Assignment 1:—Structural Configurations for Organizations

Henry Mintzberg (1980) introduced a new way to explain structural configurations by “clustering various functions into groupings and showing their relative size and clout in response to different missions and external challenges” (Bolman & Deal, 2009, p. 78). Other authors offer different ways of looking at this topic.

Using the University online library resources, locate a minimum of four different scholarly sources that offer different approaches on structural configurations for organizations.

Complete the following:

• Pick two extra approaches, one of those being Sally Helgesen’s (1995) “The Web of Inclusion.”
• From the manager’s standpoint, examine the different approaches and provide the pros and cons of each one of them when compared to Mintzberg’s proposal.

Write your initial response in a minimum of 400 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

By Thursday, January 9, 2014, post your responses to the appropriate Discussion Area.

Bolman, L., & Deal, T. (2009). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership(4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Helgesen, S. (1995). The Web of Inclusion: A New Architecture for Building Great Organizations. New York: Currency/Doubleday.

Mintzberg, H. (1980). Structure in 5’s: A synthesis of the research on organization design.Management Science, 26(3), 322–341.