Published Article Critique

Published Article Critique

Classification and Relevance

Arthur H . Walker and Jay W . Losch in their article Organizational choice : product vs . function ' provide research that seeks to answer the old question of corporate management : is it better to organize management along product or functional lines , and in which case Focusing on two large plants , one organized along functional structures while the other includes groupings by product division , the authors consider the problem from various angles

In their consideration of the issue , Walker Losch (2000 ) use two approaches that they explicitly contrast

. One is the classical management theory . This approach operates with such criteria for decision-making as technical and economic . Namely , managers take into account minimization of payroll costs , effective use of resources specialization , coordination , and departmentalization . The main criteria are then the effective use of technology , people 's expertise , and required control and coordination (Walker , Losch , 2000 ,

.131

An alternative approach used by authors is the behaviorist perception of organizational behavior . This approach has uncovered other important dimensions that fall through the cracks ' of classical management First , there is a link to consider between specialization patterns and an individual 's patterns of thought and behavior . For instance , scholars consider the effect of working in functional departments on achievement orientation and skill development . Second , they consider inverse relationship between differentiation and integration creating a difficulty in uniting specialists with distinctly different patterns of behavior . Third , the inevitability of cross-functional conflicts can be mitigated only through effective communication . Addition of the behaviorist perspective to the evaluation of the material presented in the article does make it more relevant to the modern needs , contributing more insights to the process of investigation

In terms of gathering information , the article is in line with classical management theory , though , because authors rely on personal observation and do not include objective or subjective measures . Their focus on the management of organization also fits well with the classical approach The same can be said about the end result since the article is clearly intended as a guide for management practice . It also yields a theoretical framework within which to evaluate different organizations in terms of degree of integration , differentiation , and performance

The comparison of the two plants demonstrating different structures led the authors to one important conclusion : each type of structure should be compared with the needs of a particular enterprise . More specifically , a functional organization seems to lead to better results where stable performance of a routine task is desired , while the product organization leads to better results in situations where the task is less predictable and requires innovative problem solving (Walker , Losch , 2000 ,

.137 . This is an interesting idea that has implications for corporate managers . The question for them is what they consider their business to be : a stable operation with routine tasks or an innovative enterprise that requires problem solving relying on the abilities of the staff . Most are sure to pick the latter category , which is why product organization seems preferable in many...