Structure

Question 1

what does an organisational chart show

Answer 1

who has overall responsibility for the organisation
the levels of authority and responsibility
the lines of communication and chain of command

Question 2

what is the span of control

Answer 2

the number of people, or subordinates, who report to a manager

Question 3

what are the advantages of a narrow span of control

Answer 3

managers can build positive relationships with staff
communication between managers and staff is quick
managers can give employees recognition for their hard work
more opportunities for promotion

Question 4

what are the disadvantages of a narrow span of control

Answer 4

managers may micromanage putting employees under pressure
managers may struggle solving problems, not enough people to share ideas with
managers may find it difficult to delegate tasks, not enough staff
workload issues for both employees and managers

Question 5

what are the advantages of a wide span of control

Answer 5

managers can delegate more work to employees
can be motivational to managers as can be seen as having greater power
staff given more responsibility

Question 6

what are the disadvantages of a wide span of control

Answer 6

managers put under pressure to manage all employees
workers rarely have time to meet with their managers to discuss ideas
communication can be slow
less opportunities for promotion

Question 7

what is chain of command

Answer 7

the line in which instructions are passed down in an organisation from one level of management to another

Question 8

what is authority

Answer 8

having the power to make decisions in an organisation

Question 9

what is responsibility

Answer 9

being answerable for decisions and the actions taken

Question 10

what is delegation

Answer 10

when somebody with greater authority assigns somebody with less, a task to complete

Question 11

what are the types of organisational structures

Answer 11

tall
flat
centralised
decentralised
matrix
entrepreneurial

Question 12

what is a tall structure

Answer 12

many levels of management, long chain of command
managers have narrow span of control
higher in the structure, more responsibility

Question 13

what are the advantages of a tall structure

Answer 13

with many levels come many promotion opportunities
managers have a narrow span of control

Question 14

what are the disadvantages of a tall structure

Answer 14

long chain of command, decisions take long time to make
slow to react to changes in the market
managers have a narrow span of control

Question 15

what is a flat structure

Answer 15

few levels of management, short chain of command
managers have a wider span of control
helps make whole business more effective as a team

Question 16

what are the advantages of flat structure

Answer 16

information quickly communicated between levels
employees can use their own initiative
managers have a wide span of control

Question 17

what are the disadvantages of a flat structure

Answer 17

fewer opportunities for promotion
staff delegated more tasks, put under more pressure
managers have a wide span of control

Question 18

what is a matrix structure

Answer 18

a project team created to carry out a specific task
team members can come from different functional areas in the business
members report to project, and their own manager

Question 19

what are the advantages of a matrix structure

Answer 19

specialised staff with lots of experience in their line of work
good motivation and job satisfaction as employees have more responsibility and variety
good for tackling complex problems

Question 20

what are the disadvantages of a matrix structure

Answer 20

expensive to have many teams
co-ordination problems between team members
confusion as to who reports to whom
can lose sight of overall business

Question 21

what is an entrepreneurial structure

Answer 21

structure used by a small business
all decisions made by owner, very little input from other people
decisions allow for quicker decision making

Question 22

what are the advantages of a entrepreneurial structure

Answer 22

decisions made quickly
staff know who they are accountable to
decision maker does not need to consult staff

Question 23

what are the disadvantages of an entrepreneurial structure

Answer 23

difficult to use in large businesses
can create a heavy workload for decision makers
can demotivate employees as they are not involved in decision making

Question 24

what is a centralised structure

Answer 24

associated with a tall structure, decisions made by senior management
subordinates have little to not authority at all
allows for standardisation within company

Question 25

what are the advantages of a centralised structure

Answer 25

can benefit from strong leadership
decisions can be made for whole organisation
procedures can be standardised

Question 26

what are the disadvantages of a centralised structure

Answer 26

employees feel less motivated as not involved in decision making

Question 27

what is a decentralised structure

Answer 27

associated with a flat structure
authority to make decisions delegated to departments and subordinated further down chain of command

Question 28

what are the advantages of a decentralised structure

Answer 28

motivates staff
empowers staff
decision making quicker
decisions can match local needs

Question 29

what are the disadvantages of a decentralised structure

Answer 29

decisions may differ from other branches - lack of consistency

Question 30

what is delayering

Answer 30

the removal of levels of management from the organisation

Question 31

what effects does delayering have on an organisation

Answer 31

resistance from staff
each remaining manager has a wider span of control
leads to better communication
decision making quicker
reduces cost of salaries

Question 32

what is downsizing

Answer 32

the reduction of operating costs for the organisation, by looking for what it doesnt need to spend money on

Question 33

what effects does downsizing have on an organisation

Answer 33

becomes narrower
greater workload for departments
some posts will disappear
workers have more duties