Organizational Structure and Culture

Flashcards covering key concepts of organizational culture, structure, departmentalization, teams, and communication based on lecture notes.

What is organizational culture?

A firm’s shared values, beliefs, traditions, philosophies, rules, and role models for behaviour.

What are examples of formal expressions of organizational culture?

Mission statements, codes of ethics, manuals, ceremonies, memoranda, etc.

What are examples of informal expressions of organizational culture?

Dress code, work habits, extracurricular activities, etc.

What is organizational structure?

The arrangement or relationship of positions within an organization.

What purpose does an organizational chart serve?

Helps interpret organizational height, type of departmentalization, chain of command, and span of management.

What is the primary impact of organizational structure?

It impacts decision making, costs, efficiencies, and overall success.

Name one objective to consider when organizing a business.

Efficiency: The ability to complete a task using the minimum amount of resources.

What does job specialization involve?

Dividing labor into small, specific tasks and assigning them to employees.

What is job rotation?

Systematic shifting of employees from one job to another to prevent boredom and develop new skills.

What is departmentalization?

The process of grouping jobs into working units, such as departments or divisions.

What is functional departmentalization?

Separating activities performed within an organization into groups differentiated by function.

What is product departmentalization?

Grouping jobs based on the specific products or services offered by the organization.

What does geographical departmentalization refer to?

Organizing departments based on specific geographic locations.

What is customer departmentalization?

Grouping jobs based on the types of customers served by the organization.

What does delegation of authority mean?

Giving employees tasks and power to make commitments, use resources, and take action.

What is the level of centralization in an organization?

The degree to which authority is concentrated at the upper levels of the organization.

What defines a centralized organization?

An organization that systematically concentrates authority at the upper levels.

What defines a decentralized organization?

An organization that attempts to spread authority widely in the lower levels.

What is the span of management?

The number of subordinates who report to a particular manager.

What characterizes a wide span of management?

A manager directly supervises a very large number of employees.

What characterizes a narrow span of management?

A manager directly supervises only a few subordinates.

What is the line structure?

Direct lines of authority extending from top executives to lower-level employees.

What is a line-and-staff structure?

Includes traditional line relationships plus specialized staff managers to assist line managers.

What is a matrix structure?

Sets up teams from different departments, creating two or more intersecting lines of authority.

What is a cross-functional team?

A team composed of individuals with varying specialties brought together to achieve a common task.

What differentiates a group from a team?

A team has complementary skills, a common purpose, and mutual accountability, while a group does not necessarily have these elements.

What is a working group?

A group with a strong leader, individual accountability, and focus on creating individual work products.

What is a team?

A small group with shared leadership roles, collective work products, and direct performance assessment.

What is the purpose of committees in organizations?

Permanent, formal groups performing specific tasks like finance or ethics.

What is a task force?

A temporary group created as needed to achieve specific objectives.

What is the role of project teams?

Running operations and having total control over specific work projects.

What are quality assurance teams?

Small groups focused on solving specific quality, productivity, or service issues.

What do self-directed work teams (SDWT) do?

They manage an entire work process or segment that delivers a product to customers.