This
chapter is about organization models across different countries. Based on levels
of power distance and uncertainty avoidance, the author establishes 4 models of
organization, namely “pyramid of people”, “well-oiled machine”, “village market”
and “extended family” (p.304). Represented by France, the pyramid model
indicates the general manager at the top of the pyramid and each successive
level at its proper place below. The Germans are working in more “machine”
liked organizations, in which management intervention is limited to exceptional
cases. As for the market model, demands of the situation determine what will
happen and this model is popular in Britain. China has her own unique model, which
is the family model and concentration of authority is highly emphasized.
Besides the four major organization models,
another take away for me is that “nationality defines organizational rationality”
(p.337). Universal theories may not work so well in every situation; contexts and
particularity do matter a lot.
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