Hi everyone -- I did my posting this week as a Powerpoint with audio narrative on VoiceThread. You can check it out here:
https://voicethread.com/share/3155244/
And by the way, don't be afraid of VoiceThread. It's so easy!
https://voicethread.com/share/3155244/
And by the way, don't be afraid of VoiceThread. It's so easy!
Will,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I'm overjoyed that you chose to use VoiceThread. I'm now much less nervous about using it for a future assignment.
It seems that S-RAD has developed a relatively robust and effective organizational structure, though you mention that a lack of communication between District Directors (one dimension of your organization's matrix) and departments (the other dimension) is a problem. You conjecture that perhaps an integrator role is needed -- seems sensible to me!
Our reading also suggests information systems as a vehicle for facilitating collaboration both vertically and horizontally (Daft, 2007). You don't mention information systems much in your presentation except for the reporting you produce, which I understand to be written for an audience that exists outside of the matrix you described for us.
What can you tell us about the information systems used in this project?
References
Daft, R. (2007) "Fundamentals of Organizational Structure." Organization Theory and Design (9th ed.), pp. 88-125 (Chapter 3)
That's a good question, because apart from weekly staff meetings and biweekly reports intended for USAID (which most of our guys don't read) there isn't much of a feedback loop. Ergo, not a great deal of evaluation goes on. Mostly people just barrel forth and hope for the best. Not ideal.
DeleteGreat post, Will! And with you in Afghanistan and probably pressed for time I'm assuming you did this out of necessity?
ReplyDeleteWell, no, but because you can't upload a PPT presentation, and it would take up way too much space to upload all 14 or however many slides individually to the blog, Courtney suggested VF. And seriously, it took only 20 mins to figure the thing out and crank out the finished product.
DeleteGreat presentation, Will. I am glad you demystified VoiceThread for the rest of the class because I know it can be intimidating.
ReplyDeleteYou mention that your organization can have a rigid hierarchy because there is no competition. Even if there were some competition, do you think this type of structure would be best suited to your organization? Do you think all organizations would be straight functional hierarchies in the absence of competition?
It also looks to me that you have a clear matrix structure. As you mentioned, the org is divided by function, but you also have components of a divisional structure which are the geographic units. Thanks for sharing this interesting example.
Our structure is predicated by our function, which is to grind out the deliverables set forth in our Cooperative Agreement with USAID. It's hard to imagine how competition would enter the equation, EXCEPT that poor performance in this project would affect future bid proposals. So perhaps there is a degree of competitiveness in that we want to do a good job in order to fulfill our agreement and be considered for future projects.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the absence of competition really affects org design. Churches and charities, for instance, are rarely functional hierarchies but more taskforce oriented.
Hi Will - Of course competition affects organizational structure and design. Competition is part of the organization's environment, and in a heavily crowded niche where competitive advantages are mimicked (last week's readings), an organization needs to be agile and respond quickly. Can a rigid functional hierarchy respond to the environment in a short time frame? Probably not.
Delete