Mintzberg taxonomy of organizational forms

Draft

Definition

• This model is useful to identify types of organizations and to

The model

The organizational forms

                            Complexity
                  simple                   complex
                 ---------------------------------------
                |
        stable  | Machine                  Professional
                | bureaucracy              organization
Pace            |
of              |
change          |
                |
       dynamic  | Entrepreneurial          Adhocracy
                | startup

The subunits model

Mintzberg defines five basic organizational subunits:

1. Strategic Apex, e.g. Board of Directors, CEO, president, rector
2. Technostructure, e.g. Strategic Planning, Training,
3. Support Staff, e.g. Legal Counsel, Public Relations, Payroll, Mailroom Clerks, Cafeteria Workers
4. Middle Line, e.g. VP Operations, VP Marketing, Plant Managers Sales Managers
5. Operating Core, e.g. Purchasing Agents, Machine Operators, Assemblers, Sales Persons, Shippers

Mintzberg then claims that each of the four organizational forms uses fundamentally different coordination mechanisms.

Further stuff

• Organizations do four things: They find, they keep, they transform and they distribute.

• They deal with materials, with products, with people and with information.

Links

• Beshears, Fred (2000). Mintzberg's Taxonomy of Organizational Forms, online paper, Berkely. Retrieved 13:19, 3 June 2006 (MEST). This web page provides a very useful overview.

• http://www.delphipharma.com/innovators.htm

• Henry Mintzberg's homepage, includes links, including some articles for download.

References

• Mintzberg, H. 1979. The Structuring of Organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

• Mintzberg, H. (1983) Structure in Fives: Designing Effective, Organizations", Prentice Hall.

• Mintzberg, H., J. Lampel, S. Ghoshal, J.B. Quinn; (1991). The Strategy Process: Concepts, Contexts, Cases. Prentice Hall.

• Mintzberg, H and L Van Der Heyden (2002). Taking A Closer Look: Reviewing The Organization, Ivey Business Journal, september/october.