Home Depot’s organizational structure has changed through time, especially now that the company has global operations. A firm’s organizational structure is the arrangement or system that defines the links among different parts of the organization. In Home Depot’s case, this corporate structure determines the pattern of activities that the company uses to connect with the target customers in the home improvement retail market. Home Depot’s organizational structure also serves as the framework that facilitates successful implementation of strategies for expansion and growth. With operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, China and Puerto Rico, Home Depot is an example of how an evolving organizational structure contributes to international business success.
The organizational structure of Home Depot is typical of many global businesses, although it has limited support for autonomy and flexibility.
Features of Home Depot’s Organizational Structure
Home Depot has a divisional organizational structure with some features of the functional organizational structure. The following are the main characteristics of Home Depot’s organizational structure:
- Geographic divisions
- Global functional groups
- Global hierarchy
Geographic Divisions. Geographic divisions are the most notable feature of Home Depot’s organizational structure. The company has one geographic division for the U.S., another for Canada, and another for Mexico. An Executive Vice President heads the U.S. Stores division, and a President heads each of the other divisions. There are further divisions in Home Depot’s organizational structure. For instance, the U.S. Stores division is composed of the Northern, Western and Southern U.S. divisions.
Global Functional Groups. Home Depot’s organizational structure also involves functional groups. For example, the company has a global Human Resource Management group, and a global Merchandising group, among other groups. The Merchandising group is composed of the Hardlines Merchandising group, the Décor Merchandising group, and the Building Materials Merchandising group. This feature of Home Depot’s organizational structure addresses specific business functional needs.
Global Hierarchy. Hierarchy is a less prominent feature of Home Depot’s organizational structure. This hierarchy exists at the global and store levels. Globally, Home Depot’s organizational structure’s hierarchy is observable in the lines of command and authority. For example, the heads of the Northern, Western and Southern U.S. divisions report to the Executive Vice President of the U.S. Stores division, who reports to the CEO. Also, each Home Depot store has a hierarchy in its local organizational structure, with employees reporting to the store manager, who reports to the geographic division head.
Home Depot’s Organizational Structure Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages. The main advantage of Home Depot’s organizational structure is that it enables the company to maintain centralized corporate control. This centralization was strengthened under former CEO Nardelli’s leadership. Another advantage of Home Depot’s organizational structure is that it supports focus on products and functions through the functional groups of the organization. Also, Home Depot’s organizational structure has the advantage of supporting some degree of customization to regional or local market conditions and consumer preferences through the company’s geographic divisions.
Disadvantages. Despite considerable geographic customization, Home Depot’s organizational structure has limited support for the autonomy of store managers. This disadvantage is a result of the company’s centralization under former CEO Nardelli’s leadership. In relation, another disadvantage of Home Depot’s organizational structure is that it has limited support for business flexibility in responding to local conditions. Because of centralization, store managers and associates experienced reduced decision-making significance.
References
- Markides, C. C., & Williamson, P. J. (1996). Corporate diversification and organizational structure: A resource-based view. Academy of Management journal, 39(2), 340-367.
- The Home Depot, Inc. Form 10-K 2015.
- The Home Depot (2015). Our Company.
- The Home Depot (2015). Senior Leadership Team.