MGT 350 Chapter 2

bureaucracy

A formal system of organization and administration designed to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.

human relations movement

A management approach that advocates the idea that supervisors should receive behavioral training to manage subordinates in ways that elicit their cooperation and increase their productivity.

unity of command

A reporting relationship in which an employee receives orders from, and reports to, only one superior.

Theory X

A set of negative assumptions about workers that lead to the conclusion that a manager's task is to supervise workers closely and control their behavior.

Theory Y

A set of positive assumptions about workers that lead to the conclusion that a manager's task is to create a work setting that encourages commitment to organizational goals and provides opportunties for workers to be imaginative and to exercise initiative and self-direction.

rules

Formal written instructions that specify actions to be taken under different circumstances to achieve specific goals.

synergy

Performance gains that result when individuals and departments coordinate their actions.

esptie de corps

Shared feelings of comradeship, enthusiasm, or devotion to a common cause among members of a group.

standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Specific sets of written instructions about how to perform a certain aspect of a task.

initiative

The ability to act on one's own, without direction from a superior affect workers' level of performance.

line of authority

The chain of command extending from the top to the bottom of an organization.

centralization

The concentration of authority at the top of the managerial hierarchy.

Hawthorne effect

The finding that a manager's behavior or leadership approach can affect workers level of performance.

contingency theory

The idea that the organizational structures and control systems managers choose depend on--are contingent on--characteristics of the external environment iin which the organization operates.

equity

The justice, impartiality, and fairness to which all organizational members are entitled.

order

The methodical arrangement of postions to provide the organization with the greatest benefit and to provide employees with career opportunities.

authority

The power to hold people accountable for their actions and to make decisions concerning the use of organizational resources.

job specialization

The process by which a division of labor occurs as different workers specialize in different tasks over time.

organizational environment

The set of forces and conditions that operate beyond an organization's boundaries but affect a manager's ability to acquire and utilize resources.

unity of direction

The singleness of purpose that makes possible the creation of one plan of action to guide managers and workers as they use organizational resources.

behavioral management

The study of how managers should behave to motivate employees and encourage them to perform at high levels and be committed to the achievement of organizational goals.

administrative management

The study of how to create an organizational structure and control system that leads to high efficiency and effectiveness.

organizational behavior

The study of the factors that have an impact on how individuals and groups respond to and act in organizations.

informal organization

The system of behavioral rules and norms that emerge in a group.

scientific management

The systematic study of relationships between people and tasks for the purpose of redesigning the work process to increase efficiency.

entropy

The tendency of a closed system to lose its ability to control itself and thus to dissolve and disintegrate.

closed system

A system that is self-contained and thus not affected by changes occuring in its external environment.

open system

A system that takes in resources from its external environment and converts them into goods and services that are then sent back to that environment for purchases by customers.

management science theory

An approach to management that uses rigorous quantitative techniques to help managers make maximum use of organizational resources.

mechanistic structure

An organizational structure in which authority is centralized, tasks and rules are clearly specified, and employees are closely supervised.

organic structure

An organizational structure in which authority is decentralized to middle and first-line managers and tasks and roles are left ambiguous to encourage employees to cooperate and respond quickly to the unexpected.

discipline

Obedience, energy, application, and other outward marks of respect for a superior's authority.

norms

Unwritten, informal codes of conduct that prescribe how people should act in particular situations.