Case Study: Valera Regional Administration

Function

Organizational structure is a crucial part of management for sustainable development. It is also not unique to one enterprise, it evokes concern in government establishments, non-governmental organisations, and business enterprises. This essay takes a critical analytic approach to the case, "Valera Regional Administration." The paper proposes up to six plausible options to help in enhancing the strategic development functions. Nevertheless, each is replete with advantages and disadvantages. None of the many possible possibilities for improving organisational structure for increased efficiency is entirely and independently self-sufficient.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Options for Strategic Development Function

The first solution is the formation of a Department as a *Section* of the Valera Regional Council. It is noted in the case that the Council obstructs the executive's initiative citing lack of involvement in the decision-making process ("Valera Regional Administration" p. 6). Subordination of this Section to the head of the Regional Council is an ingenious way of soliciting support. Additionally, this step will enhance accountability by reducing role overlaps, and the Council members will have more time and energy to focus on implementing the tasks the strategy dictates. Likewise, this option will create employment opportunities for about ten experts charged with coordinating demand for tactical and operational responsibilities. On the loop side, new department may unintentionally create more red tapes.

Establishing a Department as a communal enterprise will be highly advantageous because it is exclusively owned by the council in its entirety. The opportunity to hand-pick experts on a contractual basis to execute statutory tasks the Council develops per the desired goals will have a twofold effect: the department will derive higher motivation from being trusted with the onus of hiring for the Council. Secondly, contractual terms of service will help in selecting the most qualified personnel and bringing them onboard. Nevertheless, this option is bound to attract poor performance; when the Council determines the tasks, funding techniques, and mechanism of the Department's operation, it means little involvement of the implementers - the department. Besides, contracted employees often lack ordinary entitlements including but not limited to benefits and paid vacations, a recipe for low morale among staff.

One advantage achievable by establishing a Department as a coordination body attached to the Governor of the Regional Administration is the creation of Program and Operational teams to mitigate the problem of unscheduled tasks. Moreover, drawing individuals from "state administrations, self-governmental structures, businesses, and non-governmental organisations" will bring together those with experience in public service thereby promoting efficient task fulfilment.

Another Department within the structure of the Department of Economy of the Valera Regional Administration will be advantageous in two ways. By monitoring the strategy for development, the Department will reduce losses due to misappropriation of resources. Also, increased coordination and implementation will further help focus efforts of different stakeholders for the successful development of the region. Besides identifying members of the task force alongside the need for their roles, the Department will enlist additional activities for which funding is required. This way, their costs can be regulated. Nevertheless, an advantage of this proposition is that insufficient or inaccurate data used to make budgeting decisions can have a devastating impact on the regional development mission; underfunding will likely slow or lead to project failure, overfunding will promote embezzlement. Therefore, a critical balance must be stricken and sustained.

Department as a separate Department of the Valera Regional Administration seems a highly comprehensive solution. Its main benefit is the centralisation of leadership, thus faster decision making. Additionally, increased funding - from other Departments of administration - will empower the Department to recruit experts; overall, this move will promote achievability of developmental goals. Furthermore, the Governor of the Administration will have the powers to manage the process of implementing the strategy, which will further increase the effectiveness of all operation groups. Contrariwise, the involvement of the Governor will undoubtedly intensify opposition from the Council, which has been identified to be detrimental to ratification of development policies. Another drawback emanates from funding sources. The method proposed will demand that money be shifted from other Departments. The aftermath of rerouting funds may include paralysing operations of these Departments, yet contributions are equally critical to the success of the Administration and the goal of development.

A Department disguised as a Regional Development Agency will solicit increased support by involving, among others stakeholders, the Regional Council, Regional State Administration, business enterprises. Self-sustainability basis for funding will reduce or eliminate the inconveniences of having to draw funds from other departments besides meeting complex developmental needs. Nonetheless, while temporary working groups can be tailored to meet the current needs, they tend to be less motivated by the short-term nature of their job.

From the above discussion, it is only evident that every option for strategic development is imperfect, though to a varied degree. Each solution has a unique strength with others mostly overlapping. In this regard, a Department in the name of Regional Development Agency is an excellent choice, but it requires strengthening by drawing from the strengths of other options. Financing through self-sustainability principle would not negatively affect other Departments of the Administration by rechanneling their funds. Also, the involvement of a broad base of essential players will guarantee support. However, ways of minimising bureaucracy, wastage of resources, poor motivation must be developed to ensure success.

Suggestions for Improving Functionality of the Valera Regional Administration

Restructuring and reorganising the Valera Regional Administration with the aim of enhancing functionality is an intricate task that must involve a range of experts. With the main problems identified as lack of scheduling, bureaucracy, lack of support, and accountability issues, any sound solution should seek not to address these symptoms, but the central problem that gives rise to them. In this respect, forming a Department is non-negotiable; however, it must be comprehensive by striking the delicate balance in terms of culture, centralization, and formalization. This balancing, Carpenter et al. (2011) stress, are essential elements for successful company structure. Members of the Council and Governors must be brought together to create a council charged with decision-making, oversight, coordination, and cost management. The degree to which a company is centralized and formalized, the number of levels in the company hierarchy, and the type of departmentalization the company uses are key elements of a company's structure.

From this case study, it is clear that the Valera Regional Administration, as currently constituted, is incapable of meeting its functionality goals, which demands urgent but expert restructuring and reorganising. By analysing different proposed options, the study has shown that no single choice is self-sufficient, but Regional Development Agency is justifiably the best. Still, it needs a little tweaking by drawing from the strengths of other propositions to neutralise the impact of its inherent weaknesses. As an additional suggestion to streamline functionality of the Valera Regional Administration, Department formation is necessary, and it must bring together a diverse body of experts, the Council, and Governors.

Factors That Are the Most Influential in Organizations - Power, Culture, or Structure

No organization in today's turbulent business environment is void of culture, a structure of operations, and power to govern or dictate what happens within the enterprise concerning a higher cause. On this account, it becomes clear forthwith that making a distinction between the degrees of influence each variable exerts is a dauntingly challenging task, if not entirely impossible because they overlap in practice. In this section, therefore, special attention is dedicated to discussing power, culture, and structure, and to single out which one is the most influential. The convoluted relationship among the trio notwithstanding, organizational culture seems superior in many dimensions.

Meaning of 'Organization'

If we are to stand any chance of understanding the exact extent to which power, culture, and structure impact an organization, and which is the most dominant, it is imperative to begin by defining the term "organization." The word bears the meaning of a social unit of individuals whose systemic arrangement and management allow them to pursue common goals continually (Rafaeli 1996). Simply put, an organization is a group of people with different expertise who pursue a mutual cause.

Organizational Power

One striking thing about "power" is the elusive nature of its definition. It is just too intangible and implicit to define, but so conspicuously pervasive that anyone would know it upon seeing. Nonetheless, it is still possible to contextualize organizational power. It is what happens when a person has the exclusive capacity to influence and control events or other people's attitudes or behaviour (Khanka 2006). Power draws legitimacy from authority, but it (power) needs not be legitimate to be defined as such. Bierstedt (1950) argued that power makes an organization by sustaining its structure, and it is the only known way of maintaining order within the association. However, misuse of power can be detrimental to the success of the business as it may curtail creativity through unnecessary rules and restrictions.

Organizational Structure

Organizational structure is a blueprint defining how individuals and groups are configured or the formal division and coordination of jobs each person should carry out in a company (Maduenyi et al. 2015). It stresses design. The persons forming an organization must have a structured way of relating and coordinating different roles and positions to achieve a grand objective. Therefore, it can be conclusively stated that structure is all about authority - the legal and formal capacity to order and command others, as well as to make decisions (Bierstedt 1950).

Organizational Culture

The literature on organizational culture is broad, and many scholars' ideas hint that it is virtually impossible to define an organization without borrowing a concept of culture. In his definition, Schein (1984) defined culture as "The pattern of basic assumptions that a given group has invented, discovered, or developed in learning to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, and that have worked well enough to be considered valid, and, therefore to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems" (cited in Sun 2009, p. 138). In other words, culture concerns psychology, actions, and beliefs governing how a group of people do things in the company: a modus operandi that does not change even when the CEO exits the scene.

Culture encompasses elements such as the degree of centralization and formalization, the complexity of company hierarchy, and form of depart...