Chapter 8 Vocabulary
departmentalization
Dividing of organizational functions into separate units
work specialization
Dividing work activities into separate job tasks; also called division of labor
geographic divisions
Divisional structure based on location of operations
product divisions
Divisional structure based on products
process divisions
Divisional structure based on the major steps of a production process
customer divisions
Divisional structure that focuses on customers or clients
flat organizations
Organizations with a wide span of management and few hierarchical levels
free riders
People who benefit from the group but give little in return
nonverbal cues
Pieces of information acquired by observing rather than listening to other people
authority
Power that has been institutionalized and is recognized by the people over whom it is exercised
network structure
Structure in which individual companies are connected electronically to perform selected tasks for a small headquarters organization
hybrid structure
Structure of a large organization that has many divisions and simultaneously uses many different organizational structures
matrix structure
Structure that simultaneously groups people and resources by function and by product
commitee
Team that may become a permanent part of the organization and is designed to deal with regularly recurring tasks
self-managed teams
Teams in which members are responsible for an entire process or operation
virtual teams
Teams that use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal while working online. Absence of paraverbal and nonverbal cues; limited social context; and ability to overcome time and space constraints--differ from face-to-face
functional teams
Teams whose members come from a single functional department and that are based on the organization's vertical structure
cross-functional teams
A group of people from different departments or areas working together
team
A group of people who work together to set goals, make decisions, solve problems, and put ideas into action
formal organization
A large secondary group organized to achieve its goals efficiently
staff
A position in an organization that is only indirectly related to the achievement of the organization's basic objectives
conflict
A struggle between opposing forces
problem-solving team
A team from the same department or functional area that's involved in efforts to improve work activities or to solve specific problems
task force
A temporary team or committee formed to solve a specific short-term problem involving several departments
cohesiveness
A unified sense of purpose among all of the members; the single most important goal for any interest group
organization chart
A visual device that shows relationships among people and divides the organization's work; it shows who reports to whom
groupthink
An excessive tendency to seek concurrence among group members
task-specialist role
An individual who focuses on helping the team reach its goals
responsibility
An obligation or duty for which a person is held accountable
divisional structure
An organizational structure composed of separate business units within which are the functions that work together to produce a specific product for a specific customer
line-and-staff organization
An organizational structure that includes staff specialists who assist management
chain of command
An unbroken line of authority that links all individuals in the organization and specifics who reports to whom
delegation
Authorizing subordinates to make certain decisions
business units
Autonomously operating sub-organizations that encompass all the major functional resources required to achieve their goals, such as research and design, manufacturing, finance, and marketing
accountability
Being responsible and accepting consequences for what you do and say
centralization
Concentration of decision-making authority at the top of the organization
decentralization
Delegation of decision-making authority to employees in lower-level positions
functional structure
Grouping workers according to their similar skills, resource use, and expertise
special-purpose teams
Groups that address issues of paramount concern to management, labor, or both
vertical structure
How many layers the chain of command is divided into from the top of the company to the bottom
horizontal structure
How the various business functions and work specialties are divided across the company
socio-emotional role
Individuals who focus on supporting the team's emotional needs and strengthening the team's social unity
norms
Informal standards of conduct that guide team behavior
tall organizations
Organizations with a narrow span of management and many hierarchical levels
relationship managers
Managers in charge of delegating and negotiating between other employees
decision-making meetings
Meetings involving persuasion, analysis, and problem-solving
informational meetings
Meetings that allow for you to determine the project's purpose, the client's image, the intended audience, and a way for the application to be used by the audience
informal organization
Network, unrelated to the firm's formal authority structure, of everyday social interactions among company employees
span of management
Number of people under one manager's control
line organization
Organization with a clear line of authority flowing from the top down
organization structure
The framework in which the organization defines how tasks are divided, resources are deployed, and departments are coordinated
quality circles
Voluntary groups of people drawn from various production teams who make suggestions about quality
