The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Discipline: Business Studies
Type of Paper: Case study
Academic Level: Undergrad. (yrs 3-4)
Paper Format: APA
Question
Description
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is organized by program, management function, and geography. It also has a geographic substructure, but most staff people are in program units. In contrast, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is geographically based; it is divided into ten regional offices headed by regional administrators who report directly to the national EPA administrator in Washington.
Memo:
You work as an internal consultant for the state of New York. You have been asked to analyze the structure of two major U.S. organizations: the DOE and the EPA. Prepare a memorandum describing and analyzing the two organizations’ structures. This memo will be used to evaluate the structure of state agencies. Consider the following:
Why were these organizations created? How did this affect the way they are structured?
What trade-offs did each organization have to make when choosing the particular structure they chose?
What criteria could be used to evaluate an organization’s structural needs? Is there a way to standardize the process of structuring an organization?
How might a state agency approach structure differently from the way a federal agency would?
