Question

Which of the following runs counter to the organizational trends in today's companies?

A) Highly centralized decision-making (made possible by much greater use of corporate intranets)
B) Few barriers between people at different vertical ranks, between functions and disciplines, and between units in different locations
C) Extensive use of Internet technology and e-commerce business practices
D) Extensive collaborative efforts among people in different specialties and different geographic locations
E) Devoting considerable management attention to building a company capable of outcompeting rivals on the basis of superior resource strengths and competitive capabilities

Answer 1

Highly centralized decision-making runs counter to today's organizational trends, which favor flat structures with decentralized decision processes and collaborative work environments.

Step-by-step explanation:

The topic at hand is the impact of information and communications technologies on organizational sizes and trends within companies. Which of the following runs counter to the organizational trends in today's companies? The correct answer is A) Highly centralized decision-making. In the context of current organizational trends, such as the move towards decentralization, increased collaboration, and the leveraging of internet technologies, a hierarchical structure with a centralized decision-making process would run counter to these trends. Organizations are now adopting flat structures, emphasizing team-based approaches, and exploiting global e-commerce, which are all conducive to quick responsiveness to technological and economic changes.