Mintzberg taxonomy of organizational forms

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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

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.