Organizational Design Research Worksheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organizational Design Research Worksheet - Essay Example National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was the first company to implement a formal matrix structure. They implemented the matrix system in their space program because it needed to simultaneously implement different projects at the same time. A matrix structure was the best option for NASA because unlike other structures, the matrix structure was less bureaucratic, slow-moving or hierarchical. It also enabled them to make every department independent of each other by equipping them with their own staffing and financing resources (Teitel, 2002). This defied the old models that had a single department to cater for the entire organization making it mandatory for one to consult and await approval before embarking on any project. Despite the matrix structure benefits, there existed some downsides for the organization. Some employees found themselves reporting to more than one superior at the same time making it real confusing for them to execute decisions which overlapped. This brought about a lot of problems for both the superiors and the subordinates. There was also duplication of work within the organization because all projects seemed to be self-sufficient in running all their affairs including the preparation of paperwork. This meant that the organization had many departments performing a similar function for example all projects had their own finance department. Despite the cons of this structure the pros outweighed them and the model has been seen to be adopted by many more organizations since its formal implementation by NASA. NASA was therefore successful in the implementation of this design (John, 2008). The most traditional of all the models of organization structures was the functional structure. It is sometimes referred to as the bureaucratic structure because of the existence of a rigid chain of command. Of all the structures it is the least complicated and easiest to understand. It is characterized by the existence