features of Mechanistic and organic organizational structures

A bureaucratic, hierarchical organizational structure with a centralized authority, codified processes and procedures, and specialized functions is referred to as a mechanical organization (Plunkett, Allen, & Attner, 2013). Due to their typical simplicity, these organizations are straightforward to manage and organize. However, dealing with quick changes presents several difficulties for mechanistic organizations. Organizations with organic structures, on the other hand, are flexible and can quickly and effectively adjust to changes. As a result, the organic organizations feature few layers or divisions of administration, decentralized authority or decision-making, and few specialized functions. The following paragraphs explain several aspects of mechanical and organizational structures that are explored in this essay.

Mechanistic and biological organizing systems differ in specific ways distinct features that make it easy to differentiate the two structures. One of the main differences is in the manner the employees from both structures carry out their duties. In mechanistic structure, employees are assigned tasks or duties, which they perform individually and separately (Plunkett, Allen, & Attner, 2013). On the contrary, employees in organic structures share inputs and embrace team work in various tasks, hence little job specialization. The second main difference is in the communication process. In a mechanistic structure, communication is primarily between supervisors and managers and is only extended to the executives. As such, mechanistic organizations have little daily interactions if any. On the other hand, organic organizations have an open communication, which takes place between, managers, executives, and employees. Lastly, unlike organic structures, mechanistic structures are characterized by strict operating standards or company policies and a lot of documentation.

Both mechanistic and organic structures are affected by the environmental changes equally. However, organizational structures with rigid frameworks such as mechanistic organizations are likely to experience such changes late compared to organic structures. Plunkett, Allen, & Attner (2013), postulate that the rate at which organizations adopt the environmental changes is mainly attributed to flexibility. The other important factor that determines how environmental translate into an organizational structure is the manner in which the authority operates. For instance, unlike mechanistic structures that have a centralized authority, organic organizations are fast to adapt to environmental changes that critically determine their operations and success.

Unlike organic organizations, mechanistic structures face challenges in reacting quickly to the turbulences that are frequent and are due to some hyper-change or hyper-competition. According to Corallo, Passiante, & Prencipe (2007), since mechanistic organizations have formalized procedures and strict policies, they tend to first justify the products and their position to clients instead of changing the quality or process quickly towards the market reactions. This is contrary to organic organizations, which easily affect changes in the company parameters to respond to the external market forces.

The current environment is rapidly changing following technology advancement in various fields ranging from production to management. Such hyper-active environment is attributed to the fast changes both in the customer requirements and market environment. As a result, businesses need to adapt quickly to avoid potential huge business and market losses – large scale adopters are likely to face the high competition and still survive in the market. Therefore, organic organizational structures are more suitable to the current local and global market environment due to their flexible nature (Corallo, Passiante, & Prencipe, 2007).

In conclusion, the different structures and characteristics in mechanistic and organic organizations determine their operations in the market. The current environment is technology oriented and thus the need for firms to have flexible structures that can respond quickly and adapt for organizational success. While organic structures are far the most suitable, mechanistic structures are not outdated or out of reference as they still suit particular businesses such as vehicle manufacturers.

References

Corallo, A. Passiante, G. & Prencipe, A. (2007). The Digital Business Ecosystem. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Plunkett, W. R., Allen, G., & Attner, R. F. (2013). Management: Meeting and exceeding customer expectations (10th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.