As the economy recovers, CMA continues to rebuild. Since 2012, the company has been divided into a functional structure that includes four departments: Research and development (R&D), marketing, production, and finance. Each department is headed by a vice president who has responsibility over each of the functional areas. The company currently sells components to computer manufacturers. As technology continues to advance, the CMA R&D department and its vice president, Kevin Adams, are feeling pressure to keep up with the competition. However, because of the differentiation and separation between the departments, the CEO is concerned that communication is hampered.

Because of the current structure and culture, the vice presidents who run each division of the company have autonomy and are able to use different leadership styles. For example, the vice president of marketing, Jim Stevens, uses a more democratic leadership style, while the vice president of production, Melissa Simons, is adamant that her autocratic or transactional style is the only way to get results. Each leadership style has advantages, but the lack of consistency between divisions may be causing problems for the company as a whole. Further, the CEO is concerned that the workforce may not be as diverse as it should be, but he is not sure how to address the issue.

It is the end of the day, and you are meeting in Jared’s office to talk about his conference with the vice presidents.

Jared, the CEO, says: “We talked about how we can change the infrastructure so that it helps organizational culture run efficiently and consistently. Everyone is getting the same message now about how structure and culture need to work in a healthy company.”
“You know, it would help if I had something that explained the link between culture and structure. I need to talk to the board about the changes we’re making, and I will be talking to staff about what they can expect to happen over the next 6 months. You’re a better writer than I am, and I could use a well-written explanation for my discussions.”
Jared also says, “Besides explaining the link between culture and structure in this assignment, and based on the problems that CMA has had, what additional changes would you suggest for the company? I want to include your recommendations in the agenda for the next quarterly meeting with the board.”