Chapter 9 Organizational Structure and Design PDF

Management tenth edition Stephen P. Robbins Mary Coulter Chapter Organizational 9 Structure and...

Management tenth edition Stephen P. Robbins Mary Coulter Chapter Organizational 9 Structure and Design Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–1 Designing Organizational Structure Organizational Structure  The formal arrangement of jobs within an organization. Organizational Design  Developing and changing an organizational structure.  A process involving decisions about six key elements:  Work specialization  Departmentalization  Chain of command  Span of control  Centralization and decentralization  Formalization Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–2 Exhibit 9–1 Purposes of Organizing Divides work to be done into specific jobs and departments. Assigns tasks and responsibilities associated with individual jobs. Coordinates diverse organizational tasks. Clusters jobs into units. Establishes relationships among individuals, groups, and departments. Establishes formal lines of authority. Allocates and deploys organizational resources. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–3 Organizational Structure Work Specialization  The degree to which tasks in the organization are divided into separate jobs with each step completed by a different person.  Overspecialization can result in human diseconomies from boredom, fatigue, stress, poor quality, increased absenteeism, and higher turnover. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–4 Departmentalization by Type Functional Process  Grouping jobs by  Grouping jobs on the functions performed basis of product or Product customer flow  Grouping jobs by product Customer line  Grouping jobs by type of Geographical customer and needs  Grouping jobs on the basis of territory or geography Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–5 Organizational Structure (cont’d) Chain of Command  The continuous line of authority that extends from upper levels of an organization to the lowest levels of the organization and clarifies who reports to whom. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–6 Organizational Structure (cont’d) Authority  The rights inherent in a managerial position to tell people what to do and to expect them to do it. Responsibility  The obligation or expectation to perform. Unity of Command  The concept that a person should have one boss and should report only to that person. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–7 Organizational Structure (cont’d) Span of Control  The number of employees who can be effectively and efficiently supervised by a manager. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–8 Exhibit 9–3 Contrasting Spans of Control Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–9 Organizational Structure (cont’d) Centralization  The degree to which decision making is concentrated at upper levels in the organization.  Organizations in which top managers make all the decisions and lower-level employees simply carry out those orders. Decentralization  Organizations in which decision making is pushed down to the managers who are closest to the action. Employee Empowerment  Increasing the decision-making authority (power) of employees. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–10 Exhibit 9–4 Factors that Influence the Amount of Centralization and Decentralization More Centralization  Environment is stable.  Lower-level managers are not as capable or experienced at making decisions as upper-level managers.  Lower-level managers do not want to have a say in decisions.  Decisions are relatively minor.  Organization is facing a crisis or the risk of company failure.  Company is large.  Effective implementation of company strategies depends on managers retaining say over what happens. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–11 Exhibit 9–4 (cont’d) Factors that Influence the Amount of Centralization and Decentralization More Decentralization  Environment is complex, uncertain.  Lower-level managers are capable and experienced at making decisions.  Lower-level managers want a voice in decisions.  Decisions are significant.  Corporate culture is open to allowing managers to have a say in what happens.  Company is geographically dispersed.  Effective implementation of company strategies depends on managers having involvement and flexibility to make decisions. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–12 Organizational Structure (cont’d) Formalization  Formalization refers to the degree to how standardized an organization jobs are and the extent to which employee behavior is guided by rules and procedures. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–13 Exhibit 9–5 Mechanistic Versus Organic Organization High specialization Cross-functional teams Rigid departmentalization Cross-hierarchical teams Clear chain of command Free flow of information Narrow spans of control Wide spans of control Centralization Decentralization High formalization Low formalization Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–14 Common Organizational Designs Traditional Designs  Simple structure  Low departmentalization, wide spans of control, centralized authority, little formalization  Functional structure  Departmentalization by function – Operations, finance, marketing, human resources, and product research and development  Divisional structure  Composed of separate business units or divisions with limited autonomy under the coordination and control the parent corporation. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–15 Exhibit 9–7 Strengths and Weaknesses of Traditional Organizational Designs Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–16 Exhibit 9–8 Contemporary Organizational Team StructureDesigns What it is: A structure in which the entire organization is made up of work groups or teams. Advantages: Employees are more involved and empowered. Reduced barriers among functional areas. Disadvantages: No clear chain of command. Pressure on teams to perform. Matrix-Project Structure What it is: A structure that assigns specialists from different functional areas to work on projects but who return to their areas when the project is completed. Project is a structure in which employees continuously work on projects. As one project is completed, employees move on to the next project. Advantages: Fluid and flexible design that can respond to environmental changes. Faster decision making. Disadvantages: Complexity of assigning people to projects. Task and personality conflicts. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–17 Exhibit 9–8 (cont’d ) Contemporary Organizational Designs Boundaryless Structure What it is: A structure that is not defined by or limited to artificial horizontal, vertical, or external boundaries; includes virtual and network types of organizations. Advantages: Highly flexible and responsive. Draws on talent wherever it’s found. Disadvantages: Lack of control. Communication difficulties. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–18 Organizational Designs (cont’d) Contemporary Organizational Designs  Team structures  The entire organization is made up of work groups or self- managed teams of empowered employees.  Matrix and project structures  Specialists from different functional departments are assigned to work on projects led by project managers.  Matrix and project participants have two managers.  In project structures, employees work continuously on projects; moving on to another project as each project is completed. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–19 Organizational Designs (cont’d) Contemporary Organizational Designs (cont’d)  Boundaryless Organization  An flexible and unstructured organizational design that is intended to break down external barriers between the organization and its customers and suppliers.  Removes internal (horizontal) boundaries: – Eliminates the chain of command – Has limitless spans of control – Uses empowered teams rather than departments  Eliminates external boundaries: – Uses virtual, network, and modular organizational structures to get closer to stakeholders. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–20 Removing External Boundaries Virtual Organization  An organization that consists of a small core of full-time employees and that temporarily hires specialists to work on opportunities that arise. Network Organization  A small core organization that outsources its major business functions (e.g., manufacturing) in order to concentrate on what it does best. Modular Organization  A manufacturing organization that uses outside suppliers to provide product components for its final assembly operations. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–21 Organizational Designs (cont’d) The Learning Organization  An organization that has developed the capacity to continuously learn, adapt, and change through the practice of knowledge management by employees.  Characteristics of a learning organization:  An open team-based organization design that empowers employees  Extensive and open information sharing  Leadership that provides a shared vision of the organization’s future.  A strong culture of shared values, trust, openness, and a sense of community. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–22 Today’s Organizational Design Challenges Keeping Employees Connected  Widely dispersed and mobile employees Building a Learning Organization Managing Global Structural Issues  Cultural implications of design elements Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9–23