Demographics “The Human Factor in Knowledge Processes” [Part 3]

In this final part of this study’s demographics, we present the different places the participants hold within the structure of their organizations. To do this we use the Mintzberg Matrix, and Mintzberg’s Mushroom visualization technique.

The organizational structure is one of the most important components of an organization’s design and could be described in terms of the basic parts of an organization as indicated below.

An “organogramme” is only one of the ways to depict how people within the organization co-ordinate their activities, which, again, determines its functioning. One structure may function better than another one, i.e. being more effective and efficient.

The Mintzberg matrix examines the balance between five basic areas of activity of an organization, in terms of the time people spend, and makes is visual by drawing an so-called Mintzberg Mushroom. In our research you were asked to give a general description of your role, in the actual analytical process of the Mintzberg Matrix you would look at a percentage of a person’s time which is spent within that function.

The Basic Parts of Organizations
[Example; Secondary School]

1. Operating Core

Staff involved in activities of the primary process (the transformation of inputs into outputs). [With education being the primary process the educators form the operating core.]

2. Strategic Apex

Staff charged with ensuring that the organisation serves its Mission by formulating and controlling relevant strategies.[School Governing Body and Principal]

3. Middle Line Management

Staff involved in joining the Strategic Apex to the Operating Core by channelling information and by co-ordination of activities. [Head of Departments, Unit Co-ordinators]

4. Support Staff

Staff not directly involved in the primary process, but providing operational support to this process. [Secretariat, Accounts, Transport]

5. Technostructure

Staff involved in the maintenance and development of the efficiency and effectiveness of primary and support processes, including the development, standardization, monitoring and evaluation of activities. Technostructure activities do not have to be technocratic or technical. [Financial Controller, Quality Assurance, Monitoring & Evaluation unit, Research, Methodology development]

The analysis helps to recognize the practices of the management of the organization. It provides a ground for strategic decisions on where to reduce and where to increase endeavors. The division into five basic parts can also provide a starting point for an analysis of the adequacy of co-ordination mechanisms in the organization.

Basic Questions

• Does the organization pay adequate attention to, and allocate sufficient time or resources for, all its core parts/functions?
• Are there any imbalances between the attention being paid to the five basic parts, which may influence effectiveness and efficiency?

Results

• An assessment of where imbalances may exist within the organisation and what could be done to address them, e.g. operational planning and OS intervention planning
• Identification of strengths and weaknesses in the balance between current efforts of the organisation vis-à-vis its strategic orientation and priorities?

What about the research?

This research used the terminology of the Mintzberg Matrix.  For the division of participants between the five roles see figure 7.

Figure 7: Mintzberg Matrix Participants of Research - The bigger the figure, the more participants

Both management positions accounted for the most responses. This can be explained by the nature of invitations to participate, which were often sent to the general address of an organization. Management usually gets to see such invitations first. The operating core does make up for almost a quarter of the responses. These three main groups are big enough to make meaningful comparisons, and it will be very interesting to analyze possible differences. The technostructure and support staff are less present. We have to see whether these groups are big enough to draw valid conclusions in comparison with the other groups.

If you were to analyze your or another organization using the Mintzberg Matrix, and the figure would look like the one presented here, it might have a problem. This organization would be leaning very much to the “management side of the spectrum”. “A lot is being managed, but little is being done” There is probably some creative thinking necessary to lessen the amount of time spent on management and an increased more on the actual operational process. After all, organizations are meant to do something. They are not created to give managers a job. Meaningful management should always lead to concrete operational results.

Sources:
- Henry Mintzberg (1979) “The Structuring of Organizations” Prentice Hall
- MDF Tango Toolkit (MDF-Training & Consultancy)

If you are interested to know more about the writings of management guru Henry Mintzberg, or about the inspiration for our research philosophy we recommend the following books:

This concludes our posts on the demographics of this research. For the latest weknowmore.org results, you can register for an e-mail subscription or a RSS-feed here.