Organization and Management - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the Organization and Personnel Management lecture.

Classical Theory

Focuses on tasks, structure, and authority; there is one best way to do each job and to organize.

Division of Work

Essential for efficiency; specialization is the most efficient use of human effort.

Authority and Responsibility

Authority is the right to give orders and obtain obedience; Responsibility is the natural result of authority.

Discipline

Judicious use of sanctions and penalties to obtain obedience to rules and work agreements.

Unity of Command

Each person should be accountable to only one superior.

Unity of Direction

All units should move toward the same objectives through coordinated effort.

Subordination of Individual Interest to General Interest

The interests of the organization should take priority over individual interests.

Remuneration of Employees

Pay and compensation should be fair for both employee and organization.

Centralization

Subordinates’ involvement through decentralization should be balanced with managers’ final authority.

Scalar Chain

Authority and responsibility flow in a direct line vertically from the highest to the lowest level.

Order

People and materials must be in the right places at the proper time for maximum efficiency.

Equity

All employees should be treated equally to ensure fairness.

Stability of Personnel

Employee turnover should be minimized to maintain organizational efficiency.

Initiative

Workers should be encouraged to develop and carry out plans for improvements.

Esprit de Corps

All employees should be treated equally to ensure fairness

Human Relations Theory

Views the organization as a social system and recognizes the existence of the informal organization; Employee participation in management planning and decision making yields positive effects in terms of morale and productivity

Management Science/Operations Research Theory

Combines some of the ideas from classical and human relations theories; Emphasizes research on operations and the use of quantitative techniques to help managers make decisions

Systems Approach

Views the organization as a system; emphasizes interdependence and open systems; adjust management to facts.

Contingency Approach

Management should be adjusted to fit the specific situation; Dependent on seeing the organization as a system and emphasizes the need for managers to strategize based on the relevant facts

Chaos Approach

Second-order cybernetics, and complexity theory are all terms that attempt to describe the fact that things are not always neat and orderly and can indeed be messy; Suggests that managers should work with, rather than against, the nonlinearity of the process

System

A collection of parts unified to accomplish common goals; changes in one part affect all; includes inputs, operations, outputs, controls, memory, and feedback.

Interdependency

The elements of a system interact with one another and are interdependent.

Wholism

The doctrine that the whole of a structure or entity is more than the sum of its parts

Systems Theory

Understanding systems theory helps a manager to look at the organization from a broader perspective; Being predominantly open systems, human organizations interact with various elements of their environment

Top Management Group

Makes major plans and policies; formulates decisions affecting finance, production, etc.

Operating Management Group

Interprets policies, formulates plans, utilizes manpower, coordinates and trains employees; accountable to the chief executive.

Operating Supervisors

Control and supervise the work of operating personnel; Direct and carry out the program and goals of their section; Train personnel under them; Follow-up and see to it that employees under them do their work satisfactorily

Planning

Develops activities to accomplish objectives; think ahead and determine objectives/policies.

Organizing

Develops the formal structure to divide, define, and coordinate work; steps include determining and defining objectives, analyzing and classifying work, detailing duties, and defining relationships.

Line Authority

Clear lines of authority; each person reports to the one above; structure can grow vertically or horizontally.

Staff Authority

Support and advisory activities provided to main functions; specialists assist lines.

Functional Authority

Delegated limited authority over a specified segment of activities (e.g., purchasing across units).

Line and Staff

Organization structure combining line and staff roles; large operations may use a functional basis.

Staffing

Employing and training people; maintaining favorable work conditions; obtaining the best personnel.

Directing

Continuous process of making decisions, conveying them, and ensuring actions; delegation is essential.

Coordinating

Interrelating the parts of a process to create a smooth workflow.

Reporting

Keeping supervisors and subordinates informed through records, research, and evaluations.

Budgeting

Fiscal planning, accounting, and controlling; budgeting should guide, not command.

Organization Chart

Graphic presentation of basic groupings and relationships; shows formal structure; limitations include not showing informal relations.

Job Description

Written list of duties, required skills, and responsibilities for a position.

Job Specification

Written statement of minimum standards and qualifications for a job.

Work Schedule

Outline of work to be performed with procedures and time requirements; influenced by conditions like temperature and safety.

Recruitment (Internal)

Internal sources such as promotions and referrals by current employees.

Recruitment (External)

External sources such as newspaper ads, agencies, schools, and unions.

Selection

Process of choosing the most capable candidate using applications and interviews.

Hiring

Accepting the candidate and initiating orientation and paperwork.

Training

Planned development to impart know-how and improve skills and performance.

Indicators for Training Needs

Skills gaps, low performance with potential to improve, low morale, high turnover, absenteeism, restlessness, lax supervision.

Differences between Training and Education

Training improves job-specific skills (short-term); Education broadens knowledge (long-term); training is task-focused, education is concept-focused.

Performance Appraisal

Systematic process to evaluate how employees perform against criteria and communicate results.

Discipline

Immediate, consistent, impersonal action when rules are violated; supported by six evaluative questions.

Hot Stove Analogy

Discipline should be immediate, predictable, and impartial, like touching a hot stove.

Six Questions Before Disciplinary Action

Was the worker aware of the rule? Is the rule reasonable? What rule was violated? Was the investigation fair? Was there substantial evidence? Are rules applied evenly?

Autocratic Management Style

Focus on immediate results; issues orders without explanation; limited delegation; motivates mainly by monetary rewards.

Bureaucratic Management Style

Decisions based on rules and procedures; resistance to change; follow book work and rely on higher management for exceptions.

Democratic Management Style

Participative; informs and delegates; shares decision-making; open to new ideas and change; promotes independence.