Final answer:
The statement is true, as organizations are increasingly delegating decision-making to lower levels to enhance responsiveness and agility. The trend towards flatter structures helps decrease transaction costs and leads to teamwork, capitalizing on diverse skills within the organization.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that a trend in strategic planning is to delegate creative decision-making and work processes to the lowest level of the organization as much as possible is true. By delegating decision-making, organizations aim to reduce transaction costs associated with centralized decision-making processes. This also helps in bringing together diverse skills and expertise which can be more effective in teams as opposed to when individuals work in isolation. However, it's important to note that while this trend does have its advantages, such as increased agility and better responsiveness to changes, it does not come without challenges. Group decision-making can sometimes increase transaction costs and there's a risk of a loss in overall direction without adequate leadership and coordination.
Organizations have been moving toward flatter structures which encourage teamwork and a team-based approach. This shift is driven by the need to respond quickly to external factors such as technology changes, globalization, and workplace demographics. While teams can offer greater productivity and innovative solutions due to the varied expertise within them, their effectiveness is actively researched due to the complex dynamics involved.