Why is it important to understand how management or design decisions affect future structures?

How can managers assess and enhance their decision-making skills for more effective leadership?

How do environmental factors and the organization's strategy affect the type of structure it should adopt?

The Benefits and Costs of Decentralized Decision Making. Whole Foods Market, Inc. (now a part of Amazon.com, Inc.) is a chain of grocery stores emphasizing natural and organic products. Starting out with a single store in 1980, the company has grown to over 400 stores in North America and the United Kingdom. As a part of the corporate culture, local and regional managers had wide discretion on sourcing and operations. Such discretion can lead to increased costs in the form of administrative duplication. Recently, Whole Foods "is whittling away at some of that autonomy in an effort to reduce costs and boost its clout with suppliers." One way the company will do this "is shifting more responsibility for buying packaged foods, detergents and other nonperishable items for the more than 430 stores to its Austin, Texas, headquarters." At the same time, the company recognizes the benefits to decentralized authority. While taking duplication out of the system, the company wants to retain the…

What additional qualification or knowledge do managers need to carry out their planning and organizing functions?

What role does leadership play in driving the execution of an organizational plan?