Chapter 6: Organization Structure and Design

Complete set of links to companies

Access the web sites of 3M and Andersen Windows, and then answer the following questions:

1. How specialized are the components of each firm, based on the information available at its web site?
2. What form of departmentalization seems to exist at each organization?

Internet Exercise

The Chapter 6 opening incident describes changes that CEO von Pierer is implementing at the German firm Siemens AG. Go to the Siemens web site and look at its home page. Look into the company and all of its activities and operations, but focus in particular on its new organizational design. Then answer the following questions:

1. Based on the information at Siemens’ web site, how would you describe its organizational design?
2. Find out as much as you can about situational influences on Siemens—its core technology, environment, size, and stage of the organizational life cycle. Is Siemens’ organization design appropriate for its situation influences? Why or why not?
3. Find out as much as you can about Siemens’ corporate-level strategy. Is Siemens’ organization design appropriate for its corporate-level strategy? Why or why not?

Explore Further

Examine the web sites of other electronics and electrical engineering firms. Compare their organization designs with that of Siemens. Some good comparisons would be Swiss-based ABB Ltd., GE, or Hitachi, a Japanese competitor. What similarities can you find in these firms’ organization designs? What differences can you find? Why do you think these differences exist?