Question:
Compare and contrast mechanistic and organic structures highlighting the impact that each structural design can have in explaining workplace behaviors. Organisation structure can have significant effects on its employees, such as performance and satisfaction. Not everyone prefers the flexibility and freedom of an organic structure or the rigidness of a mechanistic structure and also the culture has to be taken into consideration; high power distance or low power distance. An organic organizational structure is characterized by an extremely flat reporting structure within an organization. In this organization, the span of control of the typical manager encompasses a large number of employees. Interactions among employees tend to be horizontally across the organization, rather than vertically between layers of managers and their direct reports. Mechanistic A structure characterized by extensive departmentalization, high formalization, a limited information network, and centralization In an organic structure there is joint specialization where employees work together and decisions are more likely to be made by a consensus among each other, while on the other hand in a mechanistic structure there is individual specialisation and employees work separately and specialize in/on specific task. There are complex integrating mechanisms, such as task forces and teams where employees with diverse skills sets are often found working in groups to share input where knowledge where it is most useful in an organic structure. Within the mechanistic structure there is a well-defined chain of command and it is bureaucratic. Decentralisation is another factor within an organic structure where authority to control tasks is delegated and most communication is lateral. In a mechanistic structure, it is highly centralised and communication is mostly vertical between managers and supervisors up to