Chapter 11 Organizational Structure Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from Chapter 11 lecture notes on designing organizational structures.

Organizing

A management function that involves arranging and structuring work to accomplish the organization’s goals.

Organizational structure

The formal arrangement of jobs within an organization.

Organizational chart

The visual representation of an organization’s structure.

Organizational design

Creating or changing an organization’s structure.

Work specialization

Dividing work activities into separate job tasks.

Departmentalization

The basis by which jobs are grouped together.

Cross-functional teams

A work team composed of individuals from various functional specialties.

Customer departmentalization

Emphasizes monitoring and responding to customers’ needs.

Chain of command

The line of authority extending from upper organizational levels to the lowest levels, which clarifies who reports to whom.

Authority

The right to give commands, take decisions, and expect others to follow.

Line authority

Authority that entitles a manager to direct the work of an employee.

Staff authority

Positions with some authority that have been created to support, assist, and advise those holding line authority.

Responsibility

The obligation or expectation to perform any assigned duties

Unity of command

The management principle that each person should report to only one manager

Span of control

The number of employees a manager can efficiently and effectively manage.

Centralization

The degree to which decision making is concentrated at upper levels of the organization

Decentralization

The degree to which lower-level employees provide input or actually make decisions

Employee empowerment

Giving employees more authority (power) to make decisions

Formalization

How standardized an organization’s jobs are and the extent to which employee behavior is guided by rules and procedures

Mechanistic organization

An organizational design that’s rigid and tightly controlled

Organic organization

An organizational design that’s highly adaptive and flexible

Unit production

The production of items in units or small batches

Mass production

The production of items in large batches

Process production

The production of items in continuous processes

Simple structure

An organizational design with little departmentalization, wide spans of control, centralized authority, and little formalization

Functional structure

An organizational design that groups together similar or related occupational specialties

Divisional structure

An organizational structure made up of separate, semiautonomous units or divisions

Team structure

An organizational structure in which the entire organization is made up of work teams

Matrix structure

An organizational structure that assigns specialists from different functional departments to work on one or more projects

Project structure

An organizational structure in which employees continuously work on projects

Virtual organization

An organization that consists of a small core of full-time employees and outside specialists temporarily hired as needed to work on projects.

Telecommuting

A work arrangement in which employees work at home and are linked to the workplace by computer

Compressed workweek

A workweek where employees work longer hours per day but fewer days per week

Flextime

A scheduling system in which employees are required to work a specific number of hours a week but are free to vary those hours within certain limits

Job sharing

The practice of having two or more people split a full-time job

Contingent workers

Temporary, freelance, or contract workers whose employment is contingent on demand for their services