Chapter Glossary

Chapter 11 Basic Elements of Organizing


ORGANIZING Deciding how best to group organizational activities and resources

ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE The set of elements that can be used to configure an organization

JOB DESIGN The determination of an individual's work-related responsibilities

JOB SPECIALIZATION The degree to which the overall task of the organization is broken down and divided into smaller component parts

JOB ROTATION An alternative to job specialization that involves systematically moving employees from one job to another

JOB ENLARGEMENT An alternative to job specialization that involves giving the employee more tasks to perform

JOB ENRICHMENT An alternative to job specialization that involves increasing both the number of tasks the worker does and the control the worker has over the job

JOB CHARACTERISTIC APPROACH An alternative to job specialization that suggests that jobs should be diagnosed and improved along five core dimensions, taking into account both the work system and employee preferences

WORK TEAM An alternative to job specialization that allows an entire group to design the work system it will use to perform an interrelated set of tasks

DEPARTMENTALIZATION The process of grouping jobs according to some logical arrangement

FUNCTIONAL DEPARTMENTALIZATION Grouping jobs involving the same or similar activities

PRODUCT DEPARTMENTALIZATION Grouping activities around products or product groups

CUSTOMER DEPARTMENTALIZATION Grouping activities to respond to and interact with specific customers or customer groups

LOCATION DEPARTMENTALIZATION Grouping jobs on the basis of defined geographic sites or areas

CHAIN OF COMMAND A clear and distinct line of authority among the positions in an organization

SPAN OF MANAGEMENT The number of people who report to a particular manager

AUTHORITY Power that has been legitimized by the organization

DELEGATION The process by which a manager assigns a portion of his or her total workload to others

DECENTRALIZATION The process of systematically delegating power and authority throughout the organization to middle and lower-level managers

CENTRALIZATION The process of systematically retaining power and authority in the hands of higher-level managers

COORDINATION The process of linking the activities of the various departments of the organization

POOLED INTERDEPENDENCE When units operate with little interactions, their output is simply pooled.

SEQUENTIAL INTERDEPENDENCE when the output of one unit becomes the input of another in sequential fashion.

RECIPROCAL INTERDEPENDENCE when activities flow both ways between units.

LINE POSITION A position in the direct chain of command that is responsible for the achievement of an organization's goals

STAFF POSITION A position Intended to provide expertise, advice, and support for line positions

ADMINISTRATIVE INTENSITY The degree to which managerial positions are concentrated in staff positions