Things to consider when deciding on org structure:
Rules, processes and tasks
Division and specialism of labour
Allocation of duties and responsibility
Relationships between centre, depts.
and/or field offices for control purposes
Communication limitations
Configuration in terms of size, function,
clients, place, knowledge & skills
Vertical & horizontal integration
Co-ordination
Organisational Types:
Mintzberg
Each represents
the 'pull' exerted
from the org
from people
employed within it &
their motivations
and aspirations
from the
organisation
itself
Structure should:
Be sympathetic to size and type of organsation
Be sensitive to product/service being produced
Have a management & leadership style that suits config/activities
Have appropriate amount of stystems, procedures, rules & conditions
Reflect most appropriate distribution of power
Enable smart & quick decision making
Give a sense of responsibility & achievement
Entrepreneurial
Nota:
Simple, flat structure. Usually has 1/2 top managers, unstructured, informal. Predominantly found in start ups or owner-managed orgs. Successful when org is relatively small
Machine/Bureaucratic
Nota:
Very formal structure, rigorous processes/systems & vertical hierarchy. Decision making centralised & often by management teams/committees. Functional teams identified, jobs clearly defined. Traditional UK pub sector.
Professional
Nota:
Highly bureaucratic, decisions made by senior partners/directors (professional knowledge). Resistant to change. Typical in accountancy/law professions.
Divisional
Nota:
Relies on centralised decisions made by a Head Office but has operational units remote from the centre. Usually Head Office will accommodate the support functions, with the operational units located regionally.
Innovative
Nota:
Based on projects & project leaders, with employees typically moving from team to team as projects are developed & new ones begin. Respond quickly to change, relying on no of decision makers.
Missionary
Nota:
Runs on value sets and common beliefs shared & controlled by members of the org. No formal hierarchy
Political
Nota:
Structure based on alliances and internal politics. No controls.
e.g. marketing companies
e.g. Scottish Fire/Police
e.g. accountancy/law
e.g. traditional public sector
e.g. start ups
Types of Culture:
Handy
Power culture
Nota:
Concentrates power among small group or central figure whose control radiates from centre like a web. Few rules & little bureaucracy, so swift decisions can be made.
Role culture
Nota:
Authorities are delegated within a highly defined structure. Hierarchical bureaucracies where power derives from personal position & rarely from an expert power. Control is by highly valued procedures, strict role descriptions & authority definitions.
Task culture
Nota:
Power derived from team's expertise. Teams small & specialism valued. Usually exists within a matrix structure.
People culture
Nota:
Formed when all individuals believe themselves to be superior to the org as a whole. May be successful in partnerships where each partner brings their own specialism.
Cultural Web:
Paradigm
Controls
Structure
Power
Symbols
Stories and myths
Rituals/Routine
Johnson
Centralisation vs Decentralisation
Centralisation: A hierarchy, 2
players with unequal power
Advantages:
Easier implementation of common policy for the organisation as a whole
Prevention of sub-units becoming too independent
Easier co-ordination
Improving economies of scale & reduction in overhead costs
Greater use of specialisation
Improved decision-making, which might be slower
Uniform & equitable
treatment of clients
Decentralisation: Lateral relationship,
2 players with roughly equal power
Benefits:
Devolution powerful to promote/implement change
Managers more in control of achieving outcomes
Managers more familiar with corporate management issues
Managers more scope to determine level/type of service delivery
Managers can be more responsive to stakeholders
Opportunities for inc job satisfaction
Managers have opp to acquire new skills
Costs:
Loss of quality & inc inconsistency
Loss of purchasing power & other economies of scale
Duplication of tasks or functions
Reduction in no of people skilled in providing corp services
Diminution of expertise
Loss of corporate identity
Current trends:
From centralised
management to
local management
of service provision
Direct hierarchical
control to arm's
length regulation
A smaller no of large
hierarchies to more
complex network of
organisations
Being state owned
& run to being
characterised by a
contracting out of
services
A unified service
to a splitting of
roles between
purchaser &
provider
Coalition Decentralisation & Localism Bill
1. Lift the burden on bureaucracy
2. Empower communities to do things their way
3. Increase local control of public finance
4. Diversify the supply of public services
5. Open up govt to public scrutiny
6. Strengthen accountability to local people
Final two enable local people
to take complete control over
decentralisation
Next two provide
resources & freedom of
choice to sustain progress
First two
most
fundamental
Can't begin without them
Localism
Localism Act 2011:
New freedom & flexibilities for LG
Nota:
Gives LA formal & legal ability & greater confidence to get on with the job of responding to what local people want, cuts red tape and encourages a new generation of powerful leaders, strengthening local democracy & boosting economic growth
New rights & powers for local communities
Nota:
Easier for local people to take over the amenities they love & keep them local, ensures local soc ent & volunteers get a chance to change things, and enables local residents to call LA to account for management of money.
Reform to make planning system clearer, more democratic & more effective
Nota:
Places significantly more influence in the hands of local people over issues, provides support & recognition to communities, reduces red tape, reinforces democratic nature of planning system-passing power to democratically accountable ministers
Reform to ensure that decisions about housing are taken locally
Nota:
Enables LAs to make own decisions to adapt housing provision to local need, gives LA more control over funding of social housing, gives people who live in social housing new ways of holding landlords to account
Double Devolution
Passing power from CG to LG, &
from LG to local communities
Strategic Alliances
Rely on each party to trust the other & to believe in mutual benefit
Rely on leader's ability to influence, negotiate, mediate & take risks
Requires the leader to ensure that alliance is fit for
purpose & recognise when change is needed