5 organizing (part 1)

Part 3 Organizing Challenges in the 21st Century

Chapter

7

Organizing for
Effectiveness
and Efficiency

PowerPoint Presentation by Charlie Cook
The University of West Alabama
© 2007 Thomson/South-Western. All rights reserved.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

When you have finished studying this chapter, you
should be able to:
1. Explain why organizing is an important managerial
function, describe the process of organizing, and
outline the primary stages of the process.
2. Discuss the concept of job design and identify the
core job dimensions that define a job.
3. Explain how and why the perspectives on job design
have evolved.
4. Describe the job-design approaches that came from
the classical management, behavioral management,
and employee/work team–centered perspectives.
© 2007 Thomson/SouthWestern. All rights reserved.

7–2

LEARNING OBJECTIVES (cont’d)
When you have finished studying this chapter, you
should be able to:
1. Understand both the vertical and horizontal
associations that exist between individuals and work
groups within the organization.
2. Define delegation and discuss why it is important for
managers to delegate.
3. Explain why managers often fail to delegate and
suggest methods for improving delegation skills.


7–3

What is Organizing?
• Organizing
 The process of determining:
 The

tasks to be done.

 Who

will do them.

 How

those tasks will be
managed and coordinated.


7–4

Figure 7.1

The Process of Organizing


7–5

Job Design
• The set of tasks and activities that are grouped
together to define a particular job.
• Job descriptions detail the responsibilities and
tasks associated with a given job.


7–6

Table 7.1

Job Description of a Director of Internet Communications

• Develop and implement communication projects,
content through completion.
• Develop editorial and graphical guidelines for
communication projects.
• Monitor compliance with adherence to
communication guidelines.
• Ensure that all communications are consistent in
message and tone.
• Direct technical staff in other departments.
• Monitor developments in
technology/communication media.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

7–7

Table 7.2

The Core Dimensions of a Job

Core Job Dimension
Skill variety
Task identity
Task significance

Effect of Dimension

Autonomy

Responsibility for outcomes
of the work

Feedback

Knowledge of results of the
work activities


Meaningfulness of the work

Source: Adapted from J. R. Hackman, G. Oldham, R. Janson, and K. Purdy, “A New Strategy for Job Enrichment.” Copyright © 1975
by the Regents of the University of California. Reprinted from California Management Review 17 (1975): 4. By permission of The
Regents.

7–8

Core Job Dimensions
• Skill Variety
 The degree to which a job challenges the job holder

to use various skills and abilities.

• Task Identity
 The degree to which a job requires the completion of

an identifiable piece of work.

• Task Significance
 The degree to which a job contributes to the overall

efforts of the organization.


7–9

Core Job Dimensions (cont’d)
• Autonomy
 The degree to which job holders have freedom,

independence, and decision-making authority.

• Feedback
 The information provided to job holders regarding the

effectiveness of their efforts.


7–10

The Evolution of Job Design Theory
• The production worker has now become the
knowledge worker.
 Classical Perspectives
 Behavioral Management Perspectives
 Employee-Centered and Team-Centered

Perspectives


7–11

Classical Perspectives
• Focus on efficiency.
• Born of classical management and scientific
management theories based on the concepts of
division of labor and specialization.
 Jobs are highly structured and rigidly defined.


7–12

Table 7.3

Potential Advantages and Disadvantages of Job Specialization


7–13

Behavioral Perspectives
• Focus on motivation, satisfaction, and
productivity.
 Became popular during the movement toward the

human relations school of thought.
 Led to the development of more innovative

approaches to job design including:
 Job

enlargement

 Job

enrichment

 Job

rotation


7–14

Job Enlargement
• Programs designed to broaden job scope.
 Job scope refers to the number of different activities required

in a job and the frequency with which each activity is
performed.
 Job enlargement
 Is

to increase the tasks and responsibilities associated
with a given job and provide greater challenge for the
employee.
 Is considered as a means of enriching jobs, making jobs
more interesting that can lead to better productivity.
 However, reducing job scope can sometimes have a
positive impact on productivity and job satisfaction.


7–15

Job Depth and Job Enrichment
• Job Depth
 Refers to the degree of control given to a job holder to

perform their job.
 Closes the gap between planning, doing and controlling a
particular set of activities.
 Jobs that have high job depth typically rate more favorably
on the core job dimensions than jobs with low job design.

• Job Enrichment
 Adding tasks to a job that require a wider range of skills
 It is an effective means of motivating employees and

improving job satisfaction.


7–16

Job Rotation
• Assigning individuals to a variety of job
positions.
 Employees rotate through a number of job positions

that are at approximately the same level and have
similar skill requirements.
 While job rotation has proven particularly beneficial in

manufacturing settings, it can also be used effectively
in service organizations.


7–17

Participatory Perspectives
• Focus on quality.
• Are not intended to replace previous methods of
job design rather to supplement both the
mechanistic and the behavior theories of job
design.
• The most popular approaches are:
 Employee-centered work redesign
 Self-managed teams


7–18

Business Process Reengineering
• A method of enhancing competitiveness through
improved product and service quality and
operational efficiency.
 A process of assessing company’s operations and

rebuilding the organization system with a focus on:
 Improving efficiency.
 Identifying redundancies.
 Eliminating non-value added activities.
 Reducing waste in all possible ways.
 Execution of reengineering has proven difficult for
many companies.
7–19

Employee-Centered Work Redesign
• Links the mission of the organization with the
needs of the individual by allowing employees to
design their work roles to benefit the
organization and themselves.
• Benefits of redesign include:
 Improved productivity and job satisfaction.
 Fosters a climate that supports cooperation between

individuals and work groups.
 Consistent with quality improvement efforts.
 Helps employees achieve work/life balance.


7–20

Self-Managed Teams
• Shifts the focus from the individual to the work
group.
 Responsibility for a substantial portion of the

organization’s activities is assigned to a team of
individuals who must determine the best way to fulfill
those responsibilities.
 Self-managed teams are considered cross-functional
teams.


7–21

Organizational Relationships
• The working relationships that exist within an
organization affect how its activities are
accomplished and coordinated.
• These relationships are defined by:
 Chain of command
 Span of control
 Line and staff responsibilities
 Delegation


7–22

Chain of Command and Unity of Command
• Chain of Command
 The line of authority and responsibility that flows

throughout the organization.

• Scalar Principle
 Subordinates at every level should follow the chain of

command and communicate with their superior only
through immediate or intermediate superior

• Unity of Command
 A principle that each employee in the organization is

accountable to one, and only one, supervisor.

7–23

Span of Control
• The number of employees reporting to a
particular manager.
 In theory, when tasks are very complex, span of

control should be relatively narrow. This is call Narrow
/ Tall Span of Control
 In contrast, where jobs are highly standardized and
routine (low complexity), a manager will not need to
spend as much time supporting individual
subordinates, and the span of control may be larger.
This is called Wide / Flat Span of Control

7–24

Narrow / Tall Span of Control
• Refers to few subordinates reporting to an
immediate superior
• Allows greater control and coordination
• Able to encourage specialization of work when
there is close monitoring and supevision
• Used in a more stable industry and economic
condition


7–25

Wide / Flat Span of Control
• Many people or subordinates report to a
particular manager.
• Suitable when handling varieties of products and
services, varied development plans and
prevailing changing market demands.
• Advantages: cost containment, quick response
time and improved communication.


7–26

Line and Staff Responsibilities
• Line Departments
 Those organizational members that are directly

involved in delivering the products and services of the
organization.

• Staff Departments
 Those organizational members that are not directly

involved in delivering the products and services to the
organization, but provide support for line personnel.


7–27

Figure 7.2

Alternative Ways to Structure an Organization


7–28

Source:: Adapted from The Structuring of Organizations by Mintzberg, © 1991. Reprinted by permission of Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Authority and Responsibility
• Authority
 The formal right inherent in an organizational position

to make decisions.

• Formal authority
 Authority inherent in an organizational position.

• Informal authority
 Ability to influence others that is based on personal

characteristics or skills.

• Responsibility
 The obligation to perform the duties assigned.


7–29

Accountability and Delegation
• Accountability
 Responsibility to the supervisor for results of

decisions made and actions taken with delegated
authority.


7–30

Accountability and Delegation
• Delegation
 The process of transforming the responsibility for a

specific activity or task to another member of the
organization, and…
 Empowering that individual to accomplish the task
effectively.


7–31

Table 7.4

Delegating Authority / Process of Delegation

1. Decide which goals/tasks to delegate.

Teach the department or organization mission.

Find a capable person.

Teach/train the person.
2. Make assignments.

Agree on mission, goals, tasks.

Establish limits (policy).

Agree on results.

Establish monitors and feedback.

Give information.
3. Grant authority to act.

Transfer right to decide.

Transfer right to commit resources.

Make it public.

Do not interfere.


7–32

Table 7.4

Delegating Authority / Process of Delegation (cont’d)

1. Hold responsible/accountable.

Check progress.

Treat problems and challenges as teaching/learning opportunities.
5. Monitor.
• Teach.
• Reward.
• Communicate.
• Give information.
• Give resources.
• Remove roadblocks.


7–33

Benefits of Delegation
• Leads to a more involved and empowered workforce.
• Improved response time as a result of decisions and
information not needing to be passed up and down the
organization.
• Leads to better decision making.
• Provides opportunity for employee to develop analytical
and problem solving skills.
• Provides managers the opportunity to accomplish more
complicated, difficult, or important tasks.

7–34

Reasons for Failing to Delegate
• The “time crunch.”
• Lack of confidence in the abilities of
subordinates.
• Managers try to avoid the potential pitfalls of
dual accountability.
• Managers may be insecure about their own
value to the organization.


7–35

Learning to Delegate Effectively
1. Match the employee to the task.
2. Be organized and communicate clearly.
3. Transfer authority and accountability with the
task.
4. Choose the level of delegation carefully.


7–36

Figure 7.3

Degree of Delegation


Source: Adapted from M. E. Haynes, “Delegation: There’s More to It Than Letting Someone Else Do It!” 9–15. Reprinted, by permission
of publisher, from Supervisory Management, January 1980. © 1980, American Management Association, New York. All rights reserved.

7–37

Implications for Leaders: Organizing Tips
• Identify the tasks and activities that must be completed
in order for goals to be achieved.
• Design jobs so that job holders will find their jobs
interesting and challenging.
• Understand the potential advantages and disadvantages
of specialization, job enlargement, job enrichment, and
job rotation.
• Understand the importance of chain of command and
span of control.
• All successful managers delegate authority. Learn how
to delegate well and hold people accountable.
7–38

5 organizing (part 1)

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