Organizational Structure Analysis: United Airlines Case and Solutions

This report analyzes the organizational structure of United Airlines, focusing on the problems associated with its bureaucratic nature. The student identifies the hierarchical structure as a key issue, leading to indecisiveness and poor passenger treatment. The report then examines the weaknesses of this structure, highlighting obsessive behavior and weak management practices through specific examples. Recommendations include restructuring the organization to a matrix model to empower departments and improve decision-making. The report references relevant academic sources to support its arguments and provides a comprehensive overview of organizational structure and its impact on a company's performance and employee behavior.

Running Head: ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
Name of the Student:
Name of University:
Author Note:

1ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
Answer 1
The issue is bestows within the organisational structure of United Airlines. The company
followed a hierarchical organisational structure where the entire power of the organisation was
decided by the owner or the CEO. Employees did not have any choice but to follow the strict and
draconian regulation of the company. It is pertinent to note that due to a centralised power
structure there were several problems that the organisation had faced in close proximity of time.
The bureaucratic nature of the organisation led to indecisions and misbehaviour with the
passengers (Montagnes & Wolton, 2017). In response to this, it can be stated that the United
Airlines administration must create a separate regulatory body or perhaps relies on the Board of
Directors so that it will be effective to deal with the organisational practice. It is important to
note that a separate body of regulation can help the organisation can foster better and impartial
decision masking that the principle governing body of United Airlines failed to take. It was
completely against the ethical and humanitarian consideration that all the business companies are
bound to follow. From that point of view, I can say that United Airlines did not have the power
to remove its passengers in such a manner.
Answer 2
There are two potential weaknesses that bureaucratic organisational structure is followed
that are clearly linked with the case study of United Airlines. From the research of Rosen,
Orlikowski & Schmahmann , 2017it can be derived that bureaucratic leadership led to obsessive
behaviour because the power of decision making is encapsulated in the hand of selective people.
In this regard, the case study of United Airlines showed that the company sopped the doctor

2ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
David Dao to board the flight because he had to give up his seat for a United employee. It was
completely unethical as Dr. Dao broke his nose during forcible removal from the flight. The case
clearly reflected the obsessive behaviour of bureaucratic organisational structure. On the other
hand, Li (2019) advocated that the weak management practice is identified as a core
characteristics of the bureaucratic government because the employees are strictly bound to
follow the regulation of the organisation without any question. For instance, two teenagers in
Minneapolis were not allowed to get on board because their dresses were not apt as per the
United Airlines guidelines. It was also a case of unconstitutional organisational practice where
the attendants despite of knowing they went against the fundamental rights of the US constitution
still continued to follow the United Airlines guidelines. It reflected a weak management practice
in the organisation. United Airlines must change its norms and guidelines along with the
organisational structure and must implement a very transparent and rational policy for the
employees.
Answer 3
Restructuring the organisation is considered to be one of the pivotal and primary task that
United Airlines must take. The current bureaucratic organisational structure creates a serious of
indecisions that can be fatal for the future of the organisation (Abbasi, 2017). Henceforth, it can
be recommended that a matrix organisational structure can be implemented where each of the
departments has its full power to take decisions for the betterment of the organisation.

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Reference
Abbasi, B. (2017). Transformational leadership and change readiness and a moderating role of
perceived bureaucratic structure: an empirical investigation. Problems and Perspectives
in Management, 15(1), 35-44.
Li, T. (2019). How Bureaucratic Power Structure Affects Personnel Structure: Evidence from
Europe. Problems of Post-Communism, 66(2), 83-95.
Montagnes, B. P., & Wolton, S. (2017). Rule versus discretion: regulatory uncertainty, firm
investment, and bureaucratic organization. The Journal of Politics, 79(2), 457-472.
Rosen, M., Orlikowski, W. J., & Schmahmann, K. S. (2017). Building buildings and living lives:
A critique of bureaucracy, ideology and concrete artifacts. In Symbols and Artifacts (pp.
69-84). Routledge.