19 Questions
What does work specialization in an organization refer to?
The degree to which activities are subdivided into separate jobs
Which of the following is not a common basis for departmentalization?
Technology
Which element of organizational structure represents the positional rights to make decisions, issue orders, and use resources?
Chain of command
What is the span of control in an organization?
The number of employees a manager is expected to direct
What is the trend in modern organizations regarding span of control?
Trend is toward wider spans of control
What is the common solution for addressing human costs when work specialization is carried too far?
Job enlargement
What does departmentalization in an organization refer to?
The basis by which jobs are grouped together
What is the term for the unbroken line of authority that extends from the top of the organization to the lowest echelon and clarifies who reports to whom?
Chain of command
What does span of control determine in an organization?
The number of levels and managers an organization has
What is the term for the degree to which activities in the organization are subdivided into separate jobs?
Work specialization
Which element of organizational structure describes the degree to which activities are subdivided into separate jobs?
Work specialization
What is the basis by which jobs are grouped together in departmentalization?
Functional
What does the chain of command in organizational structure refer to?
Unbroken line of authority
What does span of control determine in organizational structure?
Number of employees a manager directs
What is the term for the positional rights within the chain of command?
Authority
Which element of organizational structure refers to the extent to which jobs are grouped together?
Departmentalization
What is the trend for span of control in modern organizations?
Trend is toward wider spans of control
Which element of organizational structure refers to the degree to which activities in the organization are subdivided into separate jobs?
Work specialization
What is the term for one boss having authority over an employee?
Unity of command
Study Notes
Organizational Structure
- Work specialization in an organization refers to the degree to which activities are subdivided into separate jobs.
- Departmentalization in an organization refers to the process of grouping jobs together based on some common characteristic.
Basis for Departmentalization
- Common bases for departmentalization include functional, product, geographical, customer, and process.
Span of Control
- Span of control refers to the number of employees that a supervisor or manager is responsible for managing.
- In modern organizations, the trend is towards a wider span of control, meaning fewer managers are supervising more employees.
- Span of control determines how many employees report to a single manager or supervisor.
Chain of Command
- Chain of command refers to the unbroken line of authority that extends from the top of the organization to the lowest echelon and clarifies who reports to whom.
- Authority in an organization refers to the positional rights to make decisions, issue orders, and use resources.
- The term for one boss having authority over an employee is unity of command.
Solutions to Human Costs
- A common solution for addressing human costs when work specialization is carried too far is job rotation or job enlargement.
Test your knowledge of organizational structure and its key elements including work specialization, departmentalization, chain of command, span of control, centralization, decentralization, formalization, and boundary spanning. Explore the benefits and costs associated with work specialization.
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