Chapter 6 Flashcards
(33 cards)
organizational structure
specification of the jobs to be done within an organization and the ways in which they relate to one another
organization chart
a diagram depicting a company’s structure and showing employees where they fit into its operations
chain of command
reporting relationships within a company
job specialization
process of identifying the specific jobs that need to be done and designating the people who will perform them
departmentalization
process of grouping jobs into logical units
profit center
separate company unit responsible for its own costs and profits
product departmentalization
dividing of an organization according to specific products or services being created
process departmentalization
dividing of an organization according to production processes used to create a good or service
functional departmentalization
dividing of an organization according to groups’ functions or activities
customer departmentalization
dividing of an organization to offer products and meet needs for identifiable customer groups
geographic departmentalization
dividing of an organization according to the areas of the country or the world served by a business
centralized organization
organization in which most decision-making authority is held by upper-level management
decentralized organization
organization in which a great deal of decision-making authority is delegated to levels of management at points below the top
flat organization structure
characteristic of decentralized companies with relatively few layers or management
tall organizational structure
characteristic of centralized companies with multiple layers of management
span of control
number of people supervised by one manager
delegation process
through which a manager allocates work to subordinates
responsibility
duty to perform an assigned task
authority
power to make the decisions necessary to complete a task
accountability
obligation employees have to their manager for the successful completion of an assigned task
line authority
organizational structure in which authority flows in a direct chain of command from the top of the company to the bottom
line department
department directly linked to the production and sales of a specific product
staff authority
authority based on expertise that usually involves counseling and advising line managers
staff members
advisers and counselors who help line departments in making decisions, but do not have the authority to make final decisions