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Questions and Answers
What is the primary purpose of formalisation in an organisation?
What is the primary purpose of formalisation in an organisation?
- To enhance creativity among employees
- To predict and control employee behavior (correct)
- To encourage independent decision-making
- To eliminate the need for rules
Decentralised decision-making means authority is concentrated at the top of the organisation.
Decentralised decision-making means authority is concentrated at the top of the organisation.
False (B)
What is meant by legitimate power in an organisational context?
What is meant by legitimate power in an organisational context?
Position in hierarchy
The __________ organisation is one of the new organisational forms that has emerged recently.
The __________ organisation is one of the new organisational forms that has emerged recently.
Which of the following is NOT a feature of a bureaucratic structure?
Which of the following is NOT a feature of a bureaucratic structure?
Match the type of organisational structure with its characteristic:
Match the type of organisational structure with its characteristic:
Flatter hierarchies have become a recent trend in organisational structures.
Flatter hierarchies have become a recent trend in organisational structures.
What principle typically governs responsibility in an organisation?
What principle typically governs responsibility in an organisation?
What is the primary purpose of organizational structure?
What is the primary purpose of organizational structure?
Structural configuration refers exclusively to the processes of an organization's operation.
Structural configuration refers exclusively to the processes of an organization's operation.
Name one advantage of functional departmentalization.
Name one advantage of functional departmentalization.
The __________ levels refer to the hierarchy within an organization.
The __________ levels refer to the hierarchy within an organization.
Which type of departmentalization would be most beneficial for adapting to local markets?
Which type of departmentalization would be most beneficial for adapting to local markets?
A wide span of control means a supervisor has only a few employees reporting directly to them.
A wide span of control means a supervisor has only a few employees reporting directly to them.
What is one disadvantage of product departmentalization?
What is one disadvantage of product departmentalization?
In managing organizational design, __________ refers to the extent of rules governing operations.
In managing organizational design, __________ refers to the extent of rules governing operations.
Match each type of departmentalization with its characteristic:
Match each type of departmentalization with its characteristic:
Which configuration would show employees reporting to more than one manager?
Which configuration would show employees reporting to more than one manager?
Narrow divisions of labor mean tasks are broken down into fewer specific tasks.
Narrow divisions of labor mean tasks are broken down into fewer specific tasks.
What is one characteristic of a tall structure?
What is one characteristic of a tall structure?
The process of dividing work among employees and coordinating their activities is called __________.
The process of dividing work among employees and coordinating their activities is called __________.
Match the following components of organizational structure with their descriptions:
Match the following components of organizational structure with their descriptions:
Flashcards
Formalisation
Formalisation
The degree to which rules and procedures shape employee jobs and tasks.
Centralised Decision Making
Centralised Decision Making
Decision-making power rests at the top levels of an organization.
Decentralised Decision Making
Decentralised Decision Making
Decisions are made at various levels within an organization.
Delegation
Delegation
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Authority
Authority
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Universal Structure Approach
Universal Structure Approach
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Matrix Organisation
Matrix Organisation
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Flatter Hierarchies
Flatter Hierarchies
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Organizational Structure
Organizational Structure
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Structural Configuration
Structural Configuration
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Structural Operation
Structural Operation
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Division of Labour
Division of Labour
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Span of Control
Span of Control
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Hierarchical Levels
Hierarchical Levels
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Departmentalisation
Departmentalisation
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Functional Departmentalisation
Functional Departmentalisation
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Product Departmentalisation
Product Departmentalisation
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Geographical Departmentalisation
Geographical Departmentalisation
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Mixed Departmentalisation
Mixed Departmentalisation
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Decision Making
Decision Making
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Responsibility
Responsibility
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Study Notes
MG4031 Management Principles: Organisational Structure and Design
- The reading material is Chapter 6, "Modern Management", pages 171-193.
- Learning objectives include understanding organizational structure's definition, composition, and role; distinguishing between structural configuration and operation; outlining departmentalization types; explaining Mintzberg's structures; and understanding organizational structure evolution.
- Organizational structure is the process of dividing tasks among individuals, groups, or units, coordinating their activities to achieve organizational goals.
- It establishes task, reporting, and authority relationships, essentially the pattern of division and coordination within an organization.
- Organizational structure is a critical source of competitive advantage, fitting with and supporting strategy and culture. This is especially important in effective organizations.
- Organizational structure is divided into two primary components:
- Structural Configuration: This aspect of structure deals with the size and shape of the organizational chart (e.g., number of hierarchical levels). Key elements include division of labor, spans of control, hierarchical levels, and departmentalization.
- Structural Operation: This component focuses on the processes and operations within the organization. Key elements include formalization, decision-making, responsibility, and authority.
Structural Configuration
- Division of Labor: The extent to which organizational work is broken down into different tasks (wide vs. narrow division). Historical approaches to division of labor range from task specialization through job enrichment to socio-technical systems.
- Span of Control: The number of employees directly reporting to a supervisor (narrow vs. wide).
- Hierarchical Levels: The number of levels in the organizational hierarchy and the flow of reporting relationships (flat vs. tall structures).
- Departmentalization: Methods of grouping activities (functional, product, geographical, mixed).
Structural Operation
- Formalization: The degree to which rules and procedures shape employee tasks and behaviors; high formalization implies many rules, low formalization implies few rules.
- Decision Making: How authority regarding decisions is centralized or decentralized; centralized policy refers to a decision where authority is at the top of the organization, while decentralized decisions are made at various levels.
- Responsibility: The obligation to achieve goals and manage employees. Typically involves delegation.
- Authority: Power that is legitimized within a social context. This can be based on legitimate power (position in hierarchy) or expert power (knowledge-based).
Approaches to Structure
- Universal Approaches: Historically, these approaches focused on a "one-best-way" to structure regardless of factors like external environment (e.g., classical principles of Fayol and Weber).
- Approaches typically neglect the informal organization and ignore external factors such as the organization's environment, size, technology, and the informal organization in their structural design.
Mintzberg's Framework
- A framework for understanding different types of organizational structures.
- Common structure types include simple structure, machine bureaucracy, professional bureaucracy, divisional structure, and adhocracy.
Recent Trends in Organizational Structure
- Trends move away from bureaucracy towards more flexible structures.
- Recent trends include flatter hierarchies, changes in job design, increased responsibility and authority, and increased team use.
- New organizational forms are emerging, such as matrix, team-based, and virtual organizations.
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Description
Explore Chapter 6 of 'Modern Management' focused on organizational structure and design. This quiz will test your understanding of essential concepts including departmentalization types, Mintzberg's structures, and the evolution of organizational structures. Delve into the significance of task division and coordination in achieving organizational goals.
