Reply to at least two of you classmates' posts by asking a probing question/s and provide reasoning/justification behind your question/s. Being respectful in your reply is critical. Each response post should be a minimum of 75 words. While only a minimum of two replies are required, students are encouraged to carry on the conversation beyond just one initial post and two response post. Historically, students who participate in the discussion board more than others, maximize their learning experience. A good example of "carrying on the conversation" is by responding to students who have asked probing questions of your own initial post.

Natalie

Bosses at any workplace are going to act different. If I were Penny I would tell Ed that bosses and managers have different way of viewing the situation. Depending on the type of organization you are associated with will cause your boss to act in certain ways. As stated in the case study if you work in a formal work environment you will receive a formal response. If the organization is very strict with their structure and how they response to employees and how the employees can work they are very limited to growth. I don't think this way of functioning is the right way, having employees be open minded with their opinions can help the company in many ways.

Being able to collaborate with your employees and managers is a great work tactic. Having an open door policy is a boss who cares about his employees and want to hear what they have to say. Because the employees in my organization appreciate the confidence of senior management, they work harder now than in the past. Loving your workspace and being in a happy workplace will make you work harder and customers, managers and bosses will see the difference. If a boss is closed minded then I would feel like they do not care about their employees opinion which makes the employee feel belittle.

Ed should take action and mention to his manager about his concerns and feelings towards his boss. Staying closed off and shutting off that will never fix the problem. Having a meeting with his boss and expressing his concerns can maybe give his boss a different way of viewing things. You can relay thing you have learned to the employees you supervise and open their mind about different ideas for the future. Apply the lessons you seem to have learned and treat the workers you supervise as my organization does all of its employees.

Carolina

The case study demonstrates two employees, Penny and Ed, discussing the accessibility and interest from their bosses. Penny receives full and easy access when trying to meet and speak with her boss. Whereas Ed, has the trouble of needing to schedule meetings way in advance to see his boss, let alone try and get a point across. Rather than the bosses having solely different personalities, Penny suggests this is due to a different organizational environment within the two organizations. If I were Penny, I would have described her organization as more of an organic structure, and Ed's organization as a mechanistic structure.

As for Ed, my recommendation is to execute the advice Penny had given him. Penny advised him to treat the employees he supervises the way her organization is ran. The reason why this approach is most effective, is because action is being taken rather than him solely trying to discuss a change with his boss. As discussed in this chapter, an organic structure "exhibits high differentiation, decentralized decision making, and low standardization and formalization" (Fallon, Begun, & Riley, 2013). Once Ed's employees feel as though they can freely speak to him, rather than the structured formal procedure, they will be encouraged to want to speak up more often. In turn, once Ed's department begins to improve, the other departments will then want to adjust their structure.

As stated in the text, "mechanistic or machinelike structures exhibit low differentiation, centralized decision making, and high standardization and formation" (Fallon, Begun, & Riley, 2013). This concept, along with the organic structure concept discussed earlier, justify my response as Penny, because it illustrates the main difference between the two organizations. For instance, T. Burns and G.M Stalker, state in their article, "Mechanistic vs. Organic Organizational Structure (Contingency Theory)", that "organic structures can process and distribute information and knowledge faster within the organization, which thus results in an increased ability to respond or react to changes in the environment" (2009). Therefore, my advice to Ed will not only help his situation, but also better the organization as a whole.