Keywords : -
Span of control : Number of subordinates working under a superior or manager
Hierarchy : any system of persons or things ranked one above the other
Chain of command : a series of administrative position in which each have direct authority over the one immediately below
Neopotism: Patronage bestowed or favouritism shown on basis of family relationship as in business and politics.
Delegation : When authority is passed down to a subordinate
Empowerment : Subordinates posseses control over their work and are able to make decisions related to the task
Line manager : a person who has responsibility for a given employee
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Tall structures is hierarchical with a long chain of command.
Common features of tall structures include the following :
- Narrow spans of control
- Rules and policies, as well as tight control
- Authority and responsibility is only given to the higher position usually (Delegation is unusual)
- Function of each position are stated clearly
- Long chains of command
It stresses on the role of the job, not the individual who works. People come and go, but the role of the job remains intact. (Job > Individual)
Weber (1864-1920) believed that tall structures could avoid high risks of corruption, unequality and nepotism as there is a strict, systematic dicipline to carry out their roles.
In tall structures, motivation may be low as there is very little need for participation in decision making,however, the company's personnels will have a lot of opportunities for promotion, hence, a great advantage for an individual.
Flat structures are more suited to smaller organizations
Flat structure's features are as follows :
- Fewer layers as compared to tall organizational structures
- Shorter chain of command
- Wider span of control
- It encourages flexibility, delegation and empowerment
- Workers may have more than one boss
Wide span of control vs Narrow span of control
Narrow ( Advantages )
- Tight control
- Better coordination
- Better supervision
- Better communication
- Less delegation, leading to less stressful situation. (However, this may affect motivation)
- Managers may have more free time to do other things as they only have lesser number of people to supervise as compared to Wide span of control
Narrow ( Disadvantages )
- Subordinates may not like close supervision
- Red tape may cause delays upon urgent decisions
- Chances of overheads incurred is higher
Wide ( Advantages )
- Subordinates have the authority to delegate, thus, may also increase job satisfaction and morale
- Lower cost involved in supervision
- Decisions are made faster from the shorter chain of command
- Chances of overhead is reduced, hence more efficient
- Improved communication
Wide ( Disadvantages )
- Manager may be stressed out as he has a higher number of subordinates
- Delegation may cause stressed via increased workload
- Individual managers have less time to focus with their own personnels
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Silo Culture basically implies that different departmental staffs only work within their departments, not cooperating or communicating well with other departments of the organization, thus affecting the whole organization's overall performance.
There are different types of structures for different types of organisations. Different structures work differently with various organisations. Take Lotus for example, they use the matrix structure and they turned out to be successful. Big corporations take up tall structures such as fast food franchise, and are more centralized (decisions are usually made by managers at the top of the organisation), whereas smaller organisations usually take up flat structures.
It is certain that every structures have their own flaws, but choosing the structure that aids a company the most with lesser number of flaws is the main point. Even Google have their own version of structure, a mixture of hierarchical and flat structure, allowing wider range of flexibility, and still being able to hold on to authority at the same time. There must be flaws in that, possibly maybe that their employees may not take their jobs seriously and good employees, having both discipline in work as well as being innovative and interactive are hard to find. However, Google has clearly made full use of their structures and manage to suppress the flaws because they are still one of the most recognized company for their success.
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