Automotive: Organizational Structures
Description
Comprehensive analysis of organizational structures prevalent in the automotive industry including functional, divisional, matrix, and hybrid structures, with focus on how these structures impact IT implementations, decision-making processes, and digital transformation initiatives.
Learning Objectives
Learners will be able to analyze different organizational structures used by automotive companies including functional structures at companies like General Motors, divisional structures at Ford, and matrix structures at companies like Philips, evaluate how organizational structure affects IT decision-making and implementation, assess the impact of organizational design on digital transformation success, and design IT solutions that align with specific automotive organizational structures and reporting relationships.
Topics (7)
Analysis of functional structure implementation in automotive companies like General Motors, where departments are organized by function including engineering, manufacturing, finance, and marketing, with each department led by functional managers responsible for their specialized area, and the impact on IT system integration and cross-functional collaboration.
Examination of divisional structures like Ford's geographic divisional approach with separate divisions for North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, each operating with its own resources and management, and how divisional structures affect IT system architecture, data management, and regional technology implementation.
Analysis of matrix structure implementation in automotive companies where employees report to both functional managers for professional development and project managers for specific initiatives, using examples from companies implementing complex technology projects requiring cross-functional collaboration and dual expertise management.
Analysis of organizational structure impacts on IT governance including decision-making authority distribution, budget approval processes, technology standardization approaches, cross-functional IT project management, and how structure influences the speed and effectiveness of digital transformation initiatives.
Examination of change management considerations including communication strategies for different structures, stakeholder engagement approaches, resistance management techniques, training and adoption strategies, and how organizational structure affects the success of IT transformation initiatives in automotive companies.
Analysis of emerging organizational approaches including agile organizational structures, digital-first operational models, network-based organizations, platform-based structures, and how automotive companies are adapting their organizational design to support software-defined vehicle development and digital business models.
Examination of hybrid organizational models combining multiple structural approaches, including how automotive companies integrate traditional functional departments with agile project teams, digital innovation labs, and cross-functional transformation units to support IT modernization and digital initiatives.