Burke-Litwin Model
Structure
Burke-Litwin describes structure as the arrangement of the functions, people responsibilities, authorities, communication and interactions in a way that supports the organization's mission, goals and strategy.
National Presto Industries organizational structure type is product departmentalization. The business segments are aligned directly by the main products which are grouped in categories of Small Appliance and Housewares, Absorbent and Defense product lines (NPK:Seekingalpha, 2011).
The first business segment is the Housewares and Small Appliance department which has complete control over the assembly, manufacture, and distribution of this product line. The products are sold to retail establishments who then sell them to consumers. There are also distributors that sell the products which are mainly sold during peak holiday seasons (NPK:Seekingalpha, 2011).
The second product line of Defense products are through sales contract with the U.S. government for ammunition. There are a number of additional contracts with private industry for ammunition cartridges under defense contracts. This segment has undergone a number of recent restructuring changes due to acquisitions with at least two manufacturers namely AMTEC Corporation and later Spectra Technology (NPK:Seekingalpha, 2011). In this effort it was to expand its production of assembly of tactical munitions for weaponry.
The last segment belongs to the Absorbent Product line which also acquired a couple of companies to gain material goods for producing new pet products used in the area of toilet training for a short time. They also produce adult products for dealing with incontinence issues (NPK:Seekingalpha, 2011).
Unique or core competencies
During the 20th century the company was mainly involved in growing its product lines by marketing new products and getting patents for any new developments in technology that was proprietary in nature. This was to establish its core competencies for research and design of new technology and protect the company against the competition (ReferenceBusiness, 2011). The organizational structure was challenged by the Securities and Exchange Commission to transfer its company designation to that of an investment company due to the large number of patents held beyond the 40% required according to a law established in 1940 (ReferenceBusiness, 2011).
Within the Housewares line this is must evident as there have been several lawsuits against National Presto's patents from competitors seeking a piece of the pie. However National Presto has a unique ability to develop original product specifications that cannot be copied by the competition and successfully defend their core product designs. This keen aptitute of developing new innovative products has kept the company ahead of the competition and allowed protection of intellectual properties to become a keen core competency. The new technologies adopted by National Presto has been under attack but the patents have allowed the company to withstand repeated threats from outside companies.
Another core competency area is within the Defense business segment. Since the relationship with the government requires longer term contracts, National Presto can solidfy its business relationship for 3 to 5 years at a time (ReferenceBusiness, 2011). For example National Presto recently acquired a five-year long contract with the Army to provide ammunition for the entire 40mm munitions system that has been extended or renewed for an additional five-year term (ReferenceBusiness, 2011) . However the government does have the ability to end the contract at their discretion. Having to depend on the Department of Defense can be a potential threat as well due to the fact that all of its defense resource are tired up in a single contract. Losing that contract could be devastating for the Defense segment at National Presto. Another problem is that the contracts are based on long-term price fixes, which could become more of a loss if the cost of materials increases due to inflation or changes in the costs of raw materials or other variables (ReferenceBusiness, 2011).
Management practices
The company maintained a rather paternalistic style of management that has been passed down to succeeding leaders who have worked at the organization rather than hiring its top executives from outside the company for many years. It is...
Organizational Change The Burke-Litwin Model contains twelve organizational variables. Each of these variables is interconnected, so that changes in one variable will affect the others. Also built into the model is the idea that change can occur as the result of a concerted effort to change multiple variables. Ideally, an organizational change program will be strongest when all of the different variables are aligned in the direction of the desired change.
Nutri System Order A Model of Organizational Performance and Change G.H. Litwin and other experts came together in 1968 that was later refined by W.W. Burke and his colleagues almost 20 years later to look at a model that Litwin and his colleagues originally created a model of a group effort that is indicated by arrows which organizational functions encourage more openly while other functions and make a difference in being transformed
Simmons Graduate School Management Applying the Burke-Litwin Model The Burke-Litwin Model is also called a Causal Model of Organizational Performance and Change. The Burke-Litwin Model is used to determine how the external and international factors influence production and sustainability of an organization. Many factors are of interest when it comes to management of productivities within and outside organizations. With the use of the Burke-Litwin Model, organizations will be able to access and
In regard to organizational strategy, the companies can work towards a similar strategy of delivering high quality products to their clients. This would be the same for their shared values. The efforts towards integrating the structures, systems and strategy should however be given most attention. The strategy of partnerships, strategic alliance and acquisitions must be upheld. Using this framework, we can see the need for new leadership so as to
Org Diagnosis Organizational Diagnostic Models Falletta (2005) outlines several different organizational diagnostic models. The first such model is the Force Field model, developed by Kurt Lewin in 1951. In this model, an organization remains in as state of equilibrium until it is shifted out of that state by a driving force that overcomes the restraining forces. The current state then becomes a problem (Falletta, 2005). This model can be used to explain
Generally, online students need to have a high level of self-motivation for their studies. Being aimed towards the adult, working student body, Strayer attracts students who are not motivated only by the subject matter of their studies, but also by what this can mean in terms of their self-development. This extra level of motivation is encouraged by the structure and aims of Strayer University. This relates to the individual needs
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now