Chapter 5 - Organizing for Productivity Flashcards
An organizational chart shows
Who is responsible for what
Who reports to whom
How each person is expected to relate to everyone else
How one unit is supposed to work with all the other units
The formal organization of the government.
The informal organization is shaped by employees’
Interests
Backgrounds
Preferences
Affiliations.
Types of formal organization
Line organization Line-and-staff organization Functional organization Program or project organization Quality improvement organization
Attributes of a line organization
Person at the top has complete authority.
Orders come from above and move through a chain of command.
Everyone’s authority and responsibility are spelled out clearly.
Everyone at the same level of authority does the same kind of work with the same amount of responsibility.
Lines of responsibility are clear-cut.
Attributes of a line-and-staff organization
As in the line organization, person at the top has authority and orders move through a chain of command.
Unlike in the line organization, staff experts advise the person at the top.
Attributes of a functional organization
All departments are specialized, and each is headed by a specialist.
Unlike in the line-and-staff organization, specialists are not merely advisers but also are in the chain of command and deal directly with problems.
Attributes of a program or project organization
Employees are assigned to a project on the basis of their particular skills.
While they are working on a particular project, employees report to the project director instead of to their department heads.
Once a project is completed, a new project director may be chosen and an entirely different set of people may be assigned to work on the next project.
Quality improvement organization
The emphasis is on the constant improvement of work processes and services.
The structure is flatter, with fewer “levels” and more direct interaction between people throughout the organization.
The underlying rationale is that employees know the work best.
Building blocks of quality improvement organizations
Work process improvement Continuous improvement Customer focus Teamwork Leadership Strategic planning
Advantages of using teams
Different perspectives, views, and skills, resulting in better decisions
Breakdown of organizational barriers
Use of hidden talents
Synergy
Promotion of communication and participation
Skill development
Improved quality of work life
Groups
Members have no sense of responsibility to each other
No collaborative effort to accomplish common goals
Little or no concern for the outcome of a project
Absence of unified effort
Teams
Members support one another Members work toward common goals Members value one another for their participation Genuine trust Sense of camaraderie
Four main stages of team development
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Seven steps to teamwork
Show team members where they fit into the system.
Hold frequent meetings with team members.
Set goals with team members.
Encourage team members to suggest solutions to problems.
Let team members tell you things you may not like to hear.
Let team members help set standards.
Respect diversity.
Empowering a team
Actively involve employees in areas of decision making traditionally reserved to management.
Develop leadership skills of employees.
Provide support.
Help team members develop confidence in their own abilities.
Encourage team members to respect themselves and one another.
Get to know team members’ characteristics and behavior patterns.
