Principles of Man Chapter 8 & 9

Organizational structure

the vertical and horizontal configuration of departments, authority, and jobs within a company

Organizational process

the collection of activities that transform inputs into outputs that customers value

Departmentalization

subdividing work and workers into separate organizational units responsible for completing particular tasks

Product departmentalization

separate units responsible for producing particular products or services

Customer departmentalization

separating units responsible for particular kinds of customers

Geographic departmentalization

responsible for doing business in particular geographic areas

Authority

the right to give commands, take action, and make decisions to achieve organizational objectives

Chain of command

the vertical line of authority that clarifies who reports to whom throughout the organization

Line authority

the right to command immediate subordinates in the chain of command

Staff authority

the right to advise, but not command, others who are not subordinates in the chain of command

Job design

the number, kind, and variety of tasks that individual workers perform in doing their jobs

Job enlargement

increasing the number of different tasks that a worker performs within one particular job

Skill variety

the number of different activities performed in a job

Empowering workers

permanently passing decision-making authority and responsibility from managers to workers by giving them the information and resources they need to make and carry out good decisions

Behavioral informality

a workplace atmosphere characterized by spontaneity, casualness, and interpersonal familiarity

Behavioral formality

Characterized by routine and regimen, specific rules about how to behave, and impersonal attachment

Open office systems

offices in which the physical barriers that separate workers have been removed in order to increase communication and interaction

Shared spaces

spaces used by and open all employees

Private spaces

spaces used by and open to just one employee

Work team

a small number of people with complementary skills who hold themselves mutually accountable for pursing a common purpose, achieving performance goals, and improving interdependent work processes

91%

of organizations are significantly improving their effectiveness by using work teams

Cross-training

training team members to do all or most of the jobs performed by the other team members

Social loafing

behavior in which team members withhold their efforts and fail to perform their share of the work

Traditional work group

a group composed of two or more people who work together to achieve a shared goal

Employee involvement team

Team that provides advice or makes suggestions to management concerning specific issues

Self-managing teams

a team that manages and controls all of the major tasks of producing a product or service

Virtual team

a team composed of geographically and/or organizationally dispersed coworkers who use telecommunication and information technology to communicate

Project team

a team created to complete specific, one-time projects or tasks within a limited time