Utah Symphony and Opera

The organizational structure of the two organizations is well spelt out in the official chart and everybody’s duty is highlighted as well as the chain of command. In the case of Utah Opera Company, it is clearly indicated that the CEO is at the top of the chain of command and reports directly to the board members.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Utah Symphony and Opera specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On top of that, the CEO is assisted by the director of productions and it is expected that the two should work together consulting each other when making important decisions in the company. Though the CEO is expected to be the director general overseeing the operations of a company, there are managers in each department who assist the CEO in implementing, and sometimes making, decisions that directly affect their areas of operation (Naoum 2001). In the case of Utah Opera Company, the CEO, Anne Ewers, has vari ous managers under her who help in overseeing the daily events of their sections and report to her. They include director of finance, director of marketing, human resource manager, director of production and music administrator. The departmental directors are responsible for general decisions that affect their areas of operation and they are supposed to be consulted in case the board of directors or the CEO wants to introduce some changes (Jelinek 2010). It should however be noted that, for the case of the Utah symphony both the CEO and the director of music report directly to the board of directors. This is because musicians play a critical role in the operations of the symphony and they need special attention. However, the chain of command and decision making remains somehow the same as that of Utah Opera where each section has a manger that oversees the day to day affairs of the section and reports either to the CEO or the director of music depending on the department involved. M ajor decisions are made by the board of directors in consultation with the CEO while in other cases the CEO can make decisions but mostly in consultation with the departmental heads who are supposed to implement these decisions.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the departments, authority is given by departmental heads to their assistants and down the chain to the lowest (Daft, Murphy Willmott 2010). However, it should be noted that for both the Opera and the Symphony organizations the chain of command in every department is clearly outlined and decisions are made after consultations. Unfortunately, though the official organizational charts of the two companies spell out how decisions should be made, it is depicted by the case study that this is not necessarily the case. To begin with, it is the requirement that when the chair to the board of directors steps down due proce ss should be followed in determining the chairperson to take over (Miner 2007). However, when Scott Packer the chair to the board of the Symphony decides to step down he simply nominates Chase Petersons and the two make agreement on how and when to inform the other board members. In addition to that, it is expected that since Keith Lockhart, the music director of Utah Symphony Organization, reports to the board of directors he should be receiving directions from the board. On the contrary, it is depicted that Lockhart indirectly influences the actions of the board of directors due to the importance of the section he heads to the survival of the symphony. This is shown when the directors make their decisions while taking caution to know how their steps will affect Lockhart since they do not want to loose him. On the same note, in any department the departmental head is supposed to guide the juniors on the day to day events (Naoum 2001), but Lockhart will do anything just to please th e musicians whom he is supposed to head. Lockhart, knowing the effect the orchestra has on his effectiveness he is easily manipulated by the musicians because he is ready to do anything to maintain the relationship he has with them. Additionally, the artists have a union which enables them to speak and present their views as a group. The union was able to bargain for salary increases and its members earn more than others in the industry.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Utah Symphony and Opera specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As it has been depicted, the union is very influential in the operations of the Utah Symphony to the extent that decision making process has been changed, and through Lockhart their issues are directly communicated to the board. In conjunction with that, the union has great influence on the organization structure as depicted when through their representative they present their proposals on h ow they should be governed; actions which other employees are unable to achieve. On the same note, Anne Ewers, the CEO of Utah Opera, is supposed to be assisted by departmental heads in decision making and consultation with them is necessary in any decision she makes (Griffin Moorhead 2011). On the contrary, it is depicted in the case study that Ewers is dictatorial and not only bypasses the laid down procedures when making certain decisions but also disregards the departmental managers who are supposed to implement the decisions. On top of that, when discussing about the merger with Utah Symphony Ewers disregards opinion of departmental directors and did not even consult her immediate assistant, Leslie Peterson, who is the director of operations which makes Peterson to resign. References Daft, R. L., Murphy, J., Willmott, H. (2010). Organization Theory and Design. Stanford: Cengage Learning. Griffin, W., Moorhead, G. (2011). Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizat ions. Stanford: Cengage Learning.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Jelinek, S. (2010). The Impact of Management Practices and Organizational Structure on Firm Performance: A Cross Country Empirical Analysis. Munich: GRIN Verlag. Miner, J. B. (2007). Organizational Behavior: From Theory to Practice. New York: M.E Sharpe. Naoum, S. (2001). People and Organizational management In Construction. London: Thomas Telford. This essay on Utah Symphony and Opera was written and submitted by user Omari Diaz to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.