At first glance, the largest Fortune 500 enterprises in healthcare, financial services, automobile, retail, manufacturing, among others seem to have nothing in common. They operate in disparate industries with distinct business challenges. Yet, structurally, they are very much alike. They all comprise of sizeable multi-unit or multi-divisional departments that make up the enterprise.
These departments -- often defined based on their function, product/ service focus, or location -- operate independently of one another and may even be dispersed across geographical boundaries, especially in the case of large organizations.
