Dimensions Of Organizational Structure Research Articles

Contextual factors of entrepreneurship intention in manufacturing SMEs: the case study of Iran

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish the contextual factors that influence entrepreneurial intention to start the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Iran and to investigate why some manufacturing sector entrepreneurs achieve growth objectives while others do not.Design/methodology/approachIn-depth semistructured interviews of 25 participants were used to investigate the contextual factors of entrepreneurship intention. On the basis of the data collected, a thematic content analysis has been carried out.FindingsA set of contextual and cultural factors has been highlighted by the analysis. Data analysis led to the extraction of three main themes: external, internal and personal factors that were found to be significant determinants of entrepreneurship intention. In relation to the effect of these factors on their entrepreneurial behaviors, it emerged that there were the major barriers to entrepreneurial intentions including lack of resources, financial challenges and economic situation, which affected how they made strategic decisions about their plans. Moreover, the findings show that the key dimensions of organizational structure, public policies, social media, education and soft skills development are vital features and being influential in entrepreneurship.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has industry-specific, size-specific and region-specific limitations. The qualitative research approach affects the generalizable character of the results.Practical implicationsThe research findings have important implications for practicing entrepreneurs, start-ups and policymakers. The manuscript suggests a transition to a more collaborative approach from experts and practitioners in the field through policymakers to tackling the underlying determinants of entrepreneurship intention in Iran as a motive to economic growth. This research is significant since its findings should help regulators and investors better understand the opportunities and threats among manufacturing SMEs. This study implies a step forward in research into the entrepreneurship intention and SMEs literature, since the results differ from the evidence found for large companies in developing countries such as Iran. There is also a great contribution toward the debate regarding the need to consider the context and the type of firm in enterprise development studies.Originality/valueThis is the first empirical study conducted in Iran that explores three key elements of entrepreneurship intention interactively in Iran through qualitative research analysis. The research study fills a literature gap on the determinants of manufacturing SMEs’ functions. This manuscript explores the contextual factors that influence on entrepreneurial behavior in a conflict country context, using a thematic analysis for in-depth results. A new approach to evaluating entrepreneurial opportunities was used. The advantage of this empirical strategy is that it takes into account in more detail the content observations and experiences with the industry-specific insights. It also gives more description about the contingent nature of practice. Moreover, this qualitative research acknowledged the areas of conflict and contradiction around entrepreneurship phenomena among SMEs.

The Evaluation of Relationship Between Dimensions of Organizational Structure and Safety and Health Situation in Stone Industries

The Evaluation of Relationship Between Dimensions of Organizational Structure and Safety and Health Situation in Stone Industries

Alignment of Organizational Structure as an Antecedent to Performance

Structure refers to the arrangement of hierarchical levels in an organization. It may be as the allocation of work roles and administrative mechanisms that allow organizations to conduct, coordinate, and control their work activities. Numerous dimensions of organizational structure have been studied in conjunction with strategy and performance, including specialization, formalization, size of administrative components, size of staff components, centralization of authority, vertical span, number of operating sites, extent of formal controls, proportion of professionals, and liaison devices. Organizations vary significantly in their structure and this has different effects on organizational and individual performance. Structure is therefore very important and significant to an organization performance. Strategy is a comprehensive master plan for achieving the objectives of a mission of an organization. It is defined at corporate, business and functional levels of a business set up. In order to succeed, organizations usually depend on strategies for the three levels. However the relationship between the levels and the required coordination among these strategies are not straightforward. Apart from the resources availability, the success of the organization depends on the creation and existence of coordination among the units. To ensure a coordinated front there is a need to align the structure to the strategy to achieve the desired fit. In a study carried out in the sugar industry in Western Kenya, the researcher sort to answer the question on the effect of alignment of the organizational structure on its performance. To achieve its objectives the study used both primary and secondary data collected by use of questionnaires and interview guides while the existing literature reviewed. Data was collected from a study census of 50 managers and a sample of 395 farmers from the study population of 50 managers and 130,000 farmers. The methods for data collection allowed for triangulation hence ensuring validity of the data. a survey research design with a mixed approach for both qualitative and quantitative data was used. A correlation coefficient model was applied in the data analysis to determine the strength and direction of the relationship between the variables while the coefficients of determination were used to show the level of change of values occasioned by the mediating variable. The resulting P-values were used to test for the reliability of the samples for the true values of the study population. Research findings were discussed and presented using appropriate summary tables. Finally, a statistically significant effect on competitive performance was assessed at the 0.05 and 0.01 level of significance. The general findings of the study indicated that the mediating variable (strategic alignment had a significant effect on the change in variation of values on the dependent variable occasioned by changes of values of the predictor variables. The study therefore concluded that the alignment of organizational structure of the sugar industry in western Kenya significantly determines the performance of the industry and recommended an alignment of the variables to the corporate strategy to enhance performance.

How does the organisational structure influence a work environment for innovation

Companies operating in dynamic and rapidly changing markets need to design an organisational structure that fosters innovation. However, there are still remaining gaps in literature regarding the impact of organisational structure on the development of an environment that stimulates creativity and innovation. This paper analyses the influence of different dimensions of organisational structure on the development of a work environment for innovation. A case study with a mixed method approach was conducted in the Brazilian subsidiary of a multinational company recognised worldwide for its innovative capacity. The results contribute to the theory by showing that several structural dimensions – mainly the level of communication, level of formalisation and job codification – affect the work environment for innovation. The study also enriches the comprehension on how managers should design specific structural dimensions to stimulate creativity and innovation.

How does the organisational structure influence a work environment for innovation

Companies operating in dynamic and rapidly changing markets need to design an organisational structure that fosters innovation. However, there are still remaining gaps in literature regarding the impact of organisational structure on the development of an environment that stimulates creativity and innovation. This paper analyses the influence of different dimensions of organisational structure on the development of a work environment for innovation. A case study with a mixed method approach was conducted in the Brazilian subsidiary of a multinational company recognised worldwide for its innovative capacity. The results contribute to the theory by showing that several structural dimensions – mainly the level of communication, level of formalisation and job codification – affect the work environment for innovation. The study also enriches the comprehension on how managers should design specific structural dimensions to stimulate creativity and innovation.

The Choice of Organizational Structure in the Internet Era: Flattening and Decentralization —— Based on Perspective of Dynamic Capabilities

In the Internet era, when information technology permeates into firm’s business process day by day, it is an urgent task to win competitive advantage by obtaining dynamic capabilities in super-competitive environment. This paper constructs the research model and puts forward the theoretical hypothesis on the basis of combing the existing relevant literature. Based on the mature organizational structure and dynamic ability scale, 328 valid sample data were empirically tested. The results show that the each dimension of organizational structure has a significant positive impact on the dynamic capabilities of the enterprise, that is, the flattening and the decentralization of the organization have a significant positive effect on the sense ability, the integration ability and the innovation ability. Then it puts forward the management enlightenment, limitation and research prospect. The contribution of this paper is to establish the research framework of organizational structure and dynamic capabilities from the perspective of dynamic capabilities, and point out that flattening and decentralization is a reasonable choice of enterprise organizational structure in the Internet era. This organizational structure is helpful for enterprises to sense the rapid changes of the market in time, efficiently integrate the internal and external resources, and obtain iterative and rolling competitive advantage through the innovation of technology and management.

The Effects of Dimensions of Organizational Structure on Innovation in Business School Libraries in India: An Empirical Study

Purpose: In an intensely competitive and changing environment, innovation can be considered as a survival strategy. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of organization structure on innovation in business school libraries in India. Design/methodology/approach: The study focused on libraries of leading business schools, viz., IIMs,. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data for this study. The quantitative data were analyzed to test the hypothesis. Findings: The dimensions of organizational structure i.e., vertical complexity, employee participation and organizational complexity are positively related to innovation and have higher OS influence in innovation among business school libraries. On the other hand, increase in formalization, the degree of centralization and strict adherence to pre-defined roles and rigid rules in the organization are negatively related to innovation. Research Limitations: The study is limited to libraries of Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) India. Thus, other scientific and technical libraries are not in the ambit of this study. Originality/value: In India, there is no study conducted in academic management libraries. This study can be used as a guide for library administrators to accomplish the objectives of the organization by enabling innovation in the context of organizational structure.

Developing a model for analyzing the factors influencing interpersonal conflict

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and analyze a model of factors influencing interpersonal conflicts.Design/methodology/approachThis research was conducted using a mixed method approach. In the qualitative study, the conceptual model of the factors affecting interpersonal conflicts was extracted from semi-structured interviews with 17 relevant experts using a theme analysis technique. Then, three hypotheses were developed based on the model and relevant theoretical evidence. Using a researcher-made questionnaire which was developed earlier based on the qualitative results, a quantitative-based survey was performed to assess the interpersonal conflicts and also the standard scale of the level of interpersonal conflicts (Jehn, 1997). The hypotheses were tested on a sample of 160 employees of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province Gas Company (CBPGC).FindingsThe results of the qualitative study indicated that individual factors including personality dimensions and individual differences; organizational factors including five dimensions of organizational culture, organizational structure, management characteristics, intra-organization factors and human resource systems; and environmental factors influenced the creation of interpersonal conflicts. The results of the quantitative study indicated that organizational factors with an effect size of 0.502 were identified as the most important factor influencing interpersonal conflicts.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study can provide a roadmap to managers of the CBPGC to be aware of the contributing factors to conflict within their organization.Originality/valueThe use of mixed method to identify the causes and factors of interpersonal conflict and analyzing a context different from previous studies can be considered as the innovations of this study.

Non-Linear Impact of Organizational Structure on Schedule Management for R&D Project Success: An ANN Approach

To attain project success in R&D (Research & Development) public sector environment, the aspects of an organizational structure play a vital role in the successful implementation of R&D projects. Nevertheless, not meeting proposed timelines and inadequate management of schedules of R&D projects is the intrinsic hurdle in R&D projects. However, the study gauging the impact of organizational structure on the schedule management of R&D projects has never been discussed before. Therefore, this study aims to gauge the effectiveness of organizational structure and schedule management dimensions upon each other by employing predictive modelling technique i.e. ANN (Artificial Neural Network). This study is based on a quantitative approach and the model followed is non-linear regression. A simple random sampling technique is used to collect data from 285 respondents (in two rounds) from various R&D public sector set-ups. The robustness and homogeneity of data is checked by carrying out F and Ttests. Subsequently, data is pre-processed; ANN model is trained and validated by choosing appropriate tuning parameters and quantitative performance measures like RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) and MAPE (Mean Absolute Percentage Error) are analyzed. The results clearly indicated that formalization, decentralization and authority of managers are strongly correlated; differentiation, specialization, coordination mechanism, departmentalization are positively but weakly correlated with some subconstructs and centralization also constitutes positive but weakly correlated among all. The results also imply that decentralized organizational structures are more preferable than centralized structures for the execution of R&D projects when proposed timelines are to be met timely.

The effects of Dimensions of Organizational Structure on Innovation among Academic Business School Libraries in India: An Empirical Study

The effects of Dimensions of Organizational Structure on Innovation among Academic Business School Libraries in India: An Empirical Study

An assessment of the current status of the organizational structure and its dimensions in medical universities for transition to the third generation university

Background: In today's competitive world, it is hardly possible to achieve strategic goals without having a well-structured organization. Therefore, universities need to focus on improving their organizational structure in order to achieve their goals and sustain their activities. The purpose of this study was to assess the current status of organizational structure dimensions in universities of medical sciences for transition to the third-generation university. Methods: This was a descriptive-analytic study. The statistical population included all managers and healthcare management specialists in universities of medical sciences of the 9th Planning Macro-Region of the country totaling 614 individuals. Using Cochran’s formula, 265 people were selected randomly via stratified random sampling method. To collect data, a researcher-made questionnaire was used, which held 52 items on the 5-point Likert scale. The questionnaire was confirmed by faculty members in terms of formal and content validity, and its reliability was obtained through Cronbach's alpha coefficient as 0.95. SPSS14 software and descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that the mean scores for all structural dimensions in the universities of medical sciences were lower than average (score=3) in the present situation, including informal relationships (2.43 ± 0.63), trust-based relationships (2.57 ± 0.61), interaction-based relationships (2.52 ± 0.49), emotion-based relationships (2.72 ± 0.54), formalization (2.82 ± 0.64), complexity (2.99 ± 0.52), concentration (2.83 ± 0.49), and professionalism (2.90 ± 0.50). These relationships were statistically significant (p = 0.0001). Conclusion: According to the results, universities of medical sciences require a fundamental change in their current organizational structure in order for transition to the third-generation university.

More than Pathological Formalization: Understanding Organizational Structure and Red Tape

AbstractMost research has conceptualized red tape as being a pathological subset of organizational formalization. This article argues that focusing on a single dimension of organizational structure as a red tape driver is unrealistically narrow. Specifically, the article advances hypotheses as to how organizational centralization and hierarchy affect perceived red tape, in addition to formalization. This reasoning is tested using survey data from employees of three local government organizations in the southeastern United States. All three hypotheses are supported: higher levels of organizational formalization, centralization, and hierarchy are associated with more red tape. Open‐ended comments also indicate that red tape is not solely perceived as related to formalization. The findings imply that red tape is a multifaceted perception of organizational structure rather than perceived pathological formalization.

Exploring the antecedents and consequences of organizational democracy

PurposeOrganizational democracy is the new model of organizational design for a Democratic Age, and out of this new model grows a freedom-centered and healthy climate. Democratic management is a key to greater organization success and a necessity to gain higher levels of performance and innovation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents and consequences of organizational democracy in an Iranian context.Design/methodology/approachStatistical population includes the employees of the Gas Company of Isfahan Province. For data analysis, 263 accurate completed questionnaires are used. Structural equation modeling is applied to investigate the relationship between the research variables.FindingsThe findings showed that some types of organizational culture (i.e. self-criticism, team, and participatory culture) (β=0.33); and some dimensions of organizational structure (i.e. decentralization, flat hierarchy, and less formalization) (β=0.55) as antecedent variables have a significant direct effect on organizational democracy. Also, organizational democracy has a significant direct effect on human resources outcomes consist of organizational commitment, self-efficacy, and improving work relationships (β=0.64); and organizational outcomes consist of organizational learning and organizational agility (β=0.96).Originality/valueDespite years of encouragement from consultants and theorists, managers have generally shown little interest toward democratic process as a system of decision making and management in organizations. This study proposes a comprehensive model for identifying the antecedents and consequences of organizational democracy. Most studies in this field are theoretical rather than empirical. But, in this research, the proposed relationships are examined empirically.

Accumulating technological capabilities through R&D projects: studies on the Brazilian defence industry

Emerging economy firms (EEFs) have striven to accumulate technological capabilities and promote indigenous innovation for technology upgrading and catching-up. By assuming that R&D projects affect firm capabilities, this study investigated how EEFs can accumulate technological capabilities through R&D activities. A technological-capability framework was proposed with the dimensions of organisational structure, innovation processes, practice, resources and entrepreneurial leadership. The framework guided an exploratory case study of three R&D projects in the Brazilian defence industry: the thrust vector control (TVC), software-defined radio (SDR) and radar projects. The TVC project utilised existing firm capabilities, whereas the SDR and radar projects needed to develop their capabilities from scratch. Different paths were adopted to accumulate technological capabilities and deliver the projects' outcomes. It was found that a balance between the dimensions may positively impact the rate at which technology capabilities are accumulated. Theoretical contributions and practical implications for EEFs are also discussed.

Proposta de um modelo de análise da flexibilização da burocracia em organizações públicas com base nas dimensões sugeridas por Volberda: o caso da secretaria de estado da administração de Santa Catarina

O reconhecimento da necessidade de entender as mudanças que vem ocorrendo nas práticas organizacionais originou um conjunto de trabalhos que pode ser agrupado na temática denominada “novas formas organizacionais”. Este artigo se insere nesta temática, objetivando discutir a questão da flexibilização da burocracia em uma organização pública. Para tanto, foi estruturado um modelo de avaliação baseado nas dimensões propostas por Volberda (1988) - considerando a operacionalização da racionalidade substantiva em uma organização por meio do que o autor denomina controle dinâmico - na Secretaria de Estado da Administração de Santa Catarina. No que tange à metodologia, se configura como um estudo descritivo e se constitui em um estudo de caso. Utilizou-se como instrumento de intervenção metodologia ligada à Pesquisa Operacional, denominada metodologia MCDA-C. A contribuição da MCDA-C nesse contexto se dá pelo fato de essa metodologia permitir a organização dos critérios de análise propostos por Volberda, estabelecer uma escala de avaliação para cada um desses critérios e proceder a uma avaliação que permita quantificar o grau de flexibilização da organização em estudo. A organização obteve 35,4 pontos, o que se configurou, em uma análise geral, como baixo grau de flexibilização. Em uma análise mais específica, apresentou um maior grau de flexibilização na dimensão cultura organizacional e um menor grau de flexibilização na dimensão estrutura organizacional.

Organizational Structure and Organizational Learning

In this chapter, we aim to provide a concise overview of the literature on the relationship between organizational structure and organizational learning. The objective is to organize rather than survey the literature in depth, with a view to making opportunities for further research more salient. We consider two dimensions of organizational structure: the extent to which influence patterns are clustered and symmetric, as well as two forms of organizational learning - online and offline. Arraying the existing results from the literature along these dimensions shows exactly where the empirical and theoretical gaps are, and we suggest these are particularly amenable to approaches combining models and experiments on groups.

Organizational structure, innovation performance and customer relationship value in the Greek advertising and media industry

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the impact of organizational structure dimensions on innovation performance as well as its implications on business customers’ relationship value and financial performance in the business-to-business (B2B) market of the Greek advertising and media industry.Design/methodology/approachBased on a sample of 180 executives, who are at the helm of 163 Greek advertising and media organizations, the authors apply the partial least square method to test the association of organizational structure with innovation performance, business customers’ relationship value and financial outcomes.FindingsFindings have brought to light that training boosts organization’s capacity to innovate, whereas direct supervision as a coordination mechanism significantly restricts this capacity. Innovation performance in the advertising B2B market fosters business customers’ relationship value and financial performance, while financial outcomes are also beneficially affected by profitable relationships with customer relationship value.Practical implicationsBecause of the dramatic decline in their profitability caused by the economic crisis in the past five years, Greek advertising and media companies are threatened with extinction; thus, they are required to enhance their effectiveness through the adoption of a more innovation-oriented structure. Thus, managers should facilitate structures supporting training and delimiting direct supervision to foster the development of a competitive advantage built on innovation, creativity and business clients’ relationship.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing relationship marketing literature because it introduced Mintzberg’s typology to measure organizational structure and led to the diagnosis of the associations between different dimensions of organizational structure and various aspects of performance in the media and advertising industry, revealing the partial mediating role of customer relationship value between innovation and financial performance in the B2B market.

The Relationship between Organizational Structure and Employee Job Stress

This study investigates the relationship between organizational structure and employee job stress in staffs of Khuzestan Steel Industries. The statistical population includes 382 and sample comprises 191 staffs, selected based on Krejcie and Morgan's (1970) table. To collect related data, two questionnaires were utilized: the designed organizational structure questionnaire consisting of complexity, formality, and centralization dimensions as well as job stress questionnaire adapted from standardized modified questionnaire developed by Kyriacou and Sutcliff (1978). Research methodology is descriptive correlational. The experts confirmed the content validity of two instruments. The reliability of questionnaires established through Alpha Cronbach's and reported for organizational structure (0.94) and job stress (0.90) questionnaire. The findings revealed that there are significant relationships between formality, complexity, and centralization dimensions of organizational structure and employee job stress. Key terms: Organizational structure, formality, complexity, centralization, job stress

How Organizational Structure Affects Ecological Responsiveness

In this article, we analyze the relationship between the main dimensions of organizational structure (i.e., formalization, centralization, and complexity) and ecological responsiveness in a sample of 109 firms in the European air passenger transport industry. Broadly confirming our hypotheses, the results show that high formalization of routine tasks favors ecological responsiveness. Structures characterized by high decentralization and low complexity also favor ecological responsiveness. Furthermore, decentralization has a significant, positive relationship with ecological responsiveness among firms with low vertical complexity. Overall, the results indicate that organizational structure plays a major role in ecological responsiveness.

Differentiation in organizational structures of university libraries in Pakistan

Purpose Differentiation is an important dimension of organizational structure, as it is the building block of organizational structure upon which organizations are based. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of differentiation in central libraries of leading universities in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach Multiple quantitative methods were used to carry out this research. Structured questionnaire, perusal of organizational documents and observation of library section were used to collect data for this study. Findings Majority of libraries have divided the entire library operations into five to eight departments, and acquisition, circulation and periodical sections are created in almost all the libraries included in the sample. Unity of command principle is applied at only the section level, but dual chain of command is prevalent for personnel working under the two hierarchical levels, i.e. section head and library head, as they have to report to both of them. In majority of libraries, average span of control ranges from five to ten personnel for the library head and from six to seven personnel for the section head. Originality/value No such study is conducted in Pakistan. This study has identified the levels of differentiation and will guide academic library executives in creating a balance in the levels of differentiation to accomplish the objectives of the organization.