote about for your Module 1 SLP. Carefully review the background materials and make sure you understand the concepts of centralization versus decentralization, geographic versus functional divisions, span of control, and other key concepts covered in the Pearson tutorials and required textbook reading. Then carefully think about how these concepts apply to your chosen organization.
Once you have finished reviewing the background materials and have carefully thought about how they apply to your organization, write a 2- to 3-page paper answering the following questions:
1. How would you characterize the design of your organization? Is it flat, or does it have many layers? Is it a rigid hierarchy, or does it use alternative structures like team-based or matrix?
2. Is decision making mostly centralized at the top, or is there room for decentralized decision making at lower levels?
3. What kind of departmentalization does your organization use? Is it divided into functional divisions, geographical divisions, or other divisions?
4. What is the typical span of control for managers in your organization? Is it broad or narrow?
5. Are employees highly specialized, or do employees have a wide range of tasks and responsibilities?
SLP Assignment Expectations
- Answer the assignment questions directly.
- Stay focused on the precise assignment questions; don't go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
- Make sure to use reliable and credible sources as your references. Articles published in established newspapers or business journals/magazines are preferred. If you find articles on the Internet, make sure they are from a credible source.
- Reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text citations. See theStudent Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13 and 14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the "Writing Style Guide," which is found under "My Resources" in the TLC Portal.