Organisational Structures and Management

Flashcards covering key concepts and definitions related to organisational structures and management.

What is organisational structure?

The internal, formal framework of a business that shows how management is organized and how authority is passed through the organization.

What does delegation mean in an organisational context?

Assigning responsibility for a task to someone further down the chain of command.

What is meant by 'span of control'?

The number of people who report to a manager.

Define hierarchy in an organisation.

A system in which members of an organisation are ranked according to authority.

What does chain of command refer to?

The line of authority in an organisation, specifying who reports to whom.

What is bureaucracy?

A system of administration with multiple layers of authority leading to slow decision-making.

Define holacracy.

A type of flat organisational structure where teams work autonomously to accomplish tasks and company goals.

What is centralisation?

A situation where decision-making authority is held by one person or a small group.

Define decentralisation.

A situation where decision-making powers are passed down to lower levels in the organisation.

What is delayering?

The removal of unnecessary levels of hierarchy in an organisation.

What is a matrix structure?

An organisational structure with two or more reporting structures; employees report to both a project manager and a functional manager.

What is a project-based organisational structure?

An organisational structure similar to a matrix structure where employees report to both a project manager and a functional manager.

What does flat organisation mean?

A type of business organisation with few levels of hierarchy.

Define tall organisation.

A type of business organisation with many levels of hierarchy.

What is a hierarchical organisational structure?

An organisational structure where the ranking of positions is based on the level of authority and power.

What is organisational structure by product?

An organisational structure divided into different departments, each focused on a different product.

What does organisational structure by function entail?

An organisational structure divided into smaller groups based on specialised functional areas.

What is organisational structure by region?

An organisational structure used by organisations with operations in different geographical locations.

What is an organisational chart?

A visual representation of the structure of an organisation that shows reporting relationships.