5. Organisational Structures Flashcards
What is the chief advantage of bureaucracies with respect to leadership, according to Weber?
They are base on merit rather than charisma and nepotism
In ‘The Theory of Social and Economic Organisation’, Weber develops a theory of organisations as —
Bureaucracies
What three dimensions of organisations does Weber identify?
Division of labour
Levels of hierarchy
A system of rules
What eight dimensions of organisations are identified by Hatch?
Size
Management and administration
Differentiation (horizontal and vertical)
Integration
Centralisation and decentralisation
Standardisation of procedures
Formalisation of documentation (bureaucracy)
Specialisation of individuals and teams
— structures are those that are tall with many layers.
Hierarchical
— structures have few organisational layers.
Flat
The — — — is the number of people managed directly by an individual.
Span of control
The span of control tends to be great in organisations with a — structure.
Flat
A — structure is built up of cross-functional teams where there is a lot of horizontal integration.
Matrix
Henry Mintzberg developed a scheme for describing types of organisational structure comprising what five categories?
Simple structure Machine bureaucracy Professional bureaucracy Divisionalised form Adhocracy
According to Mintzberg’s classification, a simple structure is characterised by…
Centralised control suitable for small organisations
According to Mintzberg’s classification, a machine bureaucracy is…
Highly formalised,
With high degrees of specialisation
Suitable for mass production
According to Mintzberg’s classification, a professional bureaucracy is characterised by…
Reliance on standardised skills of highly trained professionals, such as hospitals and universities
According to Mintzberg’s classification, the divisionalised form is characterised by…
Large organisations of autonomous specialist divisions
According to Mintzberg’s classification, an advocacy is characterised by…
A decentralised matrix
Of autonomous teams
Involved in non-standardised products or services
A benefit of tall structures is that closer — is possible by managers of a team
Monitoring
A benefit of tall structures is that they are easily —
Understood
A benefit of tall structures is that there is a clear — of roles and responsibilities by teams and individuals
Demarcation
A benefit of tall structures is that there are clear routes for…
Career development and promotion
A risk of tall structures is that employees may feel more — and less likely to develop independent skills
Restricted
A risk of tall structures is that — and — — can be slow due to long chains of command
Communication and decision making
A risk of tall structures is that the greater number of managers leads to higher — —
Salary costs
A risk of tall structures is that they are not responsive to changes in the — —
External environment
A benefit of flat structures is that they encourage greater individual —
Responsibility
A benefit of flat structures is that they encourage more staff —
Cooperation
A benefit of flat structures is that they have shorter…
Lines of communication and decision making
A benefit of flat structures is that they are more — to changes in the external environment
Responsive
A risk of flat structures is that they have fewer opportunities for —
Promotion
A risk of flat structures is that the lighter management and monitoring leads to — —
Performance issues
A benefit of matrix structures is that they are very — with respect to changes in the external environment
Responsive
A benefit of matrix structures is that they can be very — for individuals and teams, leading to greater productivity
Motivating
A risk of matrix structures is that they can be — for individuals familiar with more traditional structures
Disorienting
A risk of matrix structures is that the require careful — to ensure operations are effective
Management
A — responsibility carries with it the authority and responsibility but not the ultimate accountability
Delegated
What are the five basic approaches to subdividing the broad categories of organisational structure?
Functional Divisional Matrix Team Network
A functional approach to subdivision arranges individuals and resources according to what?
The function they perform
Divisional subdivisions may be made on what bases?
Geographical
Product type
Customer
Other
When there is more instability in the environment, there is a greater need for differentiation/integration?
Differentiation
Departments in more stable environments tend to be more —
Formalised
Greater — is needed where organisations are more complex
Integration
— is often achieved through written procedures, rules and other bureaucratic devices
Integration
Mechanistic/organic organisations fare better in stable environments?
Mechanistic
Mechanistic/organic organisations fare better in unstable environments?
Organic
List seven characteristics of ‘organic’ organisations
Network structure Close vertical and horizontal integration Low formalisation Decentralised Low standardisation High individual autonomy High innovation
List seven characteristics of ‘mechanistic’ organisations
Hierarchical structure High vertical and horizontal differentiation High formalisation Centralised High standardisation Low individual autonomy Low innovation
What are the five stages of Greiner’s life cycle of organisational structures in response to their environment?
Entrepreneurial phase Collectivity phase Delegation phase Formalisation phase Collaboration phase
Describe the entrepreneurial phase in Greiner’s life cycle.
Owner takes control
Leadership crisis
Professional management takes over
Describe the collectivity phase of Greiner’s life cycle
Professionally managed and centralised with growing differentiation
Autonomy crisis decentralises power, control and decision making
Describe the delegation phase of Greiner’s life cycle
Decentralise power structure
Control crisis
Need for rules, procedures and bureaucracy
Describe the formalisation phase of Greiner’s life cycle
Formalised approach to control
Red tape crisis
Need for team working
Describe the collaboration phase of Greiner’s life cycle
Team working approach with shared responsibilities
Need to keep motivated or fall prone to crisis of renewal and organisational failure
