THE
PROJECT
DESIGN YOUR IDEAL ORGANIZATION
Throughout the semester, we worked in teams of five to understand the importance of organizational behavior. For our final project, we were challenged to use concepts we read in the textbook and discussed in class to design our ideal organization. There are many approaches to this project. I don't know what it is I want to do yet and struggled with the task. How could I describe my ideal organization when I don't know what I want to do. To complete this project, I looked back at my own experience. I decided to make this a very personal exploration. Each page is filled with stories and my personal experience. I chose to do this to provide insight to my reader. I feel my personal experiences can help explain my choices. Throughout the site I mention various organizations I have had the pleasure of working with. Along with sources I used, my work cited page includes the websites of those organizations and I encourage readers to explore all of the links provided. Thank you for reading and welcome to my ideal organization.
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STRUCTURE&
CULTURE
After learning about the different organizational structures I realized my ideal organization has a functional structure that utilizes departmentalization. The textbook defines this as follows:​
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Departmentalization: The grouping of human and other resources into units, typically based on functional areas or markets.
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After learning about the different organizational cultures I realized my ideal organization's culture would be a mix between clan and adhocracy. The textbook defines this as follows:​
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Clan: Strong value is placed on flexibility and discretion with a focus inside the organization. Overall, the organization tends to be a friendly place to work, with a great deal of commitment and loyalty.
Adhocracy: Strong value is placed on flexibility and discretion with a focus outside the organization. The organization tends to be a vibrant place to work, with significant risk taking.
LEADERSHIP
After having learned about the different leadership structures I realized my ideal organization will thrive with a mix of employee-centered leadership and job-centered leadership. The textbook defines this as follows:
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Employee-Centered Leadership Style: A behavioral leadership style that emphasizes employees’ personal needs and the development of interpersonal relationships.
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Job-Centered Leadership Style: A behavioral leadership style that emphasizes employee tasks and the methods used to accomplish them.
DIVERSITY
After learning about the different approaches to organizational diversity, I realized my ideal organization is a multicultural workplace. The textbook defines this as follows:​
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Multicultural Organization: An organization in which the organizational culture values differences.
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One thing very important to me is that my ideal organization has paid family leave. It is vital because too often people are forced to choose between a career and a family when that should not have to be a choice.
CONFLICT
RESOLUTION
After learning about the different approaches to conflict resolution in the workplace, I realized my ideal organization will utilize many strategies with an emphasis on collaboration and compromise. The textbook defines this as follows:​ ​
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Collaborating responses are attempts to fully meet the concerns of both parties. To use a collaborating response, the parties must work together to identify solutions in which both parties can win. This type of response is most likely to result in the win–win outcome.
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Compromising responses are those in which a party tries to partially meet both his own concerns and those of the other party. A compromising response is best used when the parties are of relatively equal power, when temporary settlements to complex problems are required, when there is time pressure, and as a backup when collaboration is unsuccessful.