Chapter 7
Specialization
The degree to which tasks are subdivided into smaller jobs.
Work Groups
The groups that share resources and coordinate efforts to help members better perform their individual jobs
Problem-Solving Teams
Type of work team; Usually members of the same department who meet regularly to suggest ways to improve specific problems.
Merchanistic Organization
characterized by a relatively high degree of job specialization, rigid departmentalization, many layers of management, narrow spans of control, centralized decision making, and a long chain of command
Cross-Functional Teams
Type of work team; Members are from the same organizational level but are from different functional areas
Self-Manage Teams
Type of work teams; Teams without formal supervision that plan, select alternatives, and evaluate their own performances
Virtual Corporations
A network of independent corporations linked by information technology to share skills, costs, and access to one another's markets.
Matrix Structure (Project Management)
An organizational structure that combines functional and product departmentalization by bringing together people from different functional areas or the orginization to work on a special project
Line-and-Staff Organization
An organizational structure that includes both line and staff positions
Committee Structure
An orginizational structure in which authority and responsibility are held by a group rather than an individual
Organic Organization
Characterized by a relatively low degree of job specialization, loose departmentalization, few levels of management, wide spans of control, decentralized decision making, and a short chain of command
Five Stages of Teams
Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning
Forms of Departmentalization
Functional, Product, Process, Customer, and Geographic
Authority
Legitimate power, granted by the organization and acknowledged by employees, that allows an individual to request action and expect compliance
Work Teams
Like a work group but also requires the pooling of knowledge, skills, abilities, and resources to achieve a common goal.
Factors Determining Span of Control
Nature of task, Location of workers, Ability of Manager to Delegate Responsibility, Amount of Information and Feedback between the Workers and Managers, and Level of Skill and Motivation of the Workers
Decentralization is Desirable
Organization is large, Firm is in a dynamic environment, Managers are willing to share power, Employees are willing to take more responsibility, company is spread out geographically.
Staff Positions
Positions in an organization held by individuals who provide the administrative and support services that line employee's need to achieve the firm's goals
Attributes of a Virtual Corp
Technology, Oppurtunism, Trust, No Boarders, and Excellance
Delegation of Authority
The assignment of some degree of authority and responsibility to persons lower in the chain of command
Reengineering
The complete redesign of business structures and processes in order to improve operations
Chain of Command
The line of authority that extends from one level of an organizations hierarchy to the next, from top to bottom, and makes clear who reports to whom
Informal Organization
The network of connections and channels of communication based on the informal relationships of individuals inside an organization
Span of Control
The number of employees a manager directly supervises; also Span of Management
Formal Organization
The order and design of relationships within a firm; consists of two or more people working together with a objective and clarity of purpose
Divisions of Labor
The process of dividing work into seperate jobs and assigning tasks to workers
Departmentalization
The process of grouping jobs together so that similar or associated tasks and activities can be coordinated
Decentralization
The process of pushing decision making authority down the orginazational hierarchy
Centralization
the degree to which formal authority is concentrated in one area or level of an organization. Top management makes most decisions
Group Cohesiveness
The degree to which group members want to stay in the group and tend to resist outside influences
Managerial Hierarchy
The levels of management within an organization; typically includes top, middle, and supervisory