Reply to question received from my professor in my discussion on Organizational Structure and Management Systems

Reply to question received from my professor in my discussion on Case 6: BP: Organizational Structure and Management Systems.

Hey there, I received a question from my professor regarding the discussion that I posted. Please see below:

Q1- Considering the challenges highlighted by BP’s organizational structure in the case study, particularly the lack of effective specialization and coordination, how does your organization’s transition toward a flat structure address these issues, if at all? 

Please read the discussion below, and make reply to these question.

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Case 6: BP: Organizational Structure and Management Systems

The Role Specialization with Coordination and Cooperation Played in The BP Disaster

           A string of mistakes, among them the most catastrophic of which was the rupture of BP’s Macondo oil well in the Gulf of Mexico and the explosion at the company’s Texas City refinery, brought BP’s organizational structure and management to attention (Grant, 2021). As one of the few innovative executives in the oil and gas sector to defy industrial traditions and standards, John Browne, the previous chief executive officer of BP, established the organization and management framework of the company. He aimed to make BP the most adaptable, creative, and performance-driven large oil and gas company globally. According to the case, the lack of effective specialization coupled with coordination and cooperation within BP’s operations contributed to the disasters. The organization’s specialized functions needed to be sufficiently integrated and coordinated. For instance, there needed to be more communication between frontline workers and management about safety issues at the Texas City refinery. The devastating explosion in 2005 resulted from this lack of collaboration, which delayed the resolution of important safety problems (Grant, 2021). Similar mistakes in coordinating the several specialist teams in charge of well drilling, safety protocols, and emergency response occurred during the Deepwater Horizon accident. Management needed to have shared critical information adequately or acted upon it due to this lack of coordination and collaboration, which eventually contributed to the disastrous blowout and oil spill in 2010.

           Coordination with specialty may have been better integrated with the help of effective organizational skills (Grant, 2021). For example, having strong lines of communication across various departments and management tiers guaranteed that vital information about operational hazards or safety issues would be shared throughout the company without interruption. Establishing cross-functional teams with experts from many fields may have enabled a more comprehensive strategy for risk mitigation and decision-making (Di Muro et al., 2021). On the other hand, one way to have encouraged a culture where employees feel empowered to voice concerns and participate in efforts towards continuous improvement would have been to engage in training programs that stress the value of teamwork and shared responsibility for safety (Wade, 2014).

Organization Structure in My Organization

Organizational structures are extremely important to organizations since they specify a certain organizational hierarchy. Organizations with well-designed structures have a streamlined work schedule, which allows employees to understand their tasks as well as who they report to and, as such, improve quality and innovation (Grant, 2021). My organization is in the education sector, and we have been developing our organizational structure toward a flat structure. The organization has less than one hundred employees spread into two departments, which include instructors and support staff. Our team of instructors is responsible for ensuring the high standards of our training offerings. The support staff, which includes the legal team, is responsible for developing plans for expanding the organization’s reach, especially considering the industry standards. My organization has two departments that are not separate from one another, compared to divisional and functional organizational models. However, we still collaborate as a single entity rather than as competitors. Our employees are generally less likely to stick around when unsatisfied with their job. Workers desire a healthy work-life balance, which includes making a significant contribution to their professions (Wade, 2014). We value our flat models since employees feel more at ease and have more independence without a hierarchical structure. They are ready to forego better pay they may receive elsewhere in exchange for the enthusiasm, pleasure, and spirit of improving our services and growing the institution.