Organizational Structure and Strategic Design Lens free essay sample

The Dyna Corporation, is a major global information systems and communications company. It was originated as an office equipment company and moved in the 1960s and 1970s into high-technology applications. In the 1980s the company became an industry leader by being the first to provide innovative and high quality products. The demand for products was so high that customers were willing to wait for months just to have them delivered. Growth and earnings slowed in the 1990s as the company’s costs increased, value-added services and solutions were not offered, new products were slow to market, and the products were not meeting marketplace demands. Solutions packages that were offered by information technology and communications (ITC) consulting firms were winning high-margin client business from Dynacorp who did not have a competitive concept. The gap that Dynacorp had created in the technical product market was shrinking due to gains by technology manufacturers. Dynacorp was not changing fast enough to keep pace with competitors. We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Structure and Strategic Design Lens or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Problem The goal to remain an industry leader in technological innovation and comprehensive packaged solutions is being pursued by Dynacorp through the following objectives * Produce and offer new technologies within project plan timelines to obtain the technical leadership advantage in the market * Within two years: * Drive product offerings by identifying changes in the marketplace * Reduce product costs to remain competitive Rebuild market share by increasing relevance and profitability The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) charged an internal task for with the duty of exploring the major challenges that Dynacorp was facing. These included the high costs, slow pace of providing the market with new products, and the need to increase value for customers. A consulting firm that was experienced in the ITC industry was brought in to work with the task force. The end result was that a recommendation was posed to restructure Dynacorp into a Front/Back organization. This was accepted and man dated by the CEO. The new structure was designed to maintain the company’s founding tenets of strong customer relationships and deep knowledge of market characteristics while simultaneously improving upon to the integration of technology development and production. Two years after the restructure the company is still facing low gross margins and struggles to meet both revenue and profit targets. Foreign and domestic competition continues to erode Dynacorp’s market share. This erosion is hastened by the company’s inability to effectively lower product cost and get new products to market in a timely fashion. Packaged solutions are still not available through Dynacorp. The impact of this continued decline is poor investor relations and lost market value. There is also a lack of organizational congruence and misalignment of supporting systems and processes which have been created during the new reorganization period. Many skills and attitudes at all levels of management have been mismatched and do not integrate with the current needs. There are no clearly defined job descriptions or standard operating procedures in place to guide employees. Managers of branches and product lines are compensated on performance against revenue and margin goals rather than addressing customer needs. These issues persist within the new organizational structure and continue to have a negative effect on the company’s overall daily operation. The engineering group appears to being using its considerable political power in such a manner as to hinder the accomplishment of the strategic plan, and this carries the problems of the old culture through to the new. Continued misalignment of personnel and operational inefficiency diminish the company’s ability to compete in the market. The lack of efficiency effects the day-to-day operations of the organization and the morale of employees; it also has a great effect on the company’s year-end numbers and ability for future growth. Analysis of Alternatives Strategic Design Lens As Dynacorp outgrew its functional structure it began to experience common disadvantages of such organizational types. These disadvantages include unresponsiveness to changes in the market and to customers. Restructuring to Front/Back revealed a structural disadvantage that is identical to the functional structure: poor integration between market needs and technology development. An additional disadvantage incurred due to the restructure was inadequate integration and synergy between the front and back ends. Alternative structures such as grouping by output/product or grouping by market are not options as they would result in â€Å"duplication of activities and resources, the erosion of deep technical expertise, missed opportunities for synergies and learning† (Ancona, Kochan, Scully, Van Maanen, amp; Westney, 2009, p. M2-19). The matrix structure provided a potential positive aspect in that it would provide a needed cross-functional linking mechanism by mixing the functional structure with grouping by output/product, but the complexity, cost, dual systems, and dual roles resulting from the matrix structure historically resulted in either the functional or the output/product system becoming more powerful than the other. Political Lens The political system within Dynacorp appears to be one with a history of operating in separate silos. The old Dynacorp showed engineering to be the strongest and most prestigious division and most top management came from this area. When most of the leadership assignments of the new Business Units (BU) came from the old engineering division it was revealed that engineering still held the power. One indicator of the political strength was the difficulty Dynacorp experienced in moving new product designs between engineering and manufacturing. The new Dynacorp combined engineering and manufacturing into BUs, and due to the political history between these old divisions it becomes imperative that they must learn to work together. The new structure must get buy-in from all employees, find allies, and build coalitions and networks that are in sync with company goals. Key players in the BUs must work to bridge structural gaps. Cultural Lens Because of the restructure, employees are in new roles and are interacting with different groups. Within the new structure a culture must be fostered among the employees that will allow them to find new allies, create new networks and mix up the previous subcultures. Position descriptions and training will have to be provided in order for the employees to become fully functioning. The new political structure must be the driver that aligns cultural and political areas of Dynacorp. Individual rewards rather than team rewards must be reviewed. Recommended Solutions Strategic Design Lens Based on the analysis of the alternatives, the best strategic design for Dynacorp is the Front/Back with strengthened linking mechanisms to facilitate growth of information sharing, product delivery, and creation of solution packages. Because skills are mismatched within the workforce management must review where and how employees work, establish HR policies and rules governing job duties, deploy employees across multiple teams (cross-training), provide training, implement standard operating procedures, and implement performance evaluations. Management must also eliminate the incentive and control system that has carried over from the functional structure and replace it with a more balanced incentive plan. HR executives need to take the lead in developing the social networks that are vital to the capture and transfer of knowledge. Team tasks are to be structured to define function, communication strategy, and define the final decision-maker. Management must review the existing liaison positions and modify if necessary. New cross-functional teams to monitor customer feedback and new technology innovations are required to include updated reporting structures that specify data input requirements Political Lens Managers must use network analysis to determine the informal networks (advice, trust, communication) within the organization. Network mapping will also identify network holes along with other communication patterns that may need to be implemented or dissolved. Other important data gathered may be analyzed to indicate the level of power possessed by engineering and show where that power may be impeding progress toward accomplishment of the strategic plan. This may reveal a need to modify roles of assignment in order to assist in altering the old culture that appears to have carried over. Cultural Lens In the footsteps of IBM, Dynacorp needs to change from an â€Å"inward-looking culture to an outward-looking culture focused on serving customers and beating the competition† (Ancona, Kochan, Scully, Van Maanen, amp; Westney, 2009, p. M8-8). By becoming an outward-looking culture, employees will be able to attract customers that were previously alienated and re-establish Dynacorp as the major global information systems and communications company. Position descriptions and training must be provided in order for employees to excel in their new roles, become fully functional, and operate efficiently. Individual BU employees will be rewarded and acknowledged upon BU performance rather than rewarded on individual employee performance. Cultural diversity training will be needed to enhance the working relationships and overall operations with the Indonesia plant. Implementation Strategic Design Lens From a strategic design perspective, Dynacorp must clearly define and distribute their mission, vision, values, goals, and standard operating procedures to the entire organization; these will be the guidelines for all political and cultural actions. Management will hire a new transition manager from outside the company to lead the effort of helping to align current employees in the new structure. The transition manager must assign special purpose groups (e. g. task forces, pilot projects, and training courses), develop processes (such as problem identification), and governance roles to enforce and track progress of immediate needs (phase one modifications) for all levels of employees while continuing to document issues and data to address additional issues in phase two modifications. This will include a review of skill mismatches, training needs, expectations of job duties, implementing a new incentive system, and implementing performance evaluations for all levels of employees. Management will perform a network analysis to analyze informal networks and identify network holes, mark detrimental networks for dissolution, and adopt effective networks. It is highly recommended that training be implemented on Six Sigma quality principles to facilitate the â€Å"understanding of customer needs, and striving for continuous improvement† (Snell amp; Bohlander, 2013, p. ). Two linking mechanisms will be implemented to connect people and groups. The first is to identify planning groups (build coalitions) to identify the major challenges and develop SMART goals that will address these challenges. The second will create temporary cross-unit groups to kick off the problem solving and plan for ongoing permanent cross-unit groups. Political Lens From the political perspec tive, required employee alignment changes may be a result of efforts by the new transition manager. Because of the current misalignment of power held by the engineering group, these alignment changes may face challenges. Enforcement of required job duties will be mandatory. The dissolving of existing networks, both formal and informal, will cause a political shakeup and may be challenged. Cultural Lens From the cultural perspective, an increase in corporate communication will be required to keep all employees informed and motivated toward organizational goals, future endeavors, customer needs and expectations that will grow the outward-looking culture. All employees must be provided their position description so they are aware of their job duties. Employees with insufficient training for their position must be provided training. All employees must be presented the new reward system. Results Organizations are characterized by inertia. The drive is from the top, and when implemented the strategic changes will train employees for their new roles and align the roles properly, which will result in fully functional employees. Linking mechanisms will be developed that will facilitate communication both inside and outside the organization. Changes made at the structural design level will flow down to the political level and benefit Dynacorp by balancing the power and empowering all. Cross-functional teams will work together to achieve the strategic vision of the organization. Structural changes will flow down to modify the cultural level. There will now be employees who can do their job better, address customer needs more fully, and understand the needs of the market. Information will flow freely up and down to increase innovation.

Critique Of School-to-work Programs

Critique Of School-to-work Programs Now we have to Work in School In her article "An Avenue to High Academic Standards,"  senior editor Lynn Olson of Education Week, a national newspaper which covers topics of kindergarten to 12th grade education, promotes efficient school-to-work programs which combine the learning found in high school and the learning from job internships because Olson feels such programs prepare high school students for college and their workplace. Olson's argument is appealing because her motive is to help high school students deal with a problem, their transition to college and the workplace. So should we agree with Olson that school-to-work programs be instituted in schools? No, because although Olson's intent to help high school students is honorable, whether supplementing academic curricula with workplace teachings through an internship will help a majority of students prepare for work is not conclusive. School-to-work programs should not be utilized in high schools because the experience a student has in a job internship during high school may differ from the experience the student will have in the workplace.English: Class in Samdach Euv High School, Siem Re...Lynn Olson explains that school-to-work programs integrate teaching academics and skills for the workplace through an internship to prepare students for college and careers. High school internships prepare students for college and careers by showing students that success in academic courses results in success in their current work programs and eventually their future careers. Once students realize the connection between academics and success in their internships and careers, students have been inclined to undertake more academic coursework in high school. After graduating high school, positive experiences with internships continue to motivate students to take on academic coursework by encouraging students to enroll in college because students want to have successful careers in the field they interned in. To ensu re students reach their next goal of a successful career...

Thugs or Thuggees of India

Thugs or Thuggees of India The Thugs or Thuggees were organized gangs of criminals in India who preyed upon trade caravans and wealthy travelers.   They operated like a secret society, and often reportedly included otherwise respectable members of society.   The leader of a Thuggee group was called a jemadar, a term that means essentially boss-man.   Thugs would meet travelers along the road and befriend them, sometimes camping and traveling with them for several days.   When the time was right, the Thugs would strangle and rob their unsuspecting travel companions, burying the bodies of their victims in mass graves not far from the road, or throwing them down wells. The Thugs may have come into existence as early as the 13th century CE. Although members of the group came from both Hindu and Muslim backgrounds, and all different castes, they shared in the worship of the Hindu goddess of destruction and renewal, Kali. Murdered travelers were considered as offerings to the goddess.   The killings were highly ritualized; the Thugs did not want to spill any blood, so they usually strangled their victims with a rope or a sash. A certain percentage of the stolen goods would also be donated to a temple or shrine honoring the goddess. Some men passed down the rituals and secrets of the Thugs to their sons.   Other recruits would apprentice themselves to established Thug masters, or gurus, and learn the trade in that way.   Occasionally, young children who were accompanying a victim would be adopted by the Thug clan and trained in the ways of the Thugs, as well. It is quite strange that some of the Thugs were Muslim, given the centrality of Kali in the cult.   In the first place, murder is forbidden in the Quran, excepting only lawful executions:   Do not kill a soul that God has made sacrosanct... Whosoever kills a soul, unless it be for murder or for wreaking corruption in the land, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind.   Islam is also very strict about there being only one true God, so making human sacrifices to Kali is extremely un-Islamic. Nonetheless, both Hindu and Muslim Thugs continued to prey upon travelers in what is now India and Pakistan through the nineteenth century.   British colonial officials during the British Raj in India were horrified by the depredations of the Thugs, and set out to suppress the murderous cult. They set up a special police force specifically to hunt the Thugs, and publicized any information about Thuggee movements so that travelers would not be taken unawares. Thousands of accused Thugs were arrested.   They would be executed hanging, jailed for life, or sent into exile. By 1870, most people believe that the Thugs had been destroyed. The word Thug comes from the Urdu thagi, which is taken from the Sanskrit sthaga meaning scoundrel or cunning one. In southern India, the Thugs are also known as Phansigar, signifying strangler or user of a garotte, after their favorite method of dispatching their victims.

Accounting For the Success of the IPO Market Essay

Accounting For the Success of the IPO Market - Essay Example IPO refer to the first sale of stock in the security market by a private company to the public investors. Apart from raising funds, a private firm can sell IPO for other reasons. With the help of an underwriting firm the issuer provides a prospect to the public giving detailing the reasons for issuance the authorized share price as well as the worth of the issuer.2 However, in the IPO market, the investors and sellers hold different information that creates information asymmetry. The goal of this study is to examine the effects of information asymmetry between seller and buyers of IPO. Also, the document examines ways in which one can account for the success of the IPO market. Both seller and buyers encounter challenges in obtaining accurate market information due to various barriers causing information asymmetry. The availability of market information plays a crucial role in any market because it influences the behaviour of buyers.3 The information about price and quality of products and services enables the buyer to make a choice on what product to buy and at what price. However, the information about service is difficult to establish because of intangibility and concurrent production and consumption of services.4 The choice of what to purchase becomes severe due to the potential for dissimilarity in service and product quality and information asymmetry. Sometimes the search for market information is very costly and as such causes hindrance to the choices available for buyers to make.5 Not only the buyers who encounter challenges of obtaining market information but also the sellers have inaccurate reliable information about the market. For example, the seller may want to understand the behaviour of buyers, the future market trends, economic conditions and so on. Both sellers and buyers hold different sets of information which affects their behaviour in the market.6 Therefore, different sets of information regarding price, quality, specifications, performance and circumstances of transfer affect the transactions and increase cost for both parties.  

Art and Culture issues in oxford cowley road Essay

Art and Culture issues in oxford cowley road - Essay Example The tradition of celebrating the Cowley Road Carnival started in 2001. It was a regeneration project. Before the Carnival project, the Cowley Road had a notorious image of crime. It was the local communities demand to cleanse the Cowley Road from the negative impact through East Oxford Action’s regeneration programme. Since then, the Carnival has become a regular practice for the regeneration of the area (seco). The Cowley Road has become a place for art and culture exhibition openly. According to Marcusen (2006), artists are not evenly scattered in cities, their distribution depends on their choices to live, employment opportunities in industries like media, advertising and publishing and keen interest taken by local authorities to support art work for its development. Artists add to the regional economic growth by exporting their art work and creating opportunities for import functions from other cities and areas to their city. Smaller performing art spaces also play a significant part in expansion of art work to other areas. A group of artists get formed in such urban spaces where local art flourishes and gets a place in economy of the region (p.1). It seems so true of the experience the Cowley Road Carnival of cultural show is giving to the ethnic communities there. The Cowley Road Carnival attends to local communities’ aspirations by contributing to specific themes and resolving of certain issues, which have become a priority. Issues and themes include: The carnival has become a symbol of local peoples’ tolerance of each other communities with the celebration of their feelings through the multicultural show. The carnival has become a raging success because of the collaborative support from the people, groups, schools and local organisations, representing art and culture but where from these artists come? (seco, 2010) In this context, it is argued by social theorists that artists are the soul of society, attacking aggressively

The Iran-Iraq War Essay -- War Middle East Essays

The Iran-Iraq War While the Iran-Iraq War during the 1980's may have permanently altered the course of progress in Iran and Iraq, the war also altered the resulting permanent involvement of the rest of the world in the middle-east. The rich and complicated history in Iraq has established numerous cultural and ethnic traditions that all play a part in where the country is today. The Iran-Iraq War brought into focus some of those traditions and how they conflicted, while also bringing Iraq and its economic situation into the spotlight. Being on top of some of the most mineral rich soil in the world makes Iraq a major contributor to the world's economy through petroleum and crude oil exports. This, among other reasons, ties nations all around the world to Iraq. As a result the Iran-Iraq War played a major role, and was a major turning point, in the international events that have led to the United States involvement in Iraq, including the Gulf War/Desert Storm, and the recent 2003 invasion of Iraq. This American presence in Iraq has also led to United States involvement with the middle-east in general and has pulled the United States into an area of conflict far older than itself. Iraq is part of what was anciently known as Mesopotamia, or ?the land between two rivers.? The region where the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers come together has come to be known as the ?Cradle of Civilization,? and when studied to any degree, one can easily understand why the conflicts in modern-day are so complex. First it was the Sumerians who settled Mesopotamia back in 4000BC, than it was Akkadians, then the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and the Persians. By the seventh century AD, the Arab Muslims had emerged as a ruling force and the ... ...2. Pelletiere, Stephen C. and Johnson, Douglas V. Lessons Learned : The Iran-Iraq War. Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College. Carlisle Barracks, Pennslyvania. 1991. Pelletiere, Stephen C., Johnson, Douglas V., and Rosenburger, Leif R. Iraqi Power and U.S. Security in the Middle East. Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College. Carlisle Barracks, Pennslyvania. 1990. Staff Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate : Chemical Weapons Use In Kurdistan : Iraq?s Final Offensive. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington D.C. 1988. http://www.iranchamber.com/history. May 2003. http://www.news.bbc.co.uk. January 2001. http://Lcweb2.loc.gov. May 2003. http://www.truthout.org. June 2001. Vanity Fair, January and February 2002, as well as Time, March 10, 2003, were all indirectly cited as well.

Presidential Cabinent notes

To form a more perfect union. Purpose two; to establish government Purpose 3: to insure domestic tranquility. A primary function of government is to maintain order and peace within a country. Purpose 4: To provide for the common defense. Purpose 5: to [remote the general welfare. The services mad protections that our government provides. Like health care, protection of environment. Etc.. Purpose 6: To secure the blessings of liberty, â€Å"you can only be free if I am free† Body: Article I † The legislative Branch Article al- The executive Branch Article Ill-The judicial branch Article IV – Interstate Relations (States of the Union) Article V – The amending Power, how the constitution can be changed. Article VI – The supremacy Act Clearly states that the federal gob Is supreme over state. Article VII – discusses the manner In which the states will adopt the constitution Part One: The Storm â€Å"The Storm: Chaos and Tragedy†: Answer the following questions as you view the PBS video excerpt â€Å"Chaos and Tragedy. † 1. According to Frontline, what problems were caused by the following groups: o The Local and state officials? O The U. S. Military? FEM..? O The Government?The main problem was that all waited too long and it caused more deaths and losses in people. 2. Why was the Louisiana National Guard unable to help? They waited too long and got trapped in headquarters. 3. Why were rescue efforts hampered in the first 24 hours? All the headquarters were underwater and the rescue efforts were trying to fix themselves. 4. What were the Mayor's responsibilities prior to the hurricane? To stock the shelters with food and water. Also he was responsible for having buses for transport. 5. Where were state and local officials during the aftermath of Strain? Why was this a problem?They were on the ground . It was a problem because they became very overwhelmed. 6. What were the critics pointing out as trouble with th e governor of Louisiana? She was unprepared and was given vague requests to the government 7. According to then-FEM.. Director Michael Brown, when does FEM.. Take over for state and local governments? FEM.. Takes over state officials against FEM..? The main complaints were that FEM.. Had no sense of urgency and barely sent out help, but FEM.. Claimed they didn't get any necessary help calls† 9. How many days did it take for the government, under President George W.Bush, to acknowledge they were late and inadequate in its response? It took the government 5 days. â€Å"The Storm: What Went Wrong in New Orleans†: 10. After reading the interview excerpts from the federal, state, and local officials, what do you feel went wrong in New Orleans? The main thing that I think went wrong was communication. In life they teach you that communication is key and unfortunately the officials were Just not being communicative and many officials were eyeing passive of the entire situation and no one took it seriously until it was too late.Review Questions: Evaluate and discuss the challenges for each level of government. Which level 11. Faced the greatest challenges? The challenges faced were helping the civilians, all of the levels of government had that problem, But the level which had it worse was the local and state officials because they had to deal with the crisis first when it was more chaotic and they were unprepared. 12. What lessons do you think were learned as a result of Hurricane Strain? I think as a nation we learned that we must have emergency plans and take every natural disaster seriously to save as many lives as possible. 3. After reviewing the problems caused, what type of assistance should the citizens of New Orleans have expected from the federal government? They should of expected imminent care with supplies and service. 14. In what ways do you think this storm has changed the city of New Orleans? Make sure to explain social and economic impact s. The way the city of New Orleans has changes is that the entire community has become one economic and social system. A bunch of individuals became a whole piece. 15.How has the aftermath of Hurricane Strain affected national politics? It affect national politics by the people second guessing the representatives they chose. 16. How can students help the citizens of New Orleans recover? They could donate money and help out their community. 17. What do you think is the most difficult part about being a victim of a natural disaster? The hardest thing in your life would be avoiding any situation like the natural disaster again. Part Two: Is Your Community Prepared? Go to wry. FEM†¦ V and click on one of the disasters that may occur in your community. After learning about this disaster, answer the questions below. 18. What type of disaster did you choose? Flash Flood 19. What preparations does FEM.. Recommend to avoid loss in this type of disaster? Avoid Roads and get to high groun d. 20. What steps can you take to better prepare your home and family for this type of disaster? Give examples. Stay focused on the weather and if a flash flood warning was given in an area get off the roads and make sure loved ones don't travel. Your Own InterviewsUsing the space provided in the Work File for this activity, write up your interview as if you were presenting it for use on the PBS Frontline web site â€Å"The Storm. † Be sure to include the person's full name, Job title or relationship to you, and contact information in your write up. If you are unsure of how to write up your interview, rich text format (. RTF). Place your interview write up here: Option 2: Interview a friend or family member who has experienced a natural disaster. Before conducting your interview, please view the slide presentation of Guide to Conducting an Interview for helpful tips and guidelines.Consider the following questions for your interview and include at least two additional question s of your own: o What type of disaster did you experience? O When and where did this disaster occur? O What did you do to prepare for the disaster? O What steps did you take during the disaster to protect yourself or your home? O What was the experience like after the disaster? O What did you learn from this experience? O What could you have done make your experience better? O How could you have improved your preparation? – â€Å"The disaster I experienced was a tornado. It was April of 2003 in Oklahoma.