Ch1 Organizations And Organization Theory Flashcards
Define organization
Organizations are social entities that are goal directed, designed as deliberately structured and coordinated activity systems, and linked to the external environment
Organizations are ubiquitous, what does ubiquitous refer to?
Being present everywhere at once
Organizations exist to do what seven things?
- bring together resources to achieve desired goals and outcomes
- Produce goods and services efficiently
- Facilitate innovation
- Use modern manufacturing and information technologies
- Adapt to and influence changing environment
- Create value for owners, customers, and employees
- Accommodate ongoing challenges of diversity, ethics, and the motivation and coordination of employees
What are the five basic parts of an organization according to Mintzberg?
Top management technical support staff middle-management administrative support staff technical core
What is an open system?
An open system is one that must interact with the environment to survive
What is the role of the technical core?
The technical core does the basic work of the organization
What is the role of management?
Management is responsible for directing and coordinating other parts of the organization
What is the role of technical support?
Technical support function helps organization adapt to environment
What is the role of administrative support?
The administrative support function is responsible for the smooth operation and upkeep of the organization, including its physical and human elements.
What are the six structural dimensions of an organization?
- formalization
- specialization
- Hierarchy of authority
- Centralization
- Professionalism
- Personnel ratios
Define formalization
Formalization pertains to the amount of written documentation in the organization.
Define specialization
Specialization is the degree to which organizational tasks are subdivided into separate jobs
Define hierarchy of authority
Hierarchy of authority describes who reports to whom and the span of control for each manager.
Define centralization
Centralization refers to the hierarchal level that has the authority to make a decision.
Define professionalism
Professionalism is the level of formal education and training of employees.
Define personnel ratios
Personnel ratios refers to the development of people to various functions and departments.
What are the five contextual dimensions?
- Culture
- Environment
- Goals and strategy
- Size
- Technology
What is the difference between efficiency and effectiveness?
Simply put, efficiency is “doing things right” while effectiveness is “doing the right thing.”
Describe the stakeholder approach
Using the stakeholder approach managers carefully balance the needs and interests of various stakeholders in setting goals and striving for effectiveness.
Define contingency
Contingency means that one thing depends on other things, and for organizations to be effective, there must be a “goodness of fit” between their structure and the conditions in their external environment.
Describe organizational theory
Organizational theory is a macro examination of organizations because it analyzes the whole organization as a unit.
Organizational theory is the _______ of organizations while organizational behavior is the ________ of organizations.
- Sociology
2. Psychology
Describe the meso theory
Meso theory (meso means in between) concerns the integration of both micro and macro levels of analysis.
Organizational effectiveness is _________
The degree to which an organization realizes its goals
