Module 2 – Case
ORGANIZING
Assignment Overview
Zappos Shoes, led by young CEO Tony Hsieh, is well known for
its non-traditional approaches to the workplace. From the background materials
you should be familiar with traditional organizational structures such as the
hierarchical organization, the flat organization, or the matrix organization.
But CEO Hsieh plans an even more radical approach to organizing his online shoe
retailing company called holacracy. This is radical new approach involves
eliminating hierarchies and even eliminating job titles.
Many of you are used to working in a hierarchical
organization, so as you can see this new form of organization (or perhaps “lack
of organization”) will be a huge change over what most of us are used to. But
for purposes of this assignment we must decide whether or not holacracy is
likely to work for Zappos Shoes. This assignment reflects the radical new ideas
of a younger CEO like Tony Hsieh as compared to more traditional structures
found in the older and more established Fortune 500 companies.
Here are some readings on Zappos and holacracy to get you
started:
Frean, A. (2014, January 6). How holacracy killed the
hierarchy in companies going flat-out for success. The Times. Retrieved from
ProQuest.
Cook, D. (2014, January 7). Ready for holacracy? Zappos says
it is. Benefits Selling. Breaking News. Retrieved from ProQuest.
Shiers, L. (2010). Touring Zappos. Footwear Plus, 52.
Retrieved from ProQuest.
Case Assignment
When you have finished researching Zappos’ current business
model and holacracy, then write a 4- to 5-page paper answers the following
questions:
What risks and challenges does Zappos face in implementing
holacracy? [Your answer to this question should be one to one and a half pages
in length]
Overall what do you think the chances are of holacracy
succeeding at Zappos? [Your answer to this question should be one to one and a
half pages in length]
What advantages or disadvantages do you think holacracy has
over more traditional structures such as a hierarchical or matrix structure? Of
the structures you have read about in the background materials, which one do
you think would be the best match for Zappos? Explain your reasoning and make
sure to cite Stanford (2014) and at least one other book chapter from the
background materials as part of your answer. [Your answer to this question
should be around two pages in length]
Assignment Expectations
Integrate readings on the concept of holacracy, Zappos
Shoes’ organizational structure, and traditional forms of organization
structure.
Answer the assignment questions directly.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Don’t go
off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background
materials.
Include both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the
Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13 and
14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which
is found under “My Resources” in the TLC portal.
Module 2 – SLP
ORGANIZING
For this assignment, continue to write about the same
organization that you wrote about for your Module 1 SLP. Carefully review the
background materials and make sure you understand the concepts of
centralization versus decentralization, geographic versus functional divisions,
span of control, and other key concepts covered in the Pearson tutorials and
required textbook reading. Then carefully think about how these concepts apply
to your chosen organization.
Once you have finished reviewing the background materials
and have carefully thought about how they apply to your organization, write a
2- to 3-page paper answering the following questions:
How would you characterize the design of your organization?
Is it flat, or have many layers? Is it a rigid hierarchy, or use alternative
structures like team-based or matrix? [Your answer to this question should be
about one paragraph in length]
Is decision making mostly centralized at the top, or is
there room for decentralized decision making at lower levels? [Your answer to
this question should be about one paragraph in length]
What kind of departmentalization does your organization use
– it is divided into functional divisions, geographical divisions, other
divisions? [Your answer to this question should be about one paragraph in
length]
What is the typical span of control for managers in your
organization? Is it broad or narrow? [Your answer to this question should be
about one paragraph in length]
Are employees highly specialized, or do employees have a
wide range of tasks and responsibilities? [Your answer to this question should
be about one paragraph in length]
SLP Assignment Expectations
Answer the assignment questions directly.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Don’t go
off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background
materials.
Make sure to use reliable and credible sources as your
references. Articles published in established newspapers or business
journals/magazines are preferred. If you find articles on the internet, make
sure it is from a credible source.
Reference your sources of information with both a
bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a
High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13 and 14 on in-text citations.
Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My
Resources” in the TLC portal.
