Staff positions provide for advisory or specialized expertise in accomplishing a firm's objectives. An important issue in defining authority relationships is that of delegation. Both authority and tasks can be delegated. But the responsibility for accomplishing a task or objective cannot be delegated. Managers remain accountable, and maintain the responsibility for the activities of their work groups.
Environmental characteristics have an important role in determining structure.
No single plan of differentiation and integration can be recognized as superior. The consideration of an international dimension for an organization requires the integration of a whole new perspective in organizational design. Both divisional and matrix designs can be considered when a firm goes multinational. TQM and Organization Firms addressing questions about TQM will have to deal with question of changing organizational culture. In Unit Two, culture was defined as the values, beliefs, customs and norms that are common to one group of people but different from other groups.