Discussion Question 14. Organizational Control

Which of the three types of organizational control (i.e. feed forward control, Concurrent control, and Feedback control) are often adopted as a main focus (or dominantly) in your organizations? What are the implications of this type of control to your organization's culture, structure, system, and its interaction with its task environment? 

Discussion Question 13 Substituting or Neutralizing Leadership

 Provide examples from your management practice where situational variables (like organizational, task, and group variables) can be so powerful that they actually substitute for or neutralize the need for leadership.

Discussion Question 12 Understanding Leadership

 Discuss the different approaches to understand the essence of leadership. What are the implications of these approaches to your understanding of leadership?

Discussion Question 11 Approaches to Organizational Structure

 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the  functional, divisional, matrix, team, and network based organizational structures. In practice, what factors affect the decision on the choice of an organizational structure?

Here is an important document regarding the advantages and disadvantages of various types of organizational structures by Tessema Teshome. Click   here

Group Assignment Documents

Here are the assignments and group presentations that are completed so far. In order to capitalize on your cross-learning , take time to go through these documents....

Group A

chap 1
chap 4a
chap 4b
chap 4c
chap 4d
chap 6a
chap 6b
chap 6c
chap 6d
Quotations

Group B

Chap 1
Chap 5
chap 7

Group C

 chap 3
 chap 6
chap 7

Group D

  chap 2
 Chap 3

Group E

 chap 4
Chap 3
chap 6

Discussion Question 10. Strategy and Structure

Does “strategy follows structure" or is it “the structure that follows the strategy” in organizations? Why?

Discussion Question 9. Revising Strategic Plans

How often do you think organizations need to revise their plans? what do you think about the probable changes that may result from such a review?

Discussion Question 8. Possibility of decision failure

Every decision situation could be mapped on a scale of possibility of decision failure that has four positions: certainty, risk, uncertainty, and Ambiguity. Discuss each of these four decision situations by providing practical examples.

Discussion Question 7. Contingency plan

What are the uncontrollable factors that managers need to identify to develop their contingency plans? What mechanisms could managers need to use to minimize the impact of such uncontrollable factors?

Discussion Question 6. Effective Goal Setting

Discuss the characteristics of effective goals and goal-setting by providing practical examples.

Biniyam on Effectiveness is better than Efficiency

Biniyam Negash  argues with examples that effectiveness is better than efficiency , in case both can not be achieved simultaneously. Click here to read his document for details.