Organizational Structure and Job Specialization Quiz

The process of systematically arranging resources, tasks, and people to achieve organizational goals.

The framework that defines reporting relationships and authority within an organization. It answers the question "Who reports to whom?"

The sequence of tasks and activities necessary to complete a specific job or process, answering the question "Who does what in which order?"

A management strategy where each employee has a specific role and function, contributing their specialized skills to the overall success.

The situation where every individual in a company is attempting to carry out a diverse array of tasks, leading to inefficiencies.

The process of assigning specific tasks to individuals based on their skills and knowledge, creating specialized roles within a company.

Grouping employees by their similar skills, functions, or areas of expertise to create efficient work units.

Focusing on a specific set of tasks to develop deep knowledge and proficiency, leading to faster and more accurate work.

The potential downsides of excessive specialization, where employees become too narrow in their skills and lack adaptability.

When employees are trained in specific areas to perform specialized tasks, reducing overall training time for a wider range of skills.

Specialists gain a deeper understanding of their tasks and processes, contributing to higher quality and accuracy in their work.

The process of organizing employees into different departments based on shared responsibilities or expertise.

Departments that provide support and advice to line departments, but cannot issue instructions to them.

Departments that are directly involved in achieving the organization's main goals and have the authority to issue instructions to lower levels.

The number of subordinates a manager directly supervises. A manager with many subordinates has a wide span of control.

The number of subordinates directly under a manager is relatively small. This allows for closer supervision and more communication.

The main decision-making authority rests at the top levels of management. Lower levels have little autonomy.

Decision-making power is distributed throughout different levels of the organization, empowering lower-level managers and employees.

Advantages of a wider span of control include flexibility, reduced costs, faster decision-making for some issues, and greater employee empowerment due to autonomy.

Advantages of a narrower span of control include better supervision, more direct communication, faster decision-making for some issues, and reduced workloads for managers.

Factors that should determine a manager's span of control include the complexity of tasks, skills of subordinates, geographic dispersion, and the manager's experience and leadership style.

In centralized organizations, decisions made at lower levels must get approval from upper management.

Centralized organizations are characterized by a tall pyramid structure where many layers of management exist.

Managers in centralized organizations are responsible for controlling a smaller number of employees due to the many approval processes.

In decentralized organizations, employees at lower levels can make decisions independently.

Decentralized organizations have a flat structure with fewer layers of management due to minimal approval processes.

Managers in decentralized organizations can manage a greater number of employees as they need less time to review and approve decisions.

A centralized structure creates a more structured environment where processes are strictly followed. Employees can focus on specialized tasks, leading to efficiency.

A decentralized structure allows for faster decision-making and greater employee autonomy. This can lead to innovation, but may lack consistency.

The way an organization structures itself impacts decision-making, employee autonomy, and the layers of management.

Organizing employees into departments based on the products they handle. Each department focuses on a specific product or product line.

Organizing employees into departments based on their geographic location. Each department manages operations for a specific region or area.

Organizing employees into departments based on their function or expertise. Each department specializes in a specific area like marketing, finance, or production.

Organizing employees into departments based on the stages of a process they handle. Each department focuses on a specific stage of production or service delivery.

Organizing employees into departments based on the customer segments they serve. Each department caters to specific customer types or needs.