Discuss modes of organisation influence
Answers
The structure of an organization consists of a combination of six different elements. Each of these elements has an impact on how the tasks are carried out in an organization.
Work specialization - the first element that affects the structure of an organization is how tasks are subdivided into separate jobs. Is a job completed by an individual, or is it broken down into separate steps and completed by several individuals? The more a job is broken down into small tasks, the more specialization is required by each individual worker. High specialization results in high efficiency, but can lead to boredom by workers who are required to perform the same repetitive task over and over.
The next element of organizational structure is departmentalization, which establishes how jobs are grouped together. Jobs can be grouped in many ways, including by job function, product line, or territory. Every organization has a chain of command, which provides a line of authority that reaches from the top of the organization to the bottom and spells out who reports to whom in the organization.
The structure of every organization must also dictate how many managers are required to direct their employees. This is known as the span of control and determines how many individuals a manager can efficiently and effectively manage. Companies with wider spans of control require fewer managers and are more efficient than companies with narrow spans of control, but if the span of control becomes too large, employees may not receive adequate leadership and support from their managers.