Organizational Structures and Change

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to organizational structures, change management, and development concepts derived from the lecture notes.

Organizational Structure

A system for accomplishing and connecting the activities that occur within a work organization.

Organizational Design

The process of setting up organizational structures to address the needs of an organization.

Managed Change

Leaders intentionally shape how shifts occur over time within an organization.

Organizational Development (OD)

A field specializing in change management that helps businesses achieve objectives while promoting employee well-being.

Formal Organization

An officially defined set of relationships, responsibilities, and connections within an organization.

Informal Organization

Interpersonal relationships that shape how people connect and carry out activities, often emergent and complex.

Bureaucracy

A model that divides labor, allows specialization, and creates a structure for coordinating efforts in a hierarchy.

Mechanistic Structure

A highly hierarchical organizational form designed for standardization and control.

Organic Structure

An adaptive organizational model that allows self-organization and decision-making without much direction.

Change Management

The process of designing and implementing change within an organization.

Incremental Change

Small refinements to existing practices that build on current organizational functioning.

Transformational Change

Significant shifts in an organizational system causing disruption to underlying processes or structures.

Appreciative Inquiry

A positive, bottom-up approach to change that focuses on developing common ground and a vision for the future.

5-D Cycle

A framework in Appreciative Inquiry that includes Define, Discover, Dream, Design, and Destiny phases.

Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS)

An organizational model that focuses on continuous development and adaptation, likened to a living organism.

Top-down Change

A change model where a small group designs the change process and instructs others on how to implement it.

Emergent Change

A model that considers change as a natural and bottom-up process involving employee participation.