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Business organisation and structure

Mintzberg’s organisational

configurations

2.1 Mintzberg’s configurations

Management theorist Henry Mintzberg argued that organisations are made up of five
key ‘building blocks’.

Ideology

Strategic
apex

Middle
line

It is important that an organisation considers the relative balance of these parts in
order to achieve its goals and remain competitive.

Mintzberg argued that any one of these building blocks could dominate within the
organisation, leading to a variety of possible structures.

 The simple structure – strategic apex dominates

 Machine bureaucracy – technostructure dominates

 Professional bureaucracy – operating core dominates

 Divisionalised – middle line dominates

 Adhocracy – support staff/ operating core dominates

 Missionary – ideology dominates

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