Organisation Structure

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Organizational Structure: Definition andInfluence on Organizational Behavior

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Organizational Structure: Definition and Influence on Organizational Behavior - Video... http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/organizational-structure-definition-and-i...

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Instructor: John McLaughlin

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UExcel Organizational Behavior:Study Guide & Test Prep/academy/course/uexcel-

organizational-behavior-course.html)26 chapters | 232 video lessons

1 - The Evolution of OrganizationalBehavior (/academy/topic/the-evolution-of-organizational-behavior.html)

2 - Management and OrganizationalBehavior (/academy/topic/management-and-organizational-behavior.html)

3 - Foundations of Individual Behavior(/academy/topic/foundations-of-individual-behavior.html)

4 - Personality and Behavior inOrganizations (/academy/topic/personality-and-behavior-in-organizations.html)

5 - Emotions and Moods in theWorkplace (/academy/topic/emotions-and-moods-in-the-workplace.html)

6 - Attitudes and Values in theWorkplace (/academy/topic/attitudes-and-values-in-the-workplace.html)

7 - Ethics in the Workplace (/academy

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In this lesson you will learn the definition of organizational structure and how the structureof an organization can influence the attitudes and behaviors of organizational members.

Organizational StructureAn organization is a group of people who together work to achieve a common goal. In

order to work together efficiently, the group must find the best way to organize the work that

needs to be done in order to meet the goals of the organization. Organizational structure

defines how tasks are divided, grouped, and coordinated in organizations. Every

organization has a structure that clarifies the roles that organizational members perform, so

that everyone understands their responsibilities to the group.

For example, the Beaver Scouts is a youth organization that meets for outdoor activities,

such as hiking and camping. When the Beaver Scouts of Colony #33 go camping, the lodge

leader constructs a list of tasks that must be performed during the trip. Tasks are divided up

among the members of the colony and written down on a chore chart, so every scout knows

what job they are responsible for each day. Without this formal structure, the scouts would

waste a lot of time trying to decide who should do what, and many tasks would likely go

undone.

The Role of Structure in an OrganizationSimilar to the Beaver Scout chore chart, companies use a diagram called an organizational

chart that displays the structure of the organization, and also shows the relationships

between organizational members and the ranks of all the positions in the organization.

The formal structure of an organization provides two important roles for organizational

members. The structure of an organization clarifies roles for organizational members, so

that each member knows what they are supposed to do and who they report to. The

structure also dictates the amount of control an organizational member has regarding his

job in the organization.

Six Elements of Organizational StructureThe 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.

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8 - Perception and Attribution(/academy/topic/perception-and-attribution.html)

9 - Learning in the Workplace (/academy/topic/learning-in-the-workplace.html)

10 - Employee Motivation (/academy/topic/employee-motivation.html)

11 - Individual Decision Making inOrganizations (/academy/topic/individual-decision-making-in-organizations.html)

12 - Workforce Diversity (/academy/topic/workforce-diversity.html)

13 - Organizational Communication inBusiness (/academy/topic/organizational-communication-in-business.html)

14 - Groups and Work Teams (/academy/topic/groups-and-work-teams.html)

15 - Group Decision Making (/academy/topic/group-decision-making.html)

16 - Conflict in the Workplace (/academy/topic/conflict-in-the-workplace.html)

17 - Leadership in OrganizationalBehavior (/academy/topic/leadership-in-organizational-behavior.html)

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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.

Another element of organizational structure is centralization and decentralization, which

determines 'where does decision-making authority lie?' If top management makes all the

organizational decisions with no input from lower-level personnel, the organization is

considered to be centralized. The more that lower-level managers are involved in the

decision-making process, the greater the degree of decentralization that exists in the

organization.

The final element of organizational structure is formalization, which determines to what

degree the jobs in the organization are standardized. A highly formalized job has clearly

defined procedures and leaves organizational members little freedom in regard to how they

perform their tasks. A low degree of formalization, on the other hand, allows employees a

high degree of flexibility in how they get their jobs done.

Continue reading...

Organizational Structure:Definition and Influence onOrganizational Behavior(/academy/lesson/organizational-structure-definition-and-influence-on-organizational-behavior.html)

6:51

7:43

OrganizationalDesign andStructure

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Mechanistic & OrganicOrganizational BusinessStructures (/academy/lesson/bureaucratic-organizations-mechanic-organic-bureacracies.html)

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18 - Leadership Theory in OrganizationalBehavior (/academy/topic/leadership-theory-in-organizational-behavior.html)

19 - Leadership Styles in OrganizationalBehavior (/academy/topic/leadership-styles-in-organizational-behavior.html)

20 - Organizational Structure and Design(/academy/topic/organizational-design-structure.html)


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Work Specialization inOrganizations (/academy/lesson/work-specialization-in-organizations.html)

5:10Authority in Centralized &Decentralized Organizations(/academy/lesson/authority-in-centralized-decentralized-organizations.html)

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Bureaucracy: Max Weber'sTheory of ImpersonalManagement (/academy/lesson/bureaucracy-max-webers-theory-of-impersonal-management.html)

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The Boundaryless Organization:Structure and Advantages(/academy/lesson/the-boundaryless-organization-structure-and-advantages.html)

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Characteristics of InformalOrganizations: The Grapevine &

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Informal Groups (/academy/lesson/characteristics-of-informal-organizations-the-grapevine-informal-groups.html)

Organizational Downsizing:Definition, Strategies &Business Impacts (/academy/lesson/organizational-downsizing-definition-strategies-business-impacts.html)

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Strategy and OrganizationalStructure (/academy/lesson/strategy-and-organizational-structure.html)

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The Organizational Life Cycle(/academy/lesson/the-organizational-life-cycle.html)

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Technology: How OrganizationsTurn Inputs to Outputs(/academy/lesson/technology-how-organizations-turn-inputs-to-outputs.html)

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Organizational Size: Impacts onStructure and Design of anOrganization (/academy/lesson/organizational-size-impacts-on-structure-and-design-of-an-organization.html)

9:25

Lean Organizational Structure(/academy/lesson/lean-organizational-structure.html)

5:21

Organizational Design and 8:57Watch all the video lessons you want free for 5 days


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Organizational Behavior(/academy/lesson/organizational-design-and-organizational-behavior.html)

E-Business Enhanced andE-Business EnabledOrganizations (/academy/lesson/e-business-enhanced-and-e-business-enabled-organizations.html)

5:24

Go to Organizational Structure andDesign (/academy/topic/organizational-design-structure.html)

Job Design: Definition andPurpose (/academy/lesson/job-design-definition-and-purpose.html)

6:50

Fredrick Taylor & Management:Maximizing Productivity &Efficiency (/academy/lesson/fredrick-taylor-management-maximizing-productivity-efficiency.html)

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Behavioral Approaches to JobDesign (/academy/lesson/behavioral-approaches-to-job-design.html)

5:00

Social Information Processing:Definition and Importance inJob Design (/academy/lesson/social-information-processing-

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21 - Job Design (/academy/topic/job-design.html)


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definition-and-importance-in-job-design.html)An Interdisciplinary Approachto Job Design (/academy/lesson/an-interdisciplinary-approach-to-job-design.html)

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Empowerment and Job Design(/academy/lesson/empowerment-and-job-design.html)

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Hackman & Oldham's JobCharacteristics Model(/academy/lesson/hackman-oldhams-job-characteristics-model.html)

5:53

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Job Flexibility in the Workplace(/academy/lesson/job-flexibility-in-the-workplace.html)

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Reengineering Jobs forContinuous Improvement(/academy/lesson/reengineering-jobs-for-continuous-improvement.html)

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22 - Organizational Culture (/academy/topic/organizational-culture.html)

23 - Organizational Change andOrganizational Behavior (/academy/topic/organizational-change-and-organizational-behavior.html)

24 - Managing Workplace Stress(/academy/topic/managing-workplace-stress.html)

25 - Career Management (/academy/topic/career-management.html)

26 - Global Implications ofOrganizational Behavior (/academy/topic/global-implications-of-organizational-behavior.html)


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Organisation Structure