KEY TERMS

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 480.

UNIT 11 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES: CONCEPTS AND FORMATS

departmentalizationthe grouping of related functions into manageable units to achieve the objectives of the enterprise in the most efficient and effective manner

delegationthe process that makes management possible because management is the process of getting results accom­plished through others. Delegation is the work a manager per­forms to entrust others with responsibility and authority and to create accountability for results. It is an activity of the organiz­ing function.

scalar principle(chain of command) a clear definition of authority in the organization. This authority flows down the chain or command from the top level to the first or lowest level in the organization.

centralizationoccurs in an organization when a limited amount of authority is delegated

decentralizationoccurs when a significant amount of author­ity is delegated to lower levels in the organization

Contingency Approachan approach to organizational struc­ture that states that the most appropriate organizational struc­ture depends on the situation, consisting of the particular technology, the environment, and many other dynamic forces

When two or more people work together to achieve a group result, it is an organization. After the objectives of an organization are established, the functions that must be performed are determined. Personnel requirements are assessed and the physical resources needed to accomplish the objectives determined. These elements must then be coordinated into a structural design that will help achieve the objectives. Finally appropriate responsibili­ties are assigned.

Determining the functions to be performed involves consideration of divi­sion of labor; this is usually accomplished by a process of departmentalization.