Especially in large and diverse organizations in which the logistic goals are only achieved by individuals who have greater expertise than others in the organizations, the division of labor and responsibility is more marked than it is in other organizations. Efficacious IT management is clearly an example of such a situation, so it is helpful for leaders to further deconstruct the structural frame in to components following Mintzberg’s (1979) typology:
- Operating core which includes those individuals and structures that directly lead to the strategic goal; teachers are the primary personnel in the structural frame in schools and the materials they use are the primary resources in the operating core of schools.
- Administrative component which includes those personnel whose role is to manage the operating core and structures they use. In schools, principals and other instructional leaders along with (for example) the system they use to evaluate teachers are among to structures that comprise this component.
- Techncostructures includes those components of the structural frame that ensure the system is efficient and effective. In educational technology, this would include the technicians and network administrators along with CIO’s who maintain the IT infrastructure.
- Support systems include those components of the structures designed to facilitate others’ work. The assistant who processes purchase orders for computer hardware is an example of the support systems that comprise the structural frame for educational technology.
Reference
Mintzer, H. (1979). The structuring of organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.