Organic Structures and Mechanistic Structures

What are organic structures?

• Informal

• Flexible and fluid (easy to change)

• Favours verbal communication

• Associated with decentralised decision-making and empowerment

• Find change easier to handle

What are benefits of organic structures?

• Promotes cohesion and relationship

• Working together towards a common goal

• High motivation of employees due to their inclusion in the decision-making process (which increases productivity)

• Employees can learn new skills since they're working in teams

• When there's a bad solution to a task, it is easy to help  them since they're not the only one with that skillset

• In case of an illness, the task still gets finished since that employee is not the only one working on that task

What are drawbacks of organic structures?

• Due to the lack of specialisation, it is sometimes hard to get high-quality results

• The decision-making process is slow since everyone is included

• In the case of a bad final solution to a task, it is often hard to determine who is at fault

• Promotion can get difficult since it is not always clear who is best suited or does the best work

What are examples of organic structures?

• Tech companies:

  • Companies like Google or Spotify have adopted more organic elements in certain areas, encouraging innovation through less hierarchy and more employee autonomy, especially within project teams.

• Creative agencies:

  • Advertising, design, or marketing agencies tend to operate with an organic structure.

What are mechanistic structures?

• More formal and bureaucratic

• Associated with centralised decision-making and supervision

• Formal communication methods

• Favours standardised policies and procedures

• Little perceived need to change

What are benefits of mechanistic structures?

• Clearly defined paths/ tasks

• High specialisation of employees

• Usually good results (due to high specialization)

• Tasks are usually delivered within the provided time

• It ensures that rules and regulations are followed

• Promotion processes may be easy (it is clearly visible who is suited and does good work)

What are drawbacks of mechanistic structures?

• High specialisation of employees

• If someone has a bad solution for a task, it is hard to correct it or do better due to the high level of specialisation

• In the case of an illness, the tasks just do not get done since nobody is able to finish them

• Demoralises employees as they're not included in the decision-making process

• A stiff structure that doesn't allow employees to learn new tasks

What are examples of mechanistic structures?

• General Motors:

  • This automotive company has a mechanistic structure with a clear hierarchy and a centralised decision-making process.

• McDonald's:

  • McDonald's operates with a mechanistic structure, especially in its restaurants, where tasks are highly specialised and there is a clear chain of command.