4.5e Organizational Trends in the Modern Marketplace

Giving others the authority to make decisions and take action on their own, while holding them accountable for the results.

The concentration of decision-making power at the top levels of an organization.

The spreading of decision-making power across different levels of the organization.

The degree to which a worker is focused on specific tasks, with less variety.

A highly specialized job with standardized procedures and minimal variety.

The line of authority that connects employees to higher levels of management. Organizing trend is to reduce levels, creating "flatter" structures.

The number of people reporting directly to a manager. Trend is to increase this number by eliminating management levels.

A situation where employees answer to one and only one manager. Trend is to have less of this as organizations use cross-functional teams.

Teams formed from different departments to work together on a specific task.

The process of giving employees more authority and responsibility.

A structure where employees report to multiple managers, depending on the project or task.

Having less layers of management, creating a flatter hierarchy with more autonomy.

A work arrangement where employees can adjust their work hours while still fulfilling their job responsibilities.

When two or more people share one full-time job, each working a portion of the job's hours.

An agreement where employees voluntarily reduce their work hours to avoid layoffs or termination.

A work arrangement that allows some work hours to be completed outside of the traditional office setting.

A type of telecommuting where employees work from home, using technology to connect with their employer and clients.

Working less than the standard 40-hour workweek, typically not considered full-time employment.

The periodic movement of workers between different jobs to increase task variety. This is a form of moderate specialization.

Expanding the scope of a job by adding more tasks at a similar level. A form of moderate specialization.

Individuals who work part-time to supplement a full-time workforce, often on long-term contracts.

Alternative work arrangements offer flexibility and benefit both employers and employees. Some arrangements include flexible hours, job sharing, work sharing, telecommuting, work-at-home, and part-time work.

Adding tasks to a job that require higher levels of responsibility and skill, increasing both the scope and depth. A form of low specialization.

Adding tasks at a similar level to a job. This is typically associated with job enlargement.

Adding tasks at a higher level of responsibility to a job. This is typically associated with job enrichment.

The combination of job enlargement and job enrichment, aiming to increase both the scope and depth of a job.

Improving worker satisfaction and motivation by adding more challenging and meaningful work tasks. Increases both job scope and depth.

The degree to which a job requires a variety of different skills and talents.

The degree to which a job has a significant impact on the lives of other people.

The degree to which a job provides employees with freedom, independence, and discretion in carrying out their work.

The degree to which employees receive clear and timely feedback about their performance.

A work schedule that allows a full-time job to be completed in less than the standard five days of eight-hour shifts.

A work schedule that gives employees some choice in the pattern of their daily work hours. It includes a core time when all employees must be at work and flextime when employees can schedule their work around personal and family responsibilities.