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Jal Pari
Jal Pari

The document discusses organizational structure and its key elements. It defines work specialization, departmentalization, chain of command, span of control, centralization/decentralization, and formalization. It examines how these structural elements are determined by an organization's strategy, size, technology, and environment. Structures can range from simple to complex bureaucratic to organic designs like teams or virtual organizations. An organization's structure impacts employee behavior and different implicit models may influence perceptions of appropriate structures.

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Foundations of Organizational Structure Chapter SIXTEEN
What Is Organizational Structure? Key Elements: Work specialization Departmentalization Chain of command Span of control Centralization and decentralization Formalization Organizational Structure How job tasks are formally divided, grouped, and coordinated.
Key Design Questions and Answers for Designing the Proper Organization Structure E X H I B I T 16 –1 The Key Question The Answer Is Provided By 1. To what degree are articles Work specialization subdivided into separate jobs? 2. On what basis will jobs be grouped Departmentalization together? 3. To whom do individuals and groups Chain of command report? 4. How many individuals can a manager Span of control efficiently and effectively direct? 5. Where does decision-making Centralization authority lie? and decentralization 6. To what degree will there be rules Formalization and regulations to direct employees and managers?
What Is Organizational Structure? (cont’d) Division of labor: Makes efficient use of employee skills Increases employee skills through repetition Less between-job downtime increases productivity Specialized training is more efficient Allows use of specialized equipment Work Specialization The degree to which tasks in the organization are subdivided into separate jobs.
Economies and Diseconomies of Work Specialization E X H I B I T 16 –2
What Is Organizational Structure? (cont’d) Grouping Activities By: Function Product Geography Process Customer Departmentalization The basis by which jobs are grouped together.
What Is Organizational Structure? (cont’d) Chain of Command The unbroken line of authority that extends from the top of the organization to the lowest echelon and clarifies who reports to whom. Authority The rights inherent in a managerial position to give orders and to expect the orders to be obeyed. Unity of Command A subordinate should have only one superior to whom he or she is directly responsible.
What Is Organizational Structure? (cont’d) Narrow Span Drawbacks: Expense of additional layers of management. Increased complexity of vertical communication. Encouragement of overly tight supervision and discouragement of employee autonomy. Concept: Wider spans of management increase organizational efficiency. Span of Control The number of subordinates a manager can efficiently and effectively direct.
Contrasting Spans of Control E X H I B I T 16 –3
What Is Organizational Structure? (cont’d) Centralization The degree to which decision making is concentrated at a single point in the organization. Formalization The degree to which jobs within the organization are standardized. Decentralization The degree to which decision making is spread throughout the organization.
E X H I B I T 16 –4 Source: S. Adams, Dogbert’s Big Book of Business , DILBERT reprinted by permission of United Features Syndicate, Inc.
Common Organization Designs A Simple Structure: Jack Gold’s Men’s Store Simple Structure A structure characterized by a low degree of departmentalization, wide spans of control, authority centralized in a single person, and little formalization. E X H I B I T 16 –5
Common Organization Designs (cont’d) Bureaucracy A structure of highly operating routine tasks achieved through specialization, very formalized rules and regulations, tasks that are grouped into functional departments, centralized authority, narrow spans of control, and decision making that follows the chain of command.
The Bureaucracy Strengths Functional economies of scale Minimum duplication of personnel and equipment Enhanced communication Centralized decision making Weaknesses Subunit conflicts with organizational goals Obsessive concern with rules and regulations Lack of employee discretion to deal with problems
Common Organization Designs (cont’d) Key Elements: Gains the advantages of functional and product departmentalization while avoiding their weaknesses. Facilitates coordination of complex and interdependent activities. Breaks down unity-of-command concept. Matrix Structure A structure that creates dual lines of authority and combines functional and product departmentalization.
Matrix Structure (College of Business Administration) (Dean) (Director) Employee E X H I B I T 16 –6
New Design Options Characteristics: Breaks down departmental barriers. Decentralizes decision making to the team level. Requires employees to be generalists as well as specialists. Creates a “flexible bureaucracy.” Team Structure The use of teams as the central device to coordinate work activities.
New Design Options (cont’d) Concepts: Advantage: Provides maximum flexibility while concentrating on what the organization does best. Disadvantage: Reduced control over key parts of the business. Virtual Organization A small, core organization that outsources its major business functions. Highly centralized with little or no departmentalization.
A Virtual Organization E X H I B I T 16 –7
New Design Options (cont’d) T-form Concepts: Eliminate vertical (hierarchical) and horizontal (departmental) internal boundaries. Breakdown external barriers to customers and suppliers. Boundaryless Organization An organization that seeks to eliminate the chain of command, have limitless spans of control, and replace departments with empowered teams.
Why Do Structures Differ? Mechanistic Model A structure characterized by extensive departmentalization, high formalization, a limited information network, and centralization.
Why Do Structures Differ? Organic Model A structure that is flat, uses cross-hierarchical and cross-functional teams, has low formalization, possesses a comprehensive information network, and relies on participative decision making.
Mechanistic Versus Organic Models E X H I B I T 16 –8
Why Do Structures Differ? – Strategy Innovation Strategy A strategy that emphasizes the introduction of major new products and services. Imitation Strategy A strategy that seeks to move into new products or new markets only after their viability has already been proven. Cost-minimization Strategy A strategy that emphasizes tight cost controls, avoidance of unnecessary innovation or marketing expenses, and price cutting.
The Strategy-Structure Relationship E X H I B I T 16 –9 Strategy Structural Option Innovation Organic: A loose structure; low specialization, low formalization, decentralized Cost minimization Mechanistic: Tight control; extensive work specialization, high formalization, high centralization Imitation Mechanistic and organic: Mix of loose with tight properties; tight controls over current activities and looser controls for new undertakings
Why Do Structures Differ? – Size Characteristics of large organizations: More specialization More vertical levels More rules and regulations Size How the size of an organization affects its structure. As an organization grows larger, it becomes more mechanistic.
Why Do Structures Differ? – Technology Technology How an organization transfers its inputs into outputs. Characteristics of routineness (standardized or customized) in activities: Routine technologies are associated with tall, departmentalized structures and formalization in organizations. Routine technologies lead to centralization when formalization is low. Nonroutine technologies are associated with delegated decision authority.
Why Do Structures Differ? – Environment Key Dimensions- Capacity: the degree to which an environment can support growth. Volatility: the degree of instability in the environment. Complexity: the degree of heterogeneity and concentration among environmental elements. Environment Institutions or forces outside the organization that potentially affect the organization’s performance.
The Three Dimensional Model of the Environment Complexity Volatility Capacity E X H I B I T 16 –10
“Bureaucracy Is Dead” Characteristics of Bureaucracies Specialization Formalization Departmentalization Centralization Narrow spans of control Adherence to a chain of command Why Bureaucracy Survives Large size prevails Environmental turbulence can be largely managed Standardization achieved through hiring people who have undergone extensive educational training Technology maintains control
Organizational Designs and Employee Behavior Research Findings: Work specialization contributes to higher employee productivity, but it reduces job satisfaction. The benefits of specialization have decreased rapidly as employees seek more intrinsically rewarding jobs. The effect of span of control on employee performance is contingent upon individual differences and abilities, task structures, and other organizational factors. Participative decision making in decentralized organizations is positively related to job satisfaction.
Organization Structure: Its Determinants and Outcomes Implicit Models of Organizational Structure Perceptions that people hold regarding structural variables formed by observing things around them in an unscientific fashion. E X H I B I T 16 –11 Associated with
© 2007 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. What kind of structure might someone who has a low tolerance for ambiguity feel most comfortable in? Bureaucratic Organic Matrix Virtual Chapter Check-Up: Structure Discuss with your neighbor why a virtual organization would not make this same person feel comfortable.
© 2007 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter Check-Up: Structure If someone has a high need for affiliation, would a virtual organization be a good fit for him or her? Why or why not? Discuss with a classmate whether or not an organic organization would be a good fit for this same person.
With which type of structure do you think trust is most necessary? Why? Are the “substitutes for trust” that are potentially built into some structures? If so, which ones? Chapter Check-Up: Structure

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Ob12 16st

  • 1. Foundations of Organizational Structure Chapter SIXTEEN
  • 2. What Is Organizational Structure? Key Elements: Work specialization Departmentalization Chain of command Span of control Centralization and decentralization Formalization Organizational Structure How job tasks are formally divided, grouped, and coordinated.
  • 3. Key Design Questions and Answers for Designing the Proper Organization Structure E X H I B I T 16 –1 The Key Question The Answer Is Provided By 1. To what degree are articles Work specialization subdivided into separate jobs? 2. On what basis will jobs be grouped Departmentalization together? 3. To whom do individuals and groups Chain of command report? 4. How many individuals can a manager Span of control efficiently and effectively direct? 5. Where does decision-making Centralization authority lie? and decentralization 6. To what degree will there be rules Formalization and regulations to direct employees and managers?
  • 4. What Is Organizational Structure? (cont’d) Division of labor: Makes efficient use of employee skills Increases employee skills through repetition Less between-job downtime increases productivity Specialized training is more efficient Allows use of specialized equipment Work Specialization The degree to which tasks in the organization are subdivided into separate jobs.
  • 5. Economies and Diseconomies of Work Specialization E X H I B I T 16 –2
  • 6. What Is Organizational Structure? (cont’d) Grouping Activities By: Function Product Geography Process Customer Departmentalization The basis by which jobs are grouped together.
  • 7. What Is Organizational Structure? (cont’d) Chain of Command The unbroken line of authority that extends from the top of the organization to the lowest echelon and clarifies who reports to whom. Authority The rights inherent in a managerial position to give orders and to expect the orders to be obeyed. Unity of Command A subordinate should have only one superior to whom he or she is directly responsible.
  • 8. What Is Organizational Structure? (cont’d) Narrow Span Drawbacks: Expense of additional layers of management. Increased complexity of vertical communication. Encouragement of overly tight supervision and discouragement of employee autonomy. Concept: Wider spans of management increase organizational efficiency. Span of Control The number of subordinates a manager can efficiently and effectively direct.
  • 9. Contrasting Spans of Control E X H I B I T 16 –3
  • 10. What Is Organizational Structure? (cont’d) Centralization The degree to which decision making is concentrated at a single point in the organization. Formalization The degree to which jobs within the organization are standardized. Decentralization The degree to which decision making is spread throughout the organization.
  • 11. E X H I B I T 16 –4 Source: S. Adams, Dogbert’s Big Book of Business , DILBERT reprinted by permission of United Features Syndicate, Inc.
  • 12. Common Organization Designs A Simple Structure: Jack Gold’s Men’s Store Simple Structure A structure characterized by a low degree of departmentalization, wide spans of control, authority centralized in a single person, and little formalization. E X H I B I T 16 –5
  • 13. Common Organization Designs (cont’d) Bureaucracy A structure of highly operating routine tasks achieved through specialization, very formalized rules and regulations, tasks that are grouped into functional departments, centralized authority, narrow spans of control, and decision making that follows the chain of command.
  • 14. The Bureaucracy Strengths Functional economies of scale Minimum duplication of personnel and equipment Enhanced communication Centralized decision making Weaknesses Subunit conflicts with organizational goals Obsessive concern with rules and regulations Lack of employee discretion to deal with problems
  • 15. Common Organization Designs (cont’d) Key Elements: Gains the advantages of functional and product departmentalization while avoiding their weaknesses. Facilitates coordination of complex and interdependent activities. Breaks down unity-of-command concept. Matrix Structure A structure that creates dual lines of authority and combines functional and product departmentalization.
  • 16. Matrix Structure (College of Business Administration) (Dean) (Director) Employee E X H I B I T 16 –6
  • 17. New Design Options Characteristics: Breaks down departmental barriers. Decentralizes decision making to the team level. Requires employees to be generalists as well as specialists. Creates a “flexible bureaucracy.” Team Structure The use of teams as the central device to coordinate work activities.
  • 18. New Design Options (cont’d) Concepts: Advantage: Provides maximum flexibility while concentrating on what the organization does best. Disadvantage: Reduced control over key parts of the business. Virtual Organization A small, core organization that outsources its major business functions. Highly centralized with little or no departmentalization.
  • 19. A Virtual Organization E X H I B I T 16 –7
  • 20. New Design Options (cont’d) T-form Concepts: Eliminate vertical (hierarchical) and horizontal (departmental) internal boundaries. Breakdown external barriers to customers and suppliers. Boundaryless Organization An organization that seeks to eliminate the chain of command, have limitless spans of control, and replace departments with empowered teams.
  • 21. Why Do Structures Differ? Mechanistic Model A structure characterized by extensive departmentalization, high formalization, a limited information network, and centralization.
  • 22. Why Do Structures Differ? Organic Model A structure that is flat, uses cross-hierarchical and cross-functional teams, has low formalization, possesses a comprehensive information network, and relies on participative decision making.
  • 23. Mechanistic Versus Organic Models E X H I B I T 16 –8
  • 24. Why Do Structures Differ? – Strategy Innovation Strategy A strategy that emphasizes the introduction of major new products and services. Imitation Strategy A strategy that seeks to move into new products or new markets only after their viability has already been proven. Cost-minimization Strategy A strategy that emphasizes tight cost controls, avoidance of unnecessary innovation or marketing expenses, and price cutting.
  • 25. The Strategy-Structure Relationship E X H I B I T 16 –9 Strategy Structural Option Innovation Organic: A loose structure; low specialization, low formalization, decentralized Cost minimization Mechanistic: Tight control; extensive work specialization, high formalization, high centralization Imitation Mechanistic and organic: Mix of loose with tight properties; tight controls over current activities and looser controls for new undertakings
  • 26. Why Do Structures Differ? – Size Characteristics of large organizations: More specialization More vertical levels More rules and regulations Size How the size of an organization affects its structure. As an organization grows larger, it becomes more mechanistic.
  • 27. Why Do Structures Differ? – Technology Technology How an organization transfers its inputs into outputs. Characteristics of routineness (standardized or customized) in activities: Routine technologies are associated with tall, departmentalized structures and formalization in organizations. Routine technologies lead to centralization when formalization is low. Nonroutine technologies are associated with delegated decision authority.
  • 28. Why Do Structures Differ? – Environment Key Dimensions- Capacity: the degree to which an environment can support growth. Volatility: the degree of instability in the environment. Complexity: the degree of heterogeneity and concentration among environmental elements. Environment Institutions or forces outside the organization that potentially affect the organization’s performance.
  • 29. The Three Dimensional Model of the Environment Complexity Volatility Capacity E X H I B I T 16 –10
  • 30. “Bureaucracy Is Dead” Characteristics of Bureaucracies Specialization Formalization Departmentalization Centralization Narrow spans of control Adherence to a chain of command Why Bureaucracy Survives Large size prevails Environmental turbulence can be largely managed Standardization achieved through hiring people who have undergone extensive educational training Technology maintains control
  • 31. Organizational Designs and Employee Behavior Research Findings: Work specialization contributes to higher employee productivity, but it reduces job satisfaction. The benefits of specialization have decreased rapidly as employees seek more intrinsically rewarding jobs. The effect of span of control on employee performance is contingent upon individual differences and abilities, task structures, and other organizational factors. Participative decision making in decentralized organizations is positively related to job satisfaction.
  • 32. Organization Structure: Its Determinants and Outcomes Implicit Models of Organizational Structure Perceptions that people hold regarding structural variables formed by observing things around them in an unscientific fashion. E X H I B I T 16 –11 Associated with
  • 33. © 2007 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. What kind of structure might someone who has a low tolerance for ambiguity feel most comfortable in? Bureaucratic Organic Matrix Virtual Chapter Check-Up: Structure Discuss with your neighbor why a virtual organization would not make this same person feel comfortable.
  • 34. © 2007 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter Check-Up: Structure If someone has a high need for affiliation, would a virtual organization be a good fit for him or her? Why or why not? Discuss with a classmate whether or not an organic organization would be a good fit for this same person.
  • 35. With which type of structure do you think trust is most necessary? Why? Are the “substitutes for trust” that are potentially built into some structures? If so, which ones? Chapter Check-Up: Structure