Organizational Structure, Culture and Development

Vocabulary flashcards covering definitions, structures, culture elements, benefits, development phases and techniques from the lecture notes.

Organization

A collection of people involved in formal relationships who pursue defined objectives.

Vision & Mission (UMS)

Commitment to excel in learning, teaching, research, publication, social service, personal growth and innovation.

Organizational Structure

The arrangement of positions and the authority–responsibility relationships among them.

Chain of Command

Number of authority levels in an organization that show who reports to whom.

Span of Control

The number of workers reporting to a single supervisor.

Functional Organization

Structure that divides departments based on functions or tasks performed, creating job specialists.

Divisional Organization

Structure that groups units by product lines or customer types, each operating as a separate entity.

Centralized Organization

Decision-making power rests mainly at upper levels of the hierarchy.

Decentralized Organization

Decision-making authority is distributed to lower levels in the hierarchy.

Traditional Organization

Formally defined roles, rule-driven, stable and resistant to change; often mechanistic or bureaucratic.

Nontraditional Organization

Less formalized roles, flexible and adaptable; characterized as organic.

Bureaucracy

Traditional structure with a clear authority hierarchy and strict rules, described by Max Weber.

Specialization of Labor

Breaking complex goals into separate jobs so each worker becomes an expert in a specific task.

Line Positions

Employees directly engaged in tasks that accomplish organizational goals.

Staff Positions

Specialized roles designed to support line employees in achieving goals.

Team Organization

Nontraditional structure where members with varied skills collaborate around a project, sharing authority.

Organizational Culture

Shared values, beliefs, assumptions and behavior patterns that form an organization’s personality.

Sources of Culture

Shared norms & goals, technology, market environment, societal culture and founders’ personalities.

Benefits of Positive Culture

Enhances work behavior, morale, motivation, clear expectations, goal alignment and growth opportunities.

Schein’s Artefacts

Visible elements such as logos, dress code and office design that reflect culture.

Espoused Values

Stated missions, goals and value statements describing what the organization claims to believe.

Underlying Assumptions

Unconscious, taken-for-granted beliefs that truly drive organizational behavior.

Organizational Culture Profile (OCP)

Survey instrument developed by O’Reilly, Chatman & Caldwell (1991) to measure culture.

Organizational Development (OD)

Process that helps organizations adapt, innovate and manage change.

OD Phase 1: Diagnosis

Identifying significant organizational problems.

OD Phase 2: Intervention Selection

Choosing appropriate methods to address diagnosed problems.

OD Phase 3: Implementation

Applying chosen interventions or techniques.

OD Phase 4: Evaluation

Assessing results of interventions to judge effectiveness.

Survey Feedback

OD technique where data from employee surveys are returned to members as a basis for change.

T-Groups (Training Groups)

Unstructured group interactions that help participants understand their behaviors and motivations.

Teambuilding

OD technique where teams analyze interaction to improve performance.

Management by Objectives (MBO)

Goal-setting OD method where supervisors and subordinates jointly set and evaluate objectives.

MBO Criteria

Participation in goal-setting, feedback, realistic goals, top-level support and equal emphasis on individual, group and organizational goals.

Maybank Core T.I.G.E.R Values

Teamwork, Integrity, Growth, Excellence & Efficiency, Relationship Building—shared values driving success.

Nokia Failure Lesson

Focus on hardware, reluctance to switch OS and missing the smartphone wave led to decline.

Kodak Failure Lesson

Risk-averse culture, centralized decisions and slow digital adoption caused loss of market leadership.

PBPU (UMS)

University Management Authority structured functionally into departments based on tasks.

Artefact Examples

Branding, office layout, policies, tools and rituals visible within an organization.

Functional Design Advantage

Creates job specialists who develop deep expertise.

Functional Design Disadvantage

Departments may become isolated, lowering productivity when work moves across units.

Divisional Design Advantage

Easy expansion of products/services and clearer accountability per division.

Divisional Design Disadvantage

Duplication of expertise across divisions, increasing costs.