An organization’s structure can have significant effects on its members. Not everyone prefers the freedom and flexibility of organic structures. Some people are most productive and satisfied when work tasks are standardized and ambiguity is minimized—that is, in mechanistic structures. The evidence generally indicates that work specialization contributes to higher employee productivity—but at the price of job satisfaction. However, work specialization is not an unending source of higher productivity.

As the workforce has become more highly educated and desiring of jobs that are intrinsically rewarding, we seem to reach the point at which productivity begins to decline as a function of specialization. Some individuals want work that makes minimal intellectual demands and provides the security of routine; for them, high work specialization is a source of job satisfaction. We also find evidence linking centralization and job satisfaction. This is partly because, in general, less centralized organizations have a greater amount of autonomy.

But, again, while one employee may value freedom, another may find autonomous environments frustratingly ambiguous. We can draw one obvious insight: People don’t select employers randomly. They are attracted to, are selected by, and stay with organizations that suit their personal characteristics. Organizational structure does affect the employee and thus must be designed carefully.