By decentralization of authority we mean dispersal of decision-making authority at various levels in the organization. In a centralized set-up, decision-making authority is concentrated at the top-level of the management, whereas in the decentralized set-up, many important decisions are made at the lower level also. The most significant feature of decentralization of authority is that most of the decisions made at the lower level do not need approval of the seniors. This means greater freedom is given in decision-making to lower level managers and supervisors in the organization. Factors Determining the Degree of Decentralization Importance and significance of the decision: One of the important factors determining the degree of decentralization of authority is costliness of the decision. Normally, decisions which are costly in terms of money value involved or in terms of factors like goodwill and image of the establishment, employee morale or motivation tend to be centralized at the Continue reading
Management Concepts
The Impact of Bureaucratic Structure in Organizations
A bureaucracy is a form of organisation based on logic, order, and the legitimate use of formal authority. Bureaucracies are meant to be orderly, fair, and highly efficient. Max Weber, a German theorist, was the first person to introduce many of the concepts of bureaucracy. During the 18th and 19th century period many employees worked only for themselves and in a workplace environment that was primarily focused on getting the job done in whichever way possible unconcerned with efficiency. Weber’s idea was to use regulation by rules, policies, supervision, reward systems and other mechanisms to make sure that the behavior and standards of the employees are always met and making the contemporary workplace more organized. The six key principles of bureaucracy that Weber identified were; division of work, hierarchy, promotions, record-keeping, business as a separate legal entity and rules and regulations. Many businesses today have benefited from Weber’s work. Division Continue reading
Difference Between Authority and Power
Authority and Power Authority may be defined as the right to guide and direct the actions of others and to secure from them responses which are appropriate to the attainment of the goals of the organization. According to Barnard, ”Authority is the character of communication(order) in a formal organization by virtue of which it is accepted by a contributor to, or member of the organization as generating the action he contributes, that is, as governing or determining what he does or is not to do so far as the organization is concerned.” Power refers to the ability or capacity to influence the behavior or attitudes of other individuals. A manager’s power may be considered as his ability to cause subordinates to do what the manager wishes them to do. Power is an important means to enforce obedience to the rules, regulations and decisions of the organization. Power may be Continue reading
Advantages and Disadvantages of Organizational Change
Organizational change is an essential part of today’s globalized work life. In modern’s economy, teams and organisations face rapid change like never before. Globalization has not only boosted the markets and opportunities for more development and profit, it also provides opportunities for organisational members to process. However, in general, change processes make demands on both employees and management, regardless of the content of the change process. Facing of the tide of globalization, one of the dominant disputes that human resource professional’s face is what method to improve organizational competitive advantage in the hastily changing environment. Organisational change come about multiple reasons, it is undertaken to ameliorate the accomplishment of that particular organization or a portion of the organization, for instance, a process or team. For organisations to be able to prosper, it is essential for them to go through an important alteration at different sections during their growth. Significant organizational Continue reading
Learning Curve in an Organizational Context
A highly useful learning concept which is valid for a wide range of situation is the organizational learning curve, a diagrammatic presentation of the amount learned in relation to time. A typical learning curve will show on the Y-axis the amount learnt and the X-axis the passage of time. Characteristics of the Organizational Learning Curve Certain characteristics are common to all learning curves. One such feature is the initial spurt. At the beginning, it is natural that the rate of learning exhibits spurt. Usually, the graph levels off at some stage, indicating that maximum performance has been achieved. Apparently at the beginning of the learning process, the subject is highly motivated and seems to exhibit a significant surge of effort. Many experienced trainers exploit this initial spurt by selecting the most important items to be communicated and presenting them as a package to the students at the beginning of the Continue reading
Unitary Perspective of Industrial Relations
The Unitary perspective of industrial relations views the organisation as a team ‘unified by a common purpose’, namely the success of the organisation. This perspective views all the people in the organisation as part of one big team. Unitarists view everyone within the organisation as part of one team with one loyalty structure. This immediately says that there are no barriers between different groups and departments which could lead to poor communication and animosity, which would go against the notion of common values and common goals as that would not be advantageous to the common goal, of the success of the organisation. The set of common goals and values that are put in place are there to try to create and maintain the order within the organisation, the ‘common’ set of values and goals are important so that all of the employees are working in unison. This is important as Continue reading