Week 7 Discussion post As we continue our search and research to gain understanding about Organizational behavior. Starting with chapter fifth teen This week we are faced with the study of organizational structures and their foundations. Carful analysis shows that the structure of an organization has a large impact on behavior. To begin to fully understand organizational structure we must first define what this term is. Organizational structure defines how job tasks are formally divided, grouped, and coordinated (Robbins, S. & Judge T.). Managers can find help when developing organizational structure by following the seven key elements of organizational structure. 1. Work specialization, or division of labor, the degree to which tasks in an organization are subdivided into separate jobs (Robbins, S. & Judge T.). This is when are job is divided up into several steps and each step is worked on by a different individual. Which then creates the concept of specialization for employees. 2. Departmentalization is the basis by which jobs are grouped together (Robbins, S. & Judge T.). The jobs must be grouped together so common tasks can be coordinated. 3. The Chain of command is an unbroken line of authority that extends from the top of the organization to the lowest echelon and clarifies who reports to whom (Robbins, S. & Judge T.). This element has lost a lot of its power through the years and is now less and less important. 4. The span of control describes the number of subordinates a manager can efficiently and effectively direct (Robbins, S. & Judge T.). 5. Centralization is the degree to which decision making is concentrated at a single point in an organization (Robbins, S. & Judge T.). Decentralized decision making is the degree to which decision making is pushed down to the managers closest to the action or to workgroups (Robbins, S. & Judge T.). 6. Formalization refers to the degree to which jobs within an organization are standardized (Robbins, S. & Judge T.). this element allows employees as great deal of freedom to exercise discretion in their work. 7. Boundary spanning occurs when individuals form relationships with people outside their formally assigned groups. When developing and implementing the organizational structure using these elements it is key that the manager does not fall to creating hierarches that overly limit employee’s empowerment and autonomy (Robbins, S. & Judge T.). The next chapter we were assigned this week is chapter sixteen and here we learned about the cultures that are established within organizations. Organizational culture refers to a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from other organizations (Robbins, S. & Judge T.). just like the structures of organization, there are seven primary characteristics that seem to capture the essence of an organization’s culture. 1. Innovation and risk taking. The degree to which employees are encouraged to be innovative and take ...