12 Organisation III

Structure

1.    Introduction

2.    Features of good organisation structure

3.    Summary

1. Introduction

We earlier  mentioned  that there are four steps of organisat ion  as follows

a.    Identification  and division  of work

b.    Department alisation

c.  Assignment  of duties and delegation

d.   Establishing  reporting  relations

These steps can be considered as building blocks of the organisation. In the last video we discussed first two steps viz: Ident ification and division of work and Depart ment alisat ion. Further we will be discussing the rest two steps in detail.

c.    Assignment  of duties and delegation  of authority:

When the job is assigned to the person it gives responsibility to that person. Aut hority and delegat ion go hand in hand. If authority is given to t he person then person is responsible for completing the job. Therefore process of delegation help manager to assign the work and responsibility to concerned individual. If person is asked to do a particular work then it is possible that person may or may not do work. But if the work is assigned by explaining the importance of work then person takes up the responsibility. T herefore in many organisat ions big task is divided into subtasks and persons are given choice to select the task which t hey would like t o perform. When person chooses a task he or she takes up t he responsibility to perform that particular task.

d.    Establishing  reporting  relations:

In this step authority is defined or authority structure is defined. Here it is decided that who will communicate with whom in offic ial way. If any inst ruction is given it needs to be document ed. Because of documentation the responsibility of the task is accepted by the individual. Hence it is import ant to set t he formal communicat ion mode. At t his stage the st ructure in t he organisat ion is set up. T his structure can be horizontal as well as vertical. Vertical co mmunicat ion leads to the final goal. In horizontal structure t here are different departments which are interlinked and interdependent. Educat ion manager sets up t he communicat ion mode in vertical as well as horizontal mode.

2. Features of good organisation structure

A good organisat ion fulfils the demands of stakeholders. This can happen if the organisat ional structure is designed by considering following criteria.

Clear line of authority:

It indicates that all the people in the organisation has clear idea about what are the expectations of organisatio n from him or her. It helps people to understand

their role and their responsibility. They also know to what extent they can work. If people do not have understanding about their roles and responsibilit ies then it leads to conflict and politics. Eg: Scienc e teacher in a secondary school should have clarity about the expectations of management of school from him or her.

Adequate delegation of authority:

It means giving authority to people to take so me dec ision and imple ment t hem. In an organisat ion number of people are working. Authority should be given t o everyone. T he extent may be more or less. People take pride in aut horit y. It works as a mot ivat ional factor for ac hieving the goals. Eg: The class teachers should be given authority about dec iding disciplinary rules for her class whic h will be in line with the policy of school.

Application of ultimate responsibility:

In an organisat ion there is hierarchy. Managers assign work to subordinates. Subordinates actually perform t he task. Still it is the manager who is responsible for his/her dut ies as well as dut ies assigned by him/her to the subordinates. It helps in achieving t he goal as visualised by t he organisat ion. Eg: In schools principal is ultimately responsible for anything and everything.

Minimum managerial level:

When one person has to report to two-three people, it creates confusion and the person gets fade up. Also it has effect on communication. When in an organisation vert ical hierarchy is less as well as horizontal hierarchy is not too much t hen that organisat ion becomes easy and goals can be achieved.

Therefore, organisation should have minimu m layers of manage ment so that the coordination will be easy.

Unity of direction:

All the organisat ions work for achieving the goals. Efforts of every depart ment in t he organisat ion are need to be focussed on achieving t he goals. T herefore it is necessary that each depart ment clearly knows t he goals of organisat ion. Eg: All the teachers in a school should know the goals of education.

Proper emphasis on staff activities:

In an organisat ion at a time numbers of activities conducted by staff. The manager should make sure t he activit ies are coordinated properly; otherwise the same act ivit ies will be carried out by different person that leads to waste of time and energy.

Span of control:

It refers t o the number of subordinates a manager can directly supervise. Supervision does not mean finding the fault s but to check the progress towards achieving objective. This is the process of acquiring informat ion and formulat ing feedback. Span of control depends on various factors.

Nature  of superior  and subordinate:

Nature of superior means the qualit ies of manager such as dec ision making, leadership style, communicat ion skills etc. A more competent manager can supervise more people. Nat ure of subordinate means skills possessed by the subordinates as well as their efficiency and mot ivat ion. The skilled and mot ivated people require less supervision. The relat ionship between superior and sub-ordinate also plays important role in performing task

Nature  of work:

Different types of work require different pattern of supervision and t ime. If the work is complic ated then manager needs to give more time. If the work is routine then subordinates require less attention. Hence at at ime he or she can manage more nu mber of subordinates. T he frequency of supervision in this case can be less.

Degree  of decentralization  of authority:

It means t he work assigned to different people and t he extent of power given t o people. In t he process of decentralisation there is dist ribution of power. It is considered as key and important aspect of instit ut ion. When the powers are given to people, then they can take decisions. They are ready to take responsibility of their decisions. Eg: each teac her should have acade mic aut onomy in deciding the learning experiences for her students.

Type of planning:

Planning can be short term or long term eg: unit plan, year plan or five year plans. In long term plans  there is complexity. In such a sit uat ion many managers are required for supervision. If t here is higher degree of planning then less supervision is required because eac h one is very clear about what is to be done and how is t o be done.eg: If school is host ing ward level science exhibit ion then t here is need that principal conducts several meet ings as well as himself/herself personally supervise the work.

Communication  technique:

The ways of communication and modes of communication has the effect on span of control. It is also affected by pattern of communic ation. If face to face mode is used then manager can supervise less number of subordinates but if modern communicat ion t ools are used then manager can give feedback to more number of subordinates. The inst ructions to the subordinates can be given in written form so that he or she becomes accountable for completion of task.

Provision for top management:

There is need to provide opportunity for top managers and subordinates to take part in management process. The top manage ment is responsible for complet ion of task so the provision should be made in whic h subordinates report the work to the top manage ment. Eg: School management should have regular meetings with teachers.

Simplicity:

It means there should be least number of organizational relationships. The communicat ion channels should be exact. These decisions are taken on the basis of organizational needs. The people in the organization should have clear understanding  of authority,  responsibility and communication  channels.

Flexibility:

It implies flexibility in organisational structure. Lot of activities are conducted in an organisation. There should be flexibility in organizing activities t hat can help in co mpleting t he task in different ways rather than doing it in a same way or manner.

3. Summary

Organisations can function effectively if organisation structure is good. Following are the features of good organisational structure.

• Clear line of authority
• Adequate delegation  of authority  (Each one should  get it)
• Application of ultimat e responsibility: Superior is responsible for his/her duties as well as duties assigned by him/her to the subordinates
• Minimum managerial level: It should have minimu m layers of management so that the coordination will be easy
• Unity of direction:  At every  level the clear directions  are needed.
• Proper emphasis on staff activities: The manager should make sure the activit ies are coordinated properly; otherwise t he sa me activit ies will be carried out by different person that leads to waste of time and energy. Similarly same activity should not be repeatedly done people.
•  Span of cont rol: It refers to the number of people a manager can directly supervise. It depends on various factors such as nature of superior and subordinate, nature of work, degree of decent ralizat ion, typ e of planning, communicat ion technique.
• Provision for top manage ment: the top manage ment is responsible for completion of task so the provision should make to report the work to the top management.
• Simplicity: The organizing should have clear understanding of authority, responsibility and communication channels
• Flexibility: There should be flexibility in organizing activities, that can help in completing the task in different ways rather than doing it in a same way.

References

• Child J. (2005) Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice.USA: Blackwell publishing
• Dessler, G. (2005) Human Resource Management, 10th ed, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
• Gupta, C. (2006) Human Resource Management, New Delhi: Sultan Chand and Sons
• Koontz H. Weihrich H.(2015) Essentials of Management. New Delhi: Mc Graw hills
• Stephen Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Vohra N (2015) Organizational Behavior. New Delhi; Pearsons
• Tripathy P. & Reddy (2012) Principles of Management, New Delhi: Mc Graw hills.