I currently work in a matrix organization in the biopharmaceutical industry. I don't mind working in a matrix organization since it allows me to support different teams and learn what each department is responsible for. Working for a matrix type of organization can open up other opportunities from a career standpoint. So many people are connected on many different levels, and they will remember you for doing a great job supporting others. 

I currently work in a functional organization. I was a BT first then took an exam to become an RBT. Above me are BCaBAs, BCBA, and BCBA-D, along with admin, admin support, and HR. The company I work for is not necessarily a large organization, since it is only located in Tennessee and Kentucky, however, they do have a number of clinics, and offer telehealth and home visits, so there is a large number of employees. I primarily work with clients in the school setting, but within the clinic there is a specific area for each role, being that BTs and RBTs share the same areas, but with their own therapy rooms. I highly enjoy working in this organizational type because everyone has their “role” that they specialize in and job duties do not get confused or misconstrued. I know what my job entails and that is what my focus is on and nothing more or less. I have been in other job roles where the lines were blurred, and I took on a lot of other people’s duties and it was draining. But now I know what to focus on and it allows for a smooth transition throughout the day. And also, I am the only one responsible for the quality of work and I take ownership and responsibility for the outcome.

I also currently work in a functional organization. I am a registered behavior therapist.  There are a plethora of people above me and as a team lead for the company i work for there are a few positions below me here. There are CaBAs, BCBA, and BCBA-D, along with admin, admin support, and HR above me and Co-leads and RBTs below me.  I work for a small black own company in South Georgia. My clients are under the age of 6 so I help a lot with behaviors and getting the kids on a schedule that will then be transferred into a school setting. Due to my company being smaller, sometimes my counterparts will have to play multiple roles within the company and then that's when it starts to get blurred. Typically, the jobs I work previous we're very black and white while this one is Gray. Like VKeithley stated above, i am responsible for the quality of my work and have ownership of the outcome and responsibility of my working team.

I prefer a functional organization. I personally thrive when I am in my own element and able to consult with others with a similar background. My company takes a team approach to selling products, so I work with other teams on occasion. I think this would be more like a matrix organization. Moreover, my team specializes in providing application support to customers for a variety of laboratory processes. 

I am currently employed at a public middle school, which is considered a functional organization. Like most functional organizations, the resources are controlled and authorized by the functional managers and project management is considered a part-time responsibility. In the future I would like to work in a matrix organization, where there are multiple leaders on a team that focuses on open communication between different teams. This style aims to prevent regrouping every time a new project starts.

The hierarchical structure, also know as a line organization, is the common type of organizational structure. I feel like this one is better for a business because it defines reporting relationships, project organization and division of authority. It details your company's corporate ladder and promotional structure, thereby encouraging high-quality work. It helps to specialize each employee's work.

 I think I would enjoy working in a Project-based Organization. As a team player, I think it would assure me to know that the leading managers are communicating together before assigning roles. It is also encouraging to know that the project teams mitigate disconnects by facilitating meetings to discuss objectives. I think this would also mitigate detrimental cultures amongst the project teams and expand knowledge sharing. I look forward to experiencing a Project-based organization. 

The one organization setting that would be right for me would be a project-based organization because of the familiarity and single focus on the project. While working on this type of team, I am working with the same team members on the same project and progressing until the completion of the project. This is my ideal organization type because I know how each member of the team would work as well as document all the progress on the same project, compared to having different teams and not knowing the progress of the project. This type of organization would also lead to quicker decision-making by the team compared to longer-drawn-out actions by another member who hasn't seen the progress of the project. This would also mean better team collaboration among the team because tasks can be broken down by the members as well as adjusted for the time constraints of the project. More customer feedback can also be communicated with the members, thus providing a better overall project that a customer would want. A more clear project timeline would happen as a result of allocating members to certain tasks as well as getting customer feedback. This type of organization would be the best for me because it would allow me to focus on one or multiple projects with the same team members, and this would be planned out so that the best result can be achieved for the project.

In reflection on the types of organizations discussed in this week's lecture, I find that I would be comfortable working in a project-based organization. Unlike function-based structures, project-based organizations emphasize collaboration across different skill sets and disciplines, providing an environment where employees' knowledge can increase and evolve. I appreciate the idea that this approach encourages individuals to work towards a common goal, contributing to something greater than the sum of its parts. The dynamic nature of project-based work allows for a continuous learning curve, and the variety of challenges presented aligns with my inclination toward diversified experiences. Overall, I believe that a project-based organization would not only suit my working style but also contribute to my professional and personal development by offering meaningful and goal-oriented tasks.

I prefer the hierarchal organizational structure because it provides clear and coherent structure of what the leadership and continuity of reporting is. My opinion is based on my own experiences, having worked in only hierarchal-structure organized companies and it was easy to follow and I was able to provide my findings and work related comments. It also provides better promotional rewards for being committed and providing high quality output in your position.

Currently, I work within a matrix organization in which I work within a certain department and am involved within different project groups. This style of organization is a good fit for me as it allows for me to work with others within my own department, which helps me grow technically through working with more senior members. Additionally, working within project teams has helped me better understand the function of other departments and get a sense of the bigger picture of how each department works together to complete a project. As someone interested in going into project management in the future, this type of organization helps in getting a sense of how project teams work together. Additionally, most project managers within the medical device industry say that it is extremely beneficial to have a solid technical background prior to getting into project management so in this structure, I am able to get exposure to both.

In my time as an intern in the medical device industry, I believe my company worked as a functional organization. The departments mostly worked separately on their own projects with big decisions made by the department heads. Though I haven't worked in all three organization types, I think I would fit best in the project-based organization. I work very well in a driven team with concrete goals and targets. I also think it is very important to have open flows of information. Working in a project-based organization would hopefully create a more intimate setting where I could get to know my colleagues and work efficiently with them to accomplish goals. Thus, I think a project-based organization would be best for me. 

As the original post mentioned, I also have not ventured into a device development job. I think functional organization is the “worst” one for me to strive in because I am not too keen on working within just one department. As we have learned, coordinating projects with other departments would be extremely difficult and decisions are made by one person. I like the idea of collaborating with other departments to work on different projects rather than just sticking to one department forever. I also think that decisions should not be made by just one person. It should be discussed with other members before coming to a decision. Project-based organizations seem alright, but I do not think this one is for me either due to limited knowledge sharing between project teams. I do like that knowledge is transferred from project to project, but not the idea of duplicate resources existing. Again, I am more for working with other departments.

I think that matrix organization is right for me. The idea that you are able to work with other departments to work on different projects sounds just right to me. You get to work with different people for different projects. There is also the chance that you get to put your skills to the test. You can learn from other people from other departments to improve your skills for the next project. Better yet, you can also learn something new that is not in your area of expertise. What I find extremely important with working on projects is the sense of collaboration and strong communication. I can see this in a matrix organization. This type of organization breaks the traditional hierarchical workflow and silos in some companies as it promotes a more open environment to work in. It does not feel suffocating since you can share your ideas, inputs, and knowledge between departments. I am more for the open environment with good management. I do not mind having two or more bosses really. It all comes down to being able to have your deliverables for each person and to communicate any concerns you may have.

Do you think that you would stick to your preferred organization at every job or would it depend on what area you work in, such as R&D, product development, marketing, or regulatory?

As some have commented, I have not personally had the experience of working in industry and been able to be apart of a project team. However, with that said I think that I would ideally like to be in a very well set up matrix organization. I think the matrix organizational structure provides very clear project direction and authority while also providing those who work under it an abundance of career development opportunities. This is in part due to the fact that there is both a project manager and a functional manager who oversee both of these aspects independently. The project manager can guide the the projects deadlines and priorities and provide a clear and concise roles and purposes for those under the project. In addition, the functional manager can help me continue and develop skills in my discipline which can give me a clear cut direction on my career trajectory almost like a mentor. In this way I benefit from the matrix having both a functional and project manager. I think the last thing that I value from this organizational structure is the shared resources in which I can bring my skills to several different projects without having to permanently dedicate to one. With this I can gain more experience from the projects I am personally a part of and reduce the chance of me experiencing burnout from continuously being on a singular project. The overall balance of the strong project direction and the functional development I receive under this organizational structure is the reason why I think I would benefit the most from this organization type.