Organisational Behaviour – Give a comprehensive analysis of how a critical organisational behaviour issue affects the performance of the organisation ,ie, its effectiveness of efficiency of an organisation (positive or negative).
(The company selected for essay is W.L.Gore and Associates (www.gore.com))
Question:
Is W L Gore’s organisation’s structure conducive to knowledge creation, sharing and the translation of tacit knowledge into valuable goods or services (why/why not)?
Are there any cooperative arrangements (alliances, JV’s, etc.) in its value chain? if so WHY?
Notes –
Touch on how the structure influences the culture, its impact on leadership and motivation. Other group members will provide full assignments on these topics – this essay will underpin those.
Why is the structure effective?
Make/buy/ally – efficient within rather than between/ outsource uncooperatively/ ally outsource cooperatively. SECI/ BA
Assessment criteria:
• ability to interpret and analyse the organisation’s situation
• ability to apply unit knowledge (i.e. theories, models, concepts, etc.) to analyse the company
• thoroughness of research undertaken, extent of reading, collection of relevant data, etc.
• ability to logically arrange and present the materials
Guide to assignment
Application of knowledge to a situation. Do not describe but analyse situations/ behaviour. A comprehensive analysis of the issue.
Some reference materials
www.gore.com – information about company available on the internet
KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING
Nonaka, I. (2007). The Knowledge Creating Company. Harvard Business Review, July-Aug, 162-171.
Helgesen, S. (2008). The Practical Wisdom of Ikujiro Nonaka. strategy + business, 53, 2-12.
Prahalad, C.K. & Hamel, G. (1990). The Core Competence of the Corporation. Harvard Business Review, May-June, 79-91.
The Economist (2010). Why do Firms Exist. Dec 16
Kogut, B. & Zander, T. (2006). What Firms Do: Coordination, Identity, and Learning, Organization Science, 7(5), 502-518.
STRUCTURE AND DESIGN
Adler, P. (2001). Market, Hierarchy, and Trust: the Knowledge Economy and the Future of Capitalism. Organization Science. 12(2), esp. 215-220, and 224-225.
Bruce, K. & Jordan, J. (2007). Between Markets and Hierarchies: Towards a Better Taxonomy of Hybrid Organizational Forms. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 19(1), 7-16.
Bryan, L.L. & Joyce, C.I. (2007). Better Strategy through Organizational Design. McKinsey quarterly, May.
Nambisan, S. & Sawhney, M. (2011). Orchestration Processes in Network-Centric Innovation: Evidence from the Field. Academy of Management Perspectives, 25(3), 40-57.
Neilson et al. (2015). 10 Principles of organizational design. strategy + business, March 23.
