Henry Mintzberg’s 4 plus 2 Organizational Types
In his 1979 book, The Structuring of Organizations, Henry Mintzberg classified organizational structures into four organizational types, depending on the complexity of the organization’s operations, and the pace of change it needs to accommodate. He later added two more.
The Structuring of Organizations: https://geni.us/UgFrie
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The Nature of Organizations
This video is part of course module number 6.1.2
Program 6: Managing within Organizations
Course 1: The Nature of Organizations
Section 2: Organizational Models
Other videos in this section include:
🎬 Edgar Schein’s Two Organizational Cultures – https://youtu.be/9C64CXJw83E
🎬 Charles Handy’s Gods of Management – https://youtu.be/yClxu7dzmB4
🎬 Charles Handy’s Shamrock Organization – https://youtu.be/dGGKT0Mr_HA
🎬 Charles Handy’s Federal Organization Model – https://youtu.be/69AYxCvT7m4
🎬 Charles Handy’s Triple-I Company – https://youtu.be/gFRXiMkIg6k
🎬 The Matrix Organization Model – https://youtu.be/hJ9wbFgmtKM
🎬 Peter Senge’s Learning Organization – https://youtu.be/k1k2h1l2VO0
🎬 Adhocracy – https://youtu.be/7QKm0Y3_Hr0
🎬 The Agile Organization – https://youtu.be/67NVUeFQMy4
🎬 Brian Robertson’s Holacracy – https://youtu.be/hz3khhOLT5E
🎬 Virtual Organizations – https://youtu.be/Hsovj2jPNPA
LESSON NOTES
Machine Bureaucracy
The most ‘traditional-looking’ structure is the machine bureaucracy.
– Rigid hierarchical structure, well suited to routine tasks that need to follow set processes
– Rules to follow
– Communication follows a structure and adheres to reporting lines
– Decision-making is at the top of the organisation
– Professional managers at all levels rule the organisation
Examples are big manufacturing businesses.
This structure can work in many configurations:
• Functional orientation
• Brand or product orientation
• Federal organisation of operating companies
Professional Bureaucracy
Services rather than roducts
– Processes and procedures need more flexibility
– Leadership still controls quality and process
Examples: professional services firms and Government departments.
Entrepreneurial Startup
– Need to adapt and change quickly, so a rigid structure just won’t work
– But the owners and investors want to stay in charge and make all the decisions
– Centralized but able to restructure quickly and nimbly
– Structures are often fairly flat, with only one or two layers between the CEO and the individual producers (often software developers)
– Small, informal, with loose allocation of roles
– Strong leadership from a single chief executive.
Adhocracy
– Projects come together, adopt whatever structure they need, and morph as the project evolves
– High degree of self-direction among highly competent team members
– Co-ordination comes not through the structure, but by effective communication between people
Mintzberg has visited this topic again, in 1989, in Mintzberg on Management – https://geni.us/t2lB3. Here, he identified six archetypical organizational models, adding:
Diversified Organizations
– Echoes Charles Handy’s Federal Organization – https://youtu.be/69AYxCvT7m4
– Create a central administrative function to serve a range of operating units that are more or less autonomous. The degree of autonomy seems to vary in cycles with the current cycle creating a high degree of centralisation.
Missionary Organizations
– Driven by a single, clear mission that provides
• the basis for every strategic choice and
• the motivation for employees
Charities and NGOs often fit this description
RECOMMENDED EXERCISE
1. Consider your current organization. Which of Mintzberg’s 6 organizational types best describes it? (2 MC CPD Points)
2. Repeat your assessment for each organization you have worked for. (2 MC CPD Points each)
DOWNLOADS
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Paid resources
– Management Courses Onboarding Kit – https://gum.co/MC-ObK ($3)
RECOMMENDED READING
– Understanding Organizations https://geni.us/oB774Do
– Images of Organization https://geni.us/hrOemEs
– Inside Organizations: 21 Ideas for Managers https://geni.us/YwwL
– Gods of Management: The Four Cultures of Leadership https://geni.us/bpPeC5
Managers Need a Basic set of kit to do your job well. Here are my top recommendations: https://kit.co/MikeClayton/manager-s-work-kit (the links are affiliated)
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