Organisation structure and relationship

ORGANISATION STRUCTURE
AND RELATIONSHIP

ABSTRACT
To understand how an organisational structure is an interesting fundamental
challenge in the area of organisationbehavior. In this report,we study about
organisation, different types of structure of an organisation , representation of
an organisation’s structure via organization charts and different types of
organisational relationships. Organisational structureprovides a structure of
(interlevel) relationships between these multiple sets of dynamicproperties.
Thus organisational structure is reflected in formalisation of the dynamics of
organisationalbehaviour.
As an illustration,we have also added questionnaire depicting the organisational
relationship and structure in ICICI bank.

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

3

ORGANISATION-DEFINITIONS

5

ADVANTAGES OF ORGANISATION
CLASSICAL THEORY OF ORGANISATION

8
9

CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE CLASSICAL THEORY OF
ORGANISATION

10

RELEVANCE

11

NEO-CLASSICAL THEORY OF ORGANISATION

12

MODERN THEORY OF ORGANISATION

14

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

16

PRINCIPLES OF FORMAL ORGANISATION

17

METHODS TO FIND OUT WHAT STRUCTURE IS NEEDED

19

ORGANISATIONAL CHART

20

Definition of Organisation Chart

20

Features of Organisation Chart

21

Advantages of Organisational Chart

21

Limitations of Organisational Chart

21

TYPES OF ORGANISATION CHART

22

Divisional organizational chart 22
3

Hierarchical organisational chart:

23

Matrix organisational chart

24

Flat or Horizontal

25

Line or Direct

26

Functional Organizational Chart

27

Line and Staff Organizational Chart

28

Committee Organizational Chart

28

DEPARTMENTATION

30

Common Bases For Departmentation

30

Need and importance of departmentation

31

PATTERNS OF DEPARTMENTATION
Functional Departmentation: 33
Products
Territories
Customers
Process or Equipment Departmentation
Time Departmentation
Composite or Combined Departmentation Departmentation

32

SPAN OF MANAGEMENT

34
35
36
37
38
38
39

Theoretical considerations

41

Factors determining the span of management:

42

FUTURE ORGANISATION

43

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

45

LINE ORGANIZATION:-

45

STAFF ORGANIZATION:-

48
4

LINE AND STAFF ORGANIZATION-

49

FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION

54

COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION-

57

AUDIT RELATIONSHIP:

58

Design of Questionnaire

60

RESULTANT FINDINGS

62

FINDINGS

64

CONCLUSION

67

BIBLIOGRAPHY

68

5

ORGANISATION-DEFINITIONS
An organisation is a social entity that has a collective goal and is linked to an external
environment. The word is derived from the Greek word organon, which is derived from the
better-known word ergon which means "organ" – a compartment for a particular
task.According to Mooney and Reily, "Organisation is the form of every human association
for the attainment of a common purpose."
Organisation is related with developing a frame work where the total work is divided into
manageable components in order to facilitate the achievement of objectives or goals.An
organization is defined by the elements that are part of it (who belongs to the organization
and who does not), its communication (which elements communicate and how do they
communicate), its autonomy (the changes that are executed autonomously by the
organization or its elements), and its rules of action compared to outside events (the factors
that cause an organization to act as a collective actor). By coordinated and planned
cooperation of these elements, the organization is able to solve tasks that lie beyond the
abilities of the individual elements. The price paid by the elements is the limitation of the
degrees of freedom of the same. Advantages of organizations are enhancement (more of
the same features), addition (combination of different features) and extension. The
disadvantages could be inertness (through co-ordination) and the loss of interaction.
In the social sciences, organizations are the object of analysis for a number of disciplines,
such as sociology, economics, political science, psychology, management, and organizational
communication. The broader analysis of organizations is commonly referred to as
organizational structure, organizational studies, organizational behaviour, or organizational
analysis.
Every discipline derives its own meaning of organisation.In the social and political sciences
in general, an "organization" may be more loosely understood as the planned, coordinated
and purposeful action of human beings working through collective action to reach a
common goal or construct a tangible product. This action is usually framed by formal
membership and form i.e. institutional rules. Sociology distinguishes the term organization
into planned formal and unplanned informal i.e. spontaneously formed organizations.
Sociology analyses organizations in the first line from an institutional perspective. In this
sense, organization is a permanent arrangement of elements. These elements and their
actions are determined by rules so that a certain task can be fulfilled through a system of
coordinated division of labour. From an institutional perspective, an organization is viewed
as a purposeful structure within a social context.
Economic approaches to organizations take the division of labour as the starting point. The
division of labour allows for economies of specialization. Increasing specialization
necessitates coordination. From an economic point of view, markets and organizations are
alternative coordination mechanisms for the execution of transactions.
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Like 'management', the term 'organisation' has also been used in a number of ways. Broadly
speaking, the term 'organisation' is used in four different senses: as a process, as a structure
of relationship, as a group of persons and as a system, as given below:
Organisation as a Process: In this first category, organisation is treated as a dynamic process
and a managerial activity which is essential for planning the utilization of the company's
resources, plant and equipment, money and people to accomplish the various objectives.
Organisation as a Framework of Relationship: In the second category, organisation refers
to the structure of relationships and the positions or jobs which are created to attain certain
objectives. The definitions of Henry, Urwick, Farland, Northcourt, Lansburgh and Spriegel
Breach, Davis, Mooney and Reily etc., come under this group.
Organisation as a Group of persons: Under this an organisation is very often viewed as a
group of people contributing their efforts towards certain goals. An organisation begins
when people combine their efforts for some common purpose. It is a universal truth that an
individual is unable to fully utilise all resources by himself. According to Chester I. Barnard,
"Organisation is a system of co-operative activities of two or more persons."
Organisation as a System: In the fourth category, the organisation is viewed as a system.
System concepts recognize that organizations are made up of components each of which
has unique properties, capabilities and mutual relationships. The constituent elements of a
system are linked together in such complex ways that actions taken by one producer have
far reaching effect on others.
Thus an organisation is defined in a variety of ways which depends on the scholar defining it
and the discipline for which it is being defined. There are some features however that
remains constant in all these definitions. Some of these are the objective of an organisation,
assignment of duties and creating an authority relationship. It is the existence of these
features that make the study of organisations imperative.

7

ADVANTAGES OF ORGANISATION
The well-known industrialist of U.S.A. late Andrew Carnegie, showed his confidence in
organisation by uttering the following words, "Take away our factories, take away our trade,
our avenues of transportation, our money, leave nothing but our organisation, and in four
years, we shall re-established ourselves." Since ages and in every walk of life, organisation
has been playing a vital role. The significance or main advantages of organisation are as
follows:
Facilitates Administration and management: Organisation is an important and the only tool
to achieve enterprise goals set by administration and explained by management.A sound
organisation increases efficiency, avoids delay and duplication of work, increases managerial
efficiency, increases promptness, motivates employees to perform their responsibility.
Helps in the Growth of Enterprise: Good organisation is helpful to the growth, expansion
and diversifications of the enterprise.
Ensures Optimum Use of Human Resources:Good organisation endows people with
different interests, skills, knowledge and viewpoints.
Stimulates Creativity: A sound and well-conceived organisation structure is the source of
creative thinking and initiation of new ideas.
Tool for Achieving Objectives: Organisation is a vital tool in the hands of the management
for achieving set objectives of the business enterprise.
Prevents Corruption: Usually corruption exists in those enterprises which lack sound
organisation. Sound organization prevents corruption by raising the morale of employees.
They are motivated to work with greater efficiency, honesty and devotion.
Co-ordination in Enterprises: Different jobs and positions are welded together by structural
relationship of the organisation. The organizational process exerts its due and balanced
emphasis on the co-ordination of various activities.
Eliminates Overlapping and Duplication or work: Over lapping and duplication of work
exists when the work distribution is not clearly identified and the work is performed in a
haphazard and disorganized way. Since a good organisation demands that the duties be
clearly assigned amongst workers, such overlapping and duplication is totally eliminated.

8

CLASSICAL THEORY OF ORGANISATION
The classical theory of organization has withheld the test of many upheavals in the changes
that have accrued in the management of organizations. The modern organizations in the
private as well as in the public sector are facing an environment which does not seem to be
conducive to their structure that is based on the principles of the classical theory of
organizations. The classical school of organization pursued the development of universal
principles that would apply to all organizations in all situations. The classical theorists
conceived of organizations as mechanical devices to achieve an organization's goals and
objectives. The era of classical theory of organization covers the period from 1900's to mid1930s.It is during this period that the classical theories of organization began to emerge. The
important pioneers among them are F.W. Taylor, Henri Fayol, Max Weber, and Mary Parker
Follett.
The classical theory is based on the following three assumptions:
1. The relationship between employees and management is defined by means of a formal
structured communication process, defined tasks and accountability and formalized
procedures and practices to avoid any conflict in their relationship.
2. Workers have been assumed to be in the form of an “economic man” who can be
motivated by means of money only.
3. The third assumption is that workers have been considered to be a factor of production
or as a cog in the wheel.
The classical theories of organization were structured by the scholars with certain objectives
in mind. Henry Fayol, a French engineer-cum-manager in Europe who is generally
considered to be the founder and father of the classical school of organization initiated the
administrative theory of management. He analysed the process of management in terms of
the technical ability which is more pronounced in the lower and middle levels of
management whereas managerial ability is more important in the higher levels of
management. He considered sound management practices to be a cohesive doctrine of
management, one that retains its utility even in the present theoretical frameworks of
organization. Fayol insisted that management should be considered as a skill like any other
one that could be taught once its underlying principles were understood. In 1916, Fayol in
his world renowned book "General and Industrial Management described a number of
management/organization principles with can be analysed in terms of (i) human relations,
(ii) production efficiency, and (iii) administration. These three principles again can be divided
into fourteen principles of organization.

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CRITICALEVALUATION OF THE CLASSICAL THEORY OF
ORGANISATION
Classical theorists view organization as a closed system influenced only by certain
immutable laws in its design and management. For the most part, people have not been
considered important elements of production but rather a cog in the whole process of
production and management. Thus it suffers from superficiality, over simplification and lack
of realism. Its scholars have confined themselves closely to the mechanism of authority,
whether real or ideal, and have failed to address other equally important factors affecting
the performance of the organization.
It has been observed, that there are several characteristics which may impede rather than
aid the achievement of efficiency. Excessive hierarchy, over-developed specialization,
promotion by seniority, and rigid adherence to rules could cause “bureau-pathological
behaviour one of the fundamental problems with the classical theory of organization is that
it does talk of a certain aspect of human behaviour but the importance given to it is almost
negligible. The criticism by the behaviourists was that that the classical pioneers totally
ignored the behavioural dimension of organization and oversimplified the mechanistic
assumption for the smooth running of organizations, ignoring all the complexities of human
behaviour at work i.e. the social, psychological, and motivational aspect of human
behaviour. Thus the focus of classical theory is on "organization without people".
It has been said that specialization, as visualized by Max Weber, creates sub unit conflicts.
Functional sub unit goals can override the goals of the organization. The other major
weakness is obsessive concern over following rules. The specialization of labour often
inhibits effective communication among technical workers and specialists. In addition the
rules, regulations, and procedures generally encourage managers to act mechanically rather
than exercising discretion and taking initiative in making decisions. This often results in
resistance to change and innovation.
Taylor's principles are basically confined to production management. He ignored certain
essential aspects of management like finance, accounting, marketing, consumer behaviour,
which are an integral part of business management. Scientific management firmly believes
in economic incentives and sanctions as a means to improving productivity. However
concepts like job satisfaction, participative management, and the job itself have become
important elements in increasing productivity. However the Classical theory still plays an
important role in organisational theory and the reasons for that would be explained
subsequently.

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RELEVANCE
The benefits of the classical theory of organisations are given as follows:
Hierarchical Structure
One of the advantages of the classical management structure is a clear organizational
hierarchy with three distinct management levels. Each management group has its own
objectives and responsibilities. The top management is usually the board of directors or the
chief executives who are responsible for the long-term goals of the organization. Middle
management oversees the supervisors, setting department goals according to the approved
budget. At the lowest level are the supervisors who oversee day-to-day activities, address
employee issues and provide employee training. The levels of leadership and responsibilities
are clear and well defined. While the three-level structure may not be suitable for all small
businesses, it can benefit those that are expanding.
Division of Labour
One of the advantages of the classical management approach is the division of labour.
Projects are broken down into smaller tasks that are easy to complete. Employees'
responsibilities and expectations are clearly defined. This approach allows workers to
narrow their field of expertise and to specialize in one area. The division of labour approach
leads to increased productivity and higher efficiency, as workers are not expected to
multitask. Small-businesses owners can benefit from taking this approach if they are looking
to increase production with minimal expense.
Monetary Incentive
According to classical management theory, employees should be motivated by monetary
rewards. In other words, they will work harder and become more productive if they have an
incentive to look forward to. This gives management easier control over the workforce.
Employees feel appreciated when being rewarded for hard work. A small-business owner
can take this approach to motivate the employees to achieve production goals.
Autocratic Leadership
The autocratic leadership approach is the central part of classical management theory. It
states that an organization should have a single leader to make decisions, to organize and
direct the employees. All decisions are made at the top level and communicated down. The
autocratic leadership approach is beneficial in instances when small-business decisions need
to be made quickly by a leader, without having to consult with a large group of people, such
a board of directors. Small businesses, especially sole proprietorships, can have an
advantage in taking this approach, as they need a strong leader to grow.

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NEO-CLASSICAL THEORY OF ORGANISATION
Previous theoretical models had made considerable efforts to ensure that the employee
would enhance the output of the organisation. With the introduction of the human relations
movement by Elton Mayo in 1933, focus was shifted to the study of the individual in the
organization. The human relations movement focused on social factors, such as treatment
by management and relationships among colleagues, and not economic factors, as the
driving force behind human behaviour in an organization. Mayo based much of his work on
the results of the famous Hawthorne studies of 1927. The Hawthorne research team worked
to determine the ideal conditions to bring productivity to capacity level. This end was
approached through series of trials in which the level of lighting in the factory work area
was adjusted. The research collected during these studies suggested that the attention of
the research team, the relationships of the employees, and employee motivation, rather
than an ideal work condition (e.g., lighting, comfort, temperature), altered the observed
level of work performance (Roethlisberger and Dickson 1939).McGregor's work was also
one of the seminal contributions to understanding the role of psychological variables in the
effective functioning and design of an organization. McGregor argued that the classical view
of human nature as lazy and unambitious, contradicted actual human nature, which is such
that individuals seek out responsibility and have an innate desire to achieve success.
McGregor's Theory is indicative of the neoclassical approach to organizational design and
management. It encourages managers to place decision-making capabilities with their
subordinates, empowering them to become personally involved in the organization's goals
by increasing their participation level (McGregor1960). This idea of decentralizing authority
within the organizational structure is the key contribution of the neoclassical approach,
which emphasizes employee satisfaction as integral to the organization's success.
The neoclassical organizational theorists of the early to mid- 19th century protested classical
organizational theory without really offering solutions. They could see that current theory
wasn’t working and sounded the alarm. In 1946, Herbert Simon launched an all-out attack
on classical principles of management published by Fayol, Gulick and others. Simon asserted
that the so-called principles of management were more like proverbs, which could be
applied with equal validity to opposite circumstances.
Specialization, for example, can cause as many, or more, problems in an organization as it
solves. Two years later, Peter Selznick published his article, Foundations of the Theory of
Organization in the American Sociological Review. Selznick approaches the organization
from the viewpoint of a sociologist, rather than a management or business specialist,
asserting that an organization probably would not behave the way it ought, because it is
composed of people with motivations and goals that not necessarily aligned with those of
the organization. He also says that an organization can be looked at either as an economy,
or an adaptive social structure. To look at the organization as an economy is scientific and
measurable, while an adaptive social structure leans toward the non-exact
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behaviouralsciences. Because of the type of thinking that had dominated science for the
previous several hundred years, it was thought that the laws governing behaviour could be
measured and known, in the same the way we had come to know the laws of gravity and
energy.
Selznick proposes that to maintain a system, these imperatives can be applied:
1. The security of the organization as a whole in relation social forces in its
environment. How the people within and outside the system get along with each
other and what effect that has on the system.
2. The stability of the lines of authority and communication. How much control the
leaders have over the ranks.
3. The stability of informal relations within the organization. How well people get along
within the organization and how that can be used to control them.
4. The continuity of policy and the source of its determination. Arbitrary or
unpredictable changes in policy undermine the stability of the organization.
5. Homogeneity of outlook with respect to the meaning and role of the organization. “If
you’re not with us, you’re against us”.
The three major ideas in Selznick’s theory of organization are; organizations as cooperative,
adaptive social systems; the conflict of personal and organizational goals and needs; and
controlling conflict for the good of the organization. He was also the first to talk about cooptation, which is a method of protecting the organization and its mission by inviting
threatening elements into the policy making process.
While the neo-classicists shook the foundation of organizational theory, they pointed out its
shortcomings without offering solutions. These theorists were the first to consider people
within an organization as autonomous beings outside governable scientific laws. The reality
that behavioural science might be considered an oxymoron was dawning on these neoclassicist theorists. It was possible that men might have different motives and values than
those held by the organization, and the conflict of those must be addressed.
The classical theorists could predict how a system ought to behave, and under certain
economical and societal conditions it did behave that way. As the standard of living went up
and America experienced peace, or at least national security, men and women became less
controllable aspects of the organization. The work force was growing with the addition of
women and minorities. Unions were gaining power as they protected the rights of workers.
Einstein and Heisenburg destroyed the idea that we could know anything for certain. The
very fact that we observe a system might cause it to behave differently. While they
didn’tseem to have the answers yet, Simon, Selznick, and their contemporaries laid the
foundation for current organizational theory to build on.
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MODERN THEORY OF ORGANISATION
Traditional theories regarded organizations as closed systems that were autonomous and
isolated from the outside world. In the 1960s, however, more holistic and humanistic
ideologies emerged. Recognizing that traditional theory had failed to take into account
many environmental influences that impacted the efficiency of organizations, most theorists
and researchers embraced an open-systems view of organizations.This is also known as the
Open Systems Theory.
The term "open systems" reflected the newfound belief that all organizations are unique—
in part because of the unique environment in which they operate—and that they should be
structured to accommodate unique problems and opportunities. For example, research
during the 1960s indicated that traditional bureaucratic organizations generally failed to
succeed in environments where technologies or markets were rapidly changing. They also
failed to realize the importance of regional cultural influences in motivating workers.
Environmental influences that affect open systems can be described as either specific or
general. The specific environment refers to the network of suppliers, distributors,
government agencies, and competitors with which a business enterprise interacts. The
general environment encompasses four influences that emanate from the geographic area
in which the organization operates. These are:
Cultural values, which shape views about ethics and determine the relative
importance of various issues.
Economic conditions,which include economic upswings, recessions, regional
unemployment, and many other regional factors that affect a company's ability to
grow &prosper. Economic influences also partially dictate organization's role in the
economy.
Legal/political environment, which effectively helps to allocate power within a
society and to enforce laws. The legal and political systems in which an open system
operates can play a key role in determining the long-term stability and security of
the organization's future. These systems are responsible for creating a fertile
environment for the business community, but they are also responsible for
ensuring—via regulations pertaining to operation and taxation—that the needs of
the larger community are addressed.
Quality of education, which is an important factor in high technology and other
industries that require an educated work force. Businesses will be better able to fill
such positions if they operate in geographic regions that feature a strong education
system.
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The open-systems theory also assumes that all large organizations are comprised of
multiple subsystems, each of which receives inputs from other subsystems and turns
them into outputs for use by other subsystems. The subsystems are not necessarily
represented by departments in an organization, but might instead resemble patterns of
activity.

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ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
An organizational structure consists of activities such as task allocation, coordination and
supervision, which are directed towards the achievement of organizational aims. It can also
be considered as the viewing glass or perspective through which individuals see their
organization and its environment. Organizational structure allows the expressed allocation
of responsibilities for different functions and processes to different entities such as
the branch, department, workgroup and individual.
Organizations are a variant of clustered entities .An organization can be structured in many
different ways, depending on their objectives. The structure of an organization will
determine the modes in which it operates and performs.
Organizational structure affects organizational action in two big ways. First, it provides the
foundation on which standard operating procedures and routines rest. Second, it
determines which individuals get to participate in which decision-making processes, and
thus to what extent their views shape the organization’s actions. Organizational structures
developed from the ancient times of hunters and collectors in tribal organizations through
highly royal and clerical power structures to industrial structures and today's post-industrial
structures.As pointed out by Mohr (1982), the early theorists of organizational structure,
Taylor, Fayol, and Weber "saw the importance of structure for effectiveness and efficiency
and assumed without the slightest question that whatever structure was needed, people
could fashion accordingly. Organizational structure was considered a matter of choice...
When in the 1930s, the rebellion began that came to be known as human relations theory,
there was still not a denial of the idea of structure as an artefact , but rather an advocacy of
the creation of a different sort of structure, one in which the needs, knowledge, and
opinions of employees might be given greater recognition." In the 21st century,
organizational theorists such as Lim, Griffiths, and Sambrook (2010) are once again
proposing that organizational structure development is very much dependent on the
expression of the strategies and behaviour of the management and the workers as
constrained by the power distribution between them, and influenced by their environment
and the outcome.
The structure defined how the roles, power and responsibilities are assigned, controlled,
and coordinated, and how information flows between the different levels of management.A
structure depends on the organization's objectives and strategy. In a centralized structure,
the top layer of management has most of the decision making power and has
tight control over departments and divisions. In a decentralized structure, the decision
making power is distributed and the departments and divisions may have
different degrees of independence. A company such as Proctor & Gamble that sells multiple
products may organize their structure so that groups are divided according to each product
and depending on geographical area as well.

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PRINCIPLES OF FORMAL ORGANISATION
The basic principles of a formal organisation are as follows:
1. Unity of objective-An organisation structure is sound when it facilitates the
accomplishment of objectives. Therefore, the organisation as a whole and every part of it
must be geared to the basic objectives of the enterprise.
2. Specialisation or division of work-The activities of every member of the organisation
should be confined, as far as possible, to the performance of a single function.
3. Span of control-Every manager should have a limited number of sub ordinates reporting
to him directly. Generally, the span should be narrow for complex work and wide for simple
and routine work. Span should be neither too wide nor too narrow.
4. Scalar principle-There should be a clear chain of command extending from top to
the bottom of the organisation. Every subordinate should know who his superior is and who
his subordinates are.
5. Functional definition-The duties (functions), authority and responsibility of every position
should be clearly defined so as to avoid duplication of work and overlapping of functions.
6. Exception principle-Only exceptional matters which are beyond the authority of lower
level persons should be referred to higher levels. Routine matters should be dealt with by
executives at lower levels. This is also known as Authority Level principle.
7. Unity of command-Each subordinate should have only one superior whose command he
has to obey. This is necessary to ensure discipline and to fix responsibility for results.
8. Balance-A proper balance between centralisation and decentralisation should be kept.
Each function in the organisation should be developed to the point at which the value
received is at least equal to costs.
9. Efficiency-The organisation structure should facilitate the achievements of objectives at
minimum possible cost. It should permit the optimum use of resources.
10. Flexibility-The organisation structure should be adaptable enough to accommodate
technical and other changes in the environment. Therefore, complicated procedures, red
tape and complexity of control should be avoided. At the same time, the organisation
structure should be reasonably stable so as to withstand changes.
11. Continuity-Proper arrangements should be made for the training and development
of executives.

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12. Facilitation of leadership-Organisation structure should be so devised that there is
enough opportunity for the management to give effective leadership to the enterprise.
13.Parity of authority and responsibility-In every position, the authority and responsibility
should correspond. Adequate authority should be delegated to all levels and wherever
authority is delegated the person should be held responsible.
14.Coordination-The organisation structure should facilitate unity of effort and coordination among different individuals and groups. Channels of communication should be
open and clear.
Thus these are the pillars on which a formal organisation is built.

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METHODS TO FIND OUT WHAT STRUCTURE IS
NEEDED
Peter F. Drucker suggested three ways of discovering the kind of structure needed to attain
objectives of business
Activities analysis
Decision analysis
Relations analysis
Activities analysisIt is necessary to find out what activities are needed to attain the objectivesof the enterprise
before an organization structure is devised for it. The activities may be identified and listed
in their order of importance. Then the whole work is to be divided and sub-divided into
smaller homogenous and manageable units for assignment to persons working in the
organization. This process leads to standardization, division of labour and specialization.
Decision analysisThe decision analysis is another method to find out what structure is needed. This involves
two steps. They are
1. To identify major decisions which are needed to obtain the performance necessary to
attain the business objectives; and
2. To classify the decisions according to type and character.
The decision-making powers are entrusted to various people in the organization. The
authority of decision-making may be spread out so much that all units are almost
independent of each other.
Relations analysisThe relations analysis tells us the formal relationship of a manager with his superiors,
subordinates and other managers of equal rank. Thus, relationships have to be studied from
three angles- upward downward and sideways.

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ORGANISATIONAL CHART
Organisation structure of a company can be shown in a chart. Such chart indicates how
different departments are interlinked on the basis of authority and responsibility. It is a
simple diagrammatic method of describing an organisation structure. It indicates how the
departments are linked together on the basis of authority and responsibility. Such
organisation chart provides information of the organisation structure at a glance.
Organisation chart is like a blue print of a building. It indicates the number and types of
departments, superior-subordinate relationship, chain of command and communication.

Definition of Organisation Chart
According to George Terry, Organisation chart is "a diagrammatical form which shows
important aspects of an Organisation, including the major functions and their respective
relationships, the channels of supervision and the relative authority of each employee who is
in-charge of each respective function".

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Features of Organisation Chart
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Organisation chart is a diagrammatical presentation.
It represents the formal Organisation structure.
It shows the lines of authority in the Organisation.
It indicates the channel of communication.
It indicates who supervises whom and how various units are inter-related.

Advantages of Organisational Chart
1. Brings clarity to the Organisation: The very process of preparing a chart makes the
executive think more clearly about the Organisation relationships.
2. Provides dear picture of the Organisation: Once the charts are prepared, they
provide lot of information about the Organisation, both to the members of the
Organisation as well as to the outsiders. This information relates to number and
types of departments, superior subordinate relationships, chain of command and
communication and job titles of each employee.
3. Facilitates training of employees: Organisation charts are useful in familiarizing and
training new employees.
4. Ensures organizational changes: Organisation charts provide a starting point for
planning organizational changes after having discovered the weaknesses of the
existing structure.
5. Provides quick understanding: A chart serves as a better method of visualizing an
Organisation than a lengthy written description of it.
Limitations of Organisational Chart
1. Details are not provided: The Organisation chart does not provide all the details of
Organisation structure created. For example, the chart will show the line of authority
but not the extent of authority.
2. Informal relationship is not shown:The chart fails to give details of informal
relationship available in a firm. In fact, human relationships cannot be shown on a
chart.
3. Updated position is not available:The chart shows the position of Organisation
structure when it was formed. It gives a static picture of the Organisation. Changes
made thereafter may not be available in such charts.
4. Fosters buck-passing:The charts tend to foster 'buck-passing' and emphasize only
formal channels of communication.
5. Lacks flexibility:Organisation chart lacks an element of flexibility. Such chart also
brings an element of rigidity in the working of an Organisation.
6. Creates rank consciousness:An Organisation chart leads to rank consciousness
among the staff. It destroys team spirit and collective approach on the part of the
staff.

21

TYPES OF ORGANISATION CHART
1. Divisional organizational chart marks off the organizational structure according to
the specific demands of products, markets or customers in their specific business
environment. Therefore, each division often has all the necessary resources and
functions within it to satisfy the demands based on the working of an
organization.You can divide the organizational chart by product line, geographic area
or marketing area. Staffs with similar skills are placed in different divisions.

22

2. Hierarchical: In Hierarchical organization chart the organization is divided in to
different levels where the line of command follows downwards from the top level to
the bottom or the lower level.The hierarchical organizations charts work best in
stable environments that do not require rapid change of strategy or in organizations
that provide multiple services or products.
A hierarchy is typically visualized as a pyramid, where the height of the ranking or
person depicts their power status and the width of that level represents how many
people or business divisions are at that level relative to the whole—the highestranking people are at the apex, and there are very few of them; the base may
include thousands of people who have no subordinates). These hierarchies are
typically depicted with a tree or trianglediagram, creating an organizational chart or
organigram. Those nearest the top have more power than those nearest the bottom,
and there being fewer people at the top then at the bottom. As a result, superiors in
a hierarchy generally have higher status and command greater rewards than their
subordinates.
Members of hierarchical organizational structures chiefly communicate with their
immediate superior and with their immediate subordinates. Structuring
organizations in this way is useful partly because it can reduce the communication
overhead by limiting information flow; this is also its major limitation

23

3. Matrix organisational chart is a popular organizational chart that defines more
complex structures to emphasis efficiency, creativity and innovation. It uses to
describe the areas of communication on a matrix-shaped chart for smaller
companies.
A matrix structure involves no set divisions or departments. It focus on hierarchy
with multiple levels of communication responsibilities in a company. Employees may
develop their own projects and assemble a team to work on them. Or the company
may be organized around customers, with different groups assigned to different
customers.
Matrix organizational chart is more complex than traditional organizational charts
such
as functional
organizational
chart, divisional
organizational
chart and hierarchical organizational chart. However, the matrix organizational
structure allows for better understanding of organization structure where various
levels may answer to more than one department master. In organizations where
there are multiple departments that share authoritative responsibilities, a matrix
organizational chart is the most effective way to present

24

4. Flat or Horizontal: In Flat organizational chart there are few or no levels. It may
consist of only managers and the workers and this type of organizational charts are
possible only in small or individual unit organizations.
The flat organization model promotes employee involvement through a
decentralized decision-making process. By elevating the level of responsibility of
baseline employees and eliminating layers of middle management, comments and
feedback reach all personnel involved in decisions more quickly. Expected response
to customer feedback becomes more rapid. Since the interaction between workers is
more frequent, this organizational structure generally depends upon a much more
personal relationship between workers and managers. Hence the structure can be
more time-consuming to build than a traditional hierarchical model.

25

The chart also shows relationships between staff in the organization which can be:
Line - direct relationship between superior and subordinate.
Lateral - relationship between different departments on the same hierarchical level.
Staff - relationship between a managerial assistant and other areas. The assistant
will be able to offer advice to a line manager. However, they have no authority over
the line manager actions.
Functional - relationships between specialist positions and other areas. The
specialist will normally have authority to insist that a line manager implements any
of their instructions.

Line or Direct
The line organizational chart depicts a straight line of command. Authority is said to flow
downwards onlyin the line organization. The line organizational structure is found in schools
or in the military.

26

Functional Organizational Chart
The Functional organization chart is a diagram of an organization that is arranged by its
functions. For example, there is a manager in charge of marketing, and another in charge of
production. This type of organization has an advantage over the Line as experts are
appointed to run each department. All managers report to the General Manager.

The Functional organizational chart combines the straight line of command of the line
organization with horizontal dotted diagonal lines representing functional authority. The
dotted diagonal lines in the figure above show the authority that the Human Resource
Manager has over other departments. The Human Resource Manager is allowed authority in
these department over human resource matters only e.g. to hire and fire workers. He
therefore cannot give directives on production or marketing matters.

27

Line and Staff Organizational Chart

The Line and Staff organizational chart combines the line and functional organization with
the addition of staff personnel. Staff workers assist and advise line workers. Staff workers
include consultants, advisors, company lawyers, executive secretary, auxiliary workers etc.
Staff officers do not have authority, that is, the power to delegate tasks to subordinates in
the organization. Their main role is to advise and assist line officers. This is why there are no
vertical lines connecting staff officers to any other member of staff on the chart. They are
therefore, placed at the side directly below the line officer whom they assist or advise.
Committee Organizational Chart

Committees are advisory bodies. They are usually appointed to advise organizations.
Examples of committees include; parent teachers associations and student councils which
are committees within a school organization. Committees usually delegate certain duties to
sub-committees. For example, an executive committee may appoint a finance committee to
advise it on financial matters. Note that an element of the line organization exists in the
committee organization as all sub-committees are responsible to the executive committee.

28

Uses of Organisation Chart
1. An Organisation chart facilitates ready reference. It enables the management to find
out different positions of authority and their relationships in the Organisation
structure.
2. It provides proper guidance to managers in executing, their assignments and helps
them to avoid overlapping and duplication of work.
3. It provides complete information to understand the character of an Organisation.
4. An Organisation chart indicates ways to better utilisation of available manpower.
5. An organisation chart points out the consistencies and deficiencies of an
Organisation and enables the management to correct them.

There are several limitations of organizational charts:
If updated manually, organizational charts can very quickly become out-of-date,
especially in large organizations that change their staff regularly.
They only show 'formal relationships' and tell nothing of the pattern of human
(social) relationships which develop. They also often do not show horizontal
relationships.
They provide little information about the managerial style adopted (e.g. 'autocratic',
'democratic' or an intermediate style)
In some cases, an organigraph may be more appropriate, particularly if one wants to
show non-linear, non-hierarchical relationships in an organization.
It often does not include customers.

29

DEPARTMENTATION
The process of grouping of activities into units for the purpose of administration is called
departmentation. It can be defined "as the process by which activities or functions of
enterprise are grouped homogeneously into different groups."The administrative units are
called divisions, units or departments.
Common Bases ForDepartmentation
What organizations actually do is group people in a way that relates to the task they
perform. This still leaves a lot of possibilities. Here are six common bases for
departmentation:
1. Knowledge and Skill. People are grouped by what they know. For example, hospitals
have departments like Neurology, Allergy, Cardiology, Internal Medicine, GastroEnterology, etc.
2. Work Process. Workers are grouped based on the process or activity used by the
worker.For example, a manufacturing company may create separate casting, welding
and machining groups. Often, it is the underlying technology that determines the
departmentation. For example, a print shop may have separate letterpress and
offset departments-two different processes for getting the same outputs.
3. Business Function. Grouping by the basic function in the organization: purchase
supplies, raise capital, generate research, etc. This leads to the familiar departments
of manufacturing, marketing, engineering, finance, and so on.
4. Time. When work is done. For example, shifts in a factory or hospital or hotel.
5. Output. Grouping based on the products or services that the employee works on.
For example,a manufacturer may have different divisions for each of its product
lines.
6. Client. Grouping based on the type of clients their work is ultimately sold to. For
example, computer companies often have different sales departments for home,
small business, educational, government and large business customers.
7. Place. Groups are based on the geographical areas that they serve. For example,
during WW2, the US War Dept. was organized into 7 "theatres" corresponding to
regions of the world where the US was fighting. Similarly, Post Offices are often
divided by regions and zipcodes.
There are, however, two approaches to departmentation- top down and bottom-up
approaches.In the top-down approach, activities are divided step by step downward form
the chief executive's job to the operating jobs. In the bottom-up approach, the division of
activities is carried on in a reverse order.Starting form operating jobs, there arise sections
form combining some correlated jobs, departments from combining some sections and
finally the chief executive position form putting departments together. While the top-down
approach gives emphasis on co-ordination and managerial action, the bottom-up approach
gives emphasis on co-ordination and managerial action, the bottom-up approach focuses
attention on employee performance. Although the top-down approach is easy for
understanding the departmentation process, both the approaches are utilized in actual
practice.
30

Need and importance of departmentation
The basic purpose of departmentation is to make the size of each departmental unit
manage-able and to secure advantages of specialisation. Departmentation is necessary on
account of the following reasons:
1. Specialization: Departmentation enables an organisation to avail of the
benefits of specialization. When every department looks after one major function,
expertise is developedand efficiency of operations increases.
2. Expansion: One manager can supervise and direct only a few subordinates. Grouping
of activities and personnel into departments makes it possible for the enterprise to expand
andgrow. If there is no departmentation, the size of the organisation will be restricted to a manager’sspan
of control.
3. Autonomy: Departmentation results in the division of the enterprise into semiautonomous units. In these units, every manager is given adequate freedom. The feeling of
autonomyprovides job satisfaction and motivation which in turn lead to higher efficiency of
operations.
4. Fixation of responsibility: Departmentation enables each person to know the specificpart
he is to play in the total organisation. It provides a basis for building up loyalty and
commitment. The responsibility for results can be defined more precisely and an individual
can beheld accountable for performance.
5. Appraisal: Appraisal of managerial performance becomes easier when specific tasks
areassigned to departmental personnel. The sources of information, the skills and
competencerequired for total managerial decisions can be located.
6.
Management
development:
Departmentation
facilitates
communication,
coordinationand control. It simplifies the training and development of executives by
providing them opportunity to take independent decisions and to exercise initiative.
7. Administrative control: Departmentation is a means of dividing the large and
complexorganisation into small and flexible administrative units. Grouping of activities and
personnelinto manageable units facilitates administrative control. Standards of
performance for eachand every department can be precisely determined. Excessive
departmentation may result inseveral organisational problems such as erosion of the line of
command, multiple accountability, dysfunctional conflicts and difficulty of co-ordination and
control

31

PATTERNS OF DEPARTMENTATION
After the work to be completed is organized into identifiable jobs through a process of
dividing labor, jobs are then combined into logical sections or departments. Doing so
allows for effective coordination of effort. There are many ways to departmentalize,
each of which has important advantages and disadvantages. One of the most
common forms is functional departmentalization, which involves grouping similar
jobs into a common department, such as accounting, sales, human resources, and
engineering. Another form is product departmentalization, which involves organizing
around an enterprise's various product lines. Other ways of departmentalizing
include organizing by customer and by geographic territory. In practice, most large
companies use a hybrid form of departmentalization, which means they combine
one or more of the above methods to form their organizational structure.

32

1. Functional Departmentation: - This is the simplest form of departmentation
when grouping of departments is done on the basis of functions such as
production finance marketing sales purchase and personnel etc, it is known
as functional departmentation. Further sub divisions of the functions may be
formed like marketing can be divided in to advertisement sales and after
sales service. So we can classify functions into two parts:
Basic functions i.e. Production,Marketing ,Finance and Personnel.
Secondary Functions: - These are further parts of basic functions according to
the organizational needs or operations like Production: - Product planning,
R&D, Quality control and material handling.
Functional departmentation is useful where there is production of single
product or similar kind of product, for example TV Computer monitor or TFT.

Advantages:
Advantage of specialization
Easy control over functions
Pinpointing training needs of manager
It is very simple process of grouping activities.
Disadvantages
Lack of responsibility for the end result
Overspecialization or lack of general management
It leads to increase conflicts and coordination problems among departments.

33

2. Products: - When grouping of activities and departments formed are given name on the
basis of products manufactured in an organization, it is called products departmentation. It
is applied where there is a large range of products are manufactured. When there are
several product lines and each product line consists of a variety of items, functional
classification fails to give balanced emphasis on each product. Apart form this use; product
or services may be made the basis of major divisions by a departmental store, a banking
concern and an insurance company. Again, manufacturing an marketing departments may
subdivide their activities on the basis of products.

Advantages
It ensures better customer service
Unprofitable products may be easily determined
It assists in development of all around managerial talent
Makes control effective
It is flexible and new product line can be added easily.
Disadvantages
It is expensive as duplication of service functions occurs in various
product divisions
Customers and dealers have to deal with different persons for complaint
and information of different products.

34

3. Territories: - Like the products basis, geographical regions are adopted for main
division as well as for subdivision purposes. When activities of an organization are physically
dispersed in different locations territorial departmentation is adopted. Units that are
located at different areas are made so many self-contained divisions of the organization.
Marketing activities are very often subdivided on the basis of geographical areas. This form
of departmentation can be useful where business is on national or international level. For
eg. Indian railways, insurance company use territorial departmentation.

Advantages
Help to cater to the needs of local people more satisfactorily.
It facilitates effective control
Assists in development of all-round managerial skills
Disadvantages
Communication problem between head office and regional office due to
lack of means of communication at some location
Coordination between various divisions may become difficult.
Distance between policy framers and executors
It leads to duplication of activities which may cost higher.

35

4. Customers: - When departments are formed to cater different kind of customers it is
known as customer departmentationthis basis of classification is widely followed in
subdividing activities of the marketing department. When the products are offered to
market through various channels and outlets, it has the special merit of supplying goods in
accordance with the peculiar needs of customers. Customers may be classified according to
buying capacity or nature like whole sale, retail and export or government or general public.
Most departmental stores may attempt t reach customers preferring low price or higher
price

Advantages
It focused on customers who are ultimate suppliers of money
Better service to customer having different needs and tastes
Development in general managerial skills
Disadvantages
Sales being the exclusive field of its application, co-ordination may appear
difficult between sales function and other enterprise functions.
Specialized sales staff may become idle with the downward movement of
sales to any specified group of customers.

36

5. Process or Equipment Departmentation: Under this basis, activities are grouped on
the basis of production processes or equipment involved. This is generally used in a
manufacturing enterprise and at lower levels of organisation. For example, a textile mill may
be organised into ginning, spinning, weaving and dyeing departments. Similarly, a
printing press may consist of composing, proofreading, printing and binding
departments. Such departmentation may also be used in engineering and oil
industries. The main object is to achieve efficiency and economy of operations.

Advantages
There is clear-cut technical division of work.
This ensures specialisation and facilitates training of junior executives.
It is possible to appoint persons with special education and experience
for each process.
Location of similar type of machines in one place results in economies in
costs of re-pairs and maintenance.”

Disadvantages
There may be difficulty in co-ordinating different process departments.
Conflicts among man-agers of different processes may arise.
It cannot be used where manufacturing activity does notinvolve distinct processes.
It is suitable only for special and composite type of plants.

37

6.TimeDepartmentation
Under this basis activities are grouped on the basis of the time of their performance. For example, a factory operating twenty-four hours may have three departments, one each for
morning, day and night shifts. The idea is to obtain the advantages of people specialized to
work ina particular shift.In case of departmentation by simple numbers, activities are
grouped on the basis of theirperformance by a certain number of persons. For example, in
the army soldiers are groupedinto squads, battalions, companies, brigades and regiments
on the basis of the number pre-scribed for each unit. This basis of departmentation is used
at the lower levels of hierarchy.Departmentation by numbers is useful when the work is
repetitive and unskilled, wheremanpower is the most important, where group efforts are
more important than individualefforts and where the group performance can be measured.
It is useful only at the lowest level.
7. Composite or Combined DepartmentationDepartmentation is not an end in itself butA
means for achieving organisational objectives. Each basis of departmentation has its own
merits and demerits. Therefore, the relative advantages and limitations of various types of
departmentation should be analyzed in the light of the needs and circumstances of the
particular enterprise. That basis of departmentation is the best which facilitates the achievement
of organisational objectives most economically and efficiently. In practice, no single pattern is ideal to
suit all situations. Therefore, no single basis is followed for grouping activities. Rather, most
of the big enterprises follow a composite or combination of several bases. Generally,
functional departmentation is used at the top level. Activities of the sales department may
be grouped on product or territorial basis which may further be sub-divided on customer
basis. Similarly, activities in the production department may be grouped on the basis of
process or equipment employed

38

SPAN OF MANAGEMENT

Span of management refers to the number of subordinates that a manger can efficiently
manage. Number of subordinate directly reporting to a manager is known as span. It
signifies how the relations are planned between superior and subordinates in an
organization.
Span of management is important for
Determining the complexity of an individual manager’s job and
Determining shape and structure of the organization
Span of management is generally categorized under two headsNarrow span
Wide span
Narrow Span of management means a single manager or supervisor oversees few
subordinates. This gives rise to a tall organizational structure. While, a wide span of
management means a single manager or supervisor oversees a large number of
subordinates. This gives rise to a flat organizational structure.There is an inverse relation
between the span of management and the number of hierarchical levels in an organization,
i.e., narrow the span of management , greater the number of levels in an organization.

39

Narrow span of management is more costly compared to wide span of management as
there are larger number of superiors/ managers and thus there is greater communication
issues too between various management levels. The less geographically scattered the
subordinates are, the better it is to have a wide span of management as it would be feasible
for managers to be in touch with the subordinates and to explain them how to efficiently
perform the tasks. In case of narrow span of management, there are comparatively more
growth opportunities for a subordinate as the number of levels is more.

The more efficient and organized the managers are in performing their tasks, the better it is
to have wide span of management for such organization. The less capable, motivated and
confident the employees are, the better it is to have a narrow span of management so that
the managers can spend time with them and supervise them well. The more standardized is
the nature of tasks ,i.e., if same task can be performed using same inputs, the better it is to
have a wide span of management as more number of subordinates can be supervised by a
single superior. There is more flexibility, quick decision making, effective communication
between top level and low level management,and improved customer interaction in case of
wide span of management. Technological advancement such as mobile phones, mails, etc.
makes it feasible for superiors to widen their span of management as there is more effective
communication.
An optimal/ideal span of control according to the modern authors is fifteen to twenty
subordinates per manager, while according to the traditional authors the ideal number is six
subordinates per manager. But actually, an ideal span of control depends upon the nature
of an organization, skills and capabilities of manager, the employees skills and abilities, the
nature of job, the degree of interaction required between superior and subordinates.

40

Theoretical considerations
The first to develop a more general theory of management was Henri Fayol, who had
gathered empirical experience during his time as general manager of a coal and steel
company, the Commentary-Fourchambault Company. He was first to add a managerial
perspective to the problem of organizational governance. The rationale for defining a strict
hierarchy of communication channels is found in the need for vertical integration of
activities, imposed by management's need for control and information.
However, exercising control over activities performed by subordinates and monitoring their
communication, the nodes at the upper hierarchical levels would be suffering from
information overload, since all communication to other branches of the organizational
structure would be routed through them. In addition, a larger number of subordinates also
requires supervisors to monitor a high number of interactions below their own level, i.e.
that information overload and span of control are positively correlated.
Graicunas distinguished three types of interactions – direct single relationships, crossrelationships, and direct group relationships – each of them contributing to the total
amount of interactions within the organization. According to Graicunas, the number of
possible interactions can be computed in the following way. Let n be the number of
subordinates reporting to a supervisor. Then, the number of relationships of direct single
type the supervisor could possibly engage into is

The number of interactions between subordinates (cross relationships) he has to monitor is

and the number of direct group relationships is

The sum of these three types of interactions is the number of potential relationships of a
supervisor. Graicunas showed with these formulas, that each additional subordinate
increases the number of potential interactions significantly. It appears natural, that no
organization can afford to maintain a control structure of a dimension being required for
implementing a scalar chain under the unity of command condition. Therefore, other
mechanisms had to be found for dealing with the dilemma of maintaining managerial
control, while keeping cost and time at a reasonable level, thus making the span of control a
critical figure for the organization. Consequently, for a long time, finding the optimum span
of control has been a major challenge to organization design.

41

Factors determining the span of management:
Capacity of manager: Each manager has different capacity and ability in terms of
decision making, leadership, communication, judgment, guidance and control etc.
mangers having more abilities in respect to these factors may have more number of
subordinates.
Capacity of subordinates: capacity of subordinates also affects the span of a
manager. Efficient and trained subordinates may work without much help of their
manager. They may just need broad guidelines and they will perform accordingly.
They would require lesser time from their superior due to which manager can have
large number of subordinates under him.
Nature of work: If subordinates are performing similar and repetitive routine work
they can do their work without having much time of the manager. Frequent changes
in work would require more detailed instructions from manager whenever there is
change in work. Type of technology used also affects the span of control.
Degree of Decentralization: degree of centralization or decentralization affects the
span by affecting the involvement in decision making process. If manager clearly
delegates his authority and defines it fully this would require less time to devote to
manage his subordinates as subordinates will take most of the actions by their own.
Hence manager can have wider span.
Degree of Planning: If the planning is effectively done particularly if standing plans
procedures rules methods are clear then subordinates can make their decisions on
their own. If they have to make their own plans they would require more guidelines
by superiors and manager can handle narrow span in the case of improper planning.
Communication System: If communication system is modern i.e. tools like electronic
devices will save time of face to face interaction, which require more time, span of
manager can be increased
Level of Management: level of management also affects the span. Higher the level
of management lesser the number of subordinates as higher level management does
not have much time to supervise. They spend their most of time in planning and
other functions. Lower level managers can have wider span than the higher level
managers.
Physical location: If all the persons to be supervised are located at same place within
the direct supervision of manager, he can supervise more number of people. If
subordinates are at different locations then manager can supervise less number of
spans.

42

FUTURE ORGANISATION
The mental maps of leaders and organisations need to change drastically for organisations
to be successful and survive in the future.
Mental Maps
•Assumptions, generalizations or images that influence how we understand the world and
behave accordingly.
•Make sense of our environment to predict and control the future.
•Filter to process, make sense of and respond to information; guides our thinking and
behaviour.
•Cognitive system reacts to input from the environment –processed and expanded on to
create map of environment –determine response.
•Broader, more comprehensive map allow for appropriate new action/ direction.
•Individuals act according to the way they think –may allow us to predict certain outcomes
under certain conditions.
•Learning/ Expanding our mental maps enhances the ability to evaluate the future and act
differently.
•Expanding and enabling our mental maps allow readiness for the changes we can’t see yet,
and successfully lead change in an increasingly uncertain and complex world.

43

The Future Organisation:
•Concrete strategic plans & budgets replaced by responsive, flexible and abstract outcomes.
•Joint responsibility for success, including external interfaces.
•Flexible, adaptive and responsive.
•Larger community/ societal considerations.
•Sustainability –Triple Bottom Line.
•Integrative culture, shared values.
•Requisite Leadership attributes not the same as in the past.
•Industrial era –command and control
•New requirements:
–Emotional Intelligence
–Cross-cultural understanding
–Multi-disciplinary
–Communication
–Networking
•New generations’ expectations:
–Authenticity
–Significance
–Excitement
–Community
•Developing leaders for the future organization

44

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Organizational structure involves, in addition to task organizational boundary
considerations, the designation of jobs within an organization and the relationships among
those jobs. This network of relationships which define the hierarchical structure of an
organization is called organizational relationship.There are numerous ways to structure jobs
within an organization, but two of the most basic forms include simple line structures and
line-and-staff structures. The other forms are the staff structure, the functional structure
,the committee structure and the audit structure of organization.

LINE ORGANIZATION:Line organization is the most oldest and simplest method of administrative organization.
According to this type of organization, the authority flows from top to bottom in a concern.
The line of command is carried out from top to bottom. This is the reason for calling this
organization as scalar organization which means scalar chain of command is a part and
parcel of this type of administrative organization. In this type of organization, the line of
command flows on an even basis without any gaps in communication and coordination
taking place. Here the top management has complete control, and the chain of command is
clear and simple. Examples of line organizations are small businesses in which the top
manager, often the owner, is positioned at the top of the organizational structure and has
clear "lines" of distinction between him and his subordinates .

45

Features of Line Organization
1.
2.
3.
4.

It is the most simplest form of organization.
Line of authority flows from top to bottom and responsibility flows upward.
Specialized and supportive services do not take place in these organization.
Unified control by the line officers can be maintained since they can independently
take decisions in their areas and spheres.
5. This kind of organization always helps in bringing efficiency in communication and
bringing stability to a concern.
Types Of Line OrganizationPure Line Organization- Here activities in any one level remains the same ie. Every
employee more or less has the same type of work. The divisions exist solely for
control and direction
Departmental Line Organization- In this type of organization, the whole enterprise is
divided into different departments that are convenient for control purposes.In
setting up of the departments the similarity of functions is considered. Each
department is a self sufficient unit and one departmental head does not give or
receivers from other departmental head.
Merits Of Line organization
1. Simplest and less expensive- It is the most simple and oldest method of
administration and as there is no expenditure on staff personnel.it is less expensive
too.
2. Unity of Command- In these organizations, superior-subordinate relationship is
maintained and scalar chain of command flows from top to bottom.
3. Better discipline- The control is unified and concentrates on one person and
therefore, he can independently make decisions of his own. Unified control ensures
better discipline.
4. Fixed responsibility- In this type of organization, every line executive has got fixed
authority, power and fixed responsibility attached to every authority.
5. Flexibility- There is a co-ordination between the top most authority and bottom line
authority. Since the authority relationships are clear, line officials are independent
and can flexibly take the decision. This flexibility gives satisfaction of line executives.
6. Prompt decision- Due to the factors of fixed responsibility and unity of command,
the officials can take prompt decision.

46

Demerits of Line Organization
1. Over reliance- The line executive’s decisions are implemented to the bottom. This
results in over-relying on the line officials.
2. Lack of specialization- A line organization flows in a scalar chain from top to bottom
and there is no scope for specialized functions. For example, expert advices
whatever decisions are taken by line managers are implemented in the same way.
3. Inadequate communication- The policies and strategies which are framed by the top
authority are carried out in the same way. This leaves no scope for communication
from the other end. The complaints and suggestions of lower authority are not
communicated back to the top authority. So there is one way communication.
4. Lack of Co-ordination- Whatever decisions are taken by the line officials, in certain
situations wrong decisions, are carried down and implemented in the same way.
Therefore, the degree of effective coordination is less.
5. Authority leadership- The line officials have tendency to misuse their authority
positions. This leads to autocratic leadership and monopoly in the concern.

47

STAFF ORGANIZATION:The staff refers to those elements in the organization which provide advice and service to
the line. The work of investigation, research, recording, standardization and advising is in
the hands of staff. The responsibility of line is to arrange the actual execution of the work
planned by the staff. It is often said that the staff ‘thinks’ while line ‘acts’ .

Types Of StaffPersonal Staff- The personal staff is meant to serve the executives only. A managing
director for example may have a staff secretary to assist him in carrying out various
jobs such as attending the telephone calls, typing letters, fixing appointments etc
Specialised Staff- The specialized staff helps the line by performing work that
requires special skills or more objectivity than the line can normally be expected to
possess. Such specialized areas are- Accounting, Personnel, Public Relations,
Research and Development etc
General Staff-This category of staff serves as advisers to top management in
specialized areas. Eg . In the figure above, secretary is the personal staff of the chief
executive and the finance manager is specialized staff to advise the chief executive
and managers on financial matters.
Completed staff workStaff men are supposed to go into depth of the problem. The head of the staff division
should be concerned more with approving or rejecting the proposal prepared by his staff. It
has rightly been said “ completed staff work is the study of a problem and presentation of a
solution by a staff officer in such a form that all remains to be done on the part of the head
of the staff division is to indicate his approval or disapproval of the completed action .”

48

LINE AND STAFF ORGANIZATIONThe line-and-staff organization combines the line organization with staff departments that
support and advise line departments. Most medium and large-sized firms exhibit line-andstaff organizational structures. The distinguishing characteristic between simple line
organizations and line-and-staff organizations is the multiple layers of management within
line-and-staff organizations.

A wide variety of positions exist within a line-and-staff organization. Some positions are
primary to the company's mission, whereas others are secondary to the form of support and
indirect contribution. Although positions within a line-and-staff organization can be
differentiated in several ways, the simplest approach classifies them as being either line or
staff.
A line position is directly involved in the day-to-day operations of the organization, such as
producing or selling a product or service. Line positions are occupied by line personnel and
line managers. Line personnel carry out the primary activities of a business and are
considered essential to the basic functioning of the organization.
Line managers make the majority of the decisions and direct line personnel to achieve
company goals. An example of a line manager is a marketing executive.Althougha marketing
executive does not actually produce the product or service, he or she directly contributes to
the firm's overall objectives through market forecasting and generating product or service
demand. Therefore, line positions, whether they are personnel or managers, engage in
activities that are functionally and directly related to the principal workflow of an
organization.
Staff positions serve the organization by indirectly supporting line functions. Staff positions
consist of staff personnel and staff managers. Staff personnel use their technical expertise
to assist line personnel and aid top management in various business activities. Staff

49

managers provide support, advice, and knowledge to other individuals in the chain of
command.
Although staff managers are not part of the chain of command related to direct production
of products or services, they do have authority over personnel. An example of a staff
manager is a legal adviser. He or she does not actively engage in profit-making activities, but
does provide legal support to those who do. Therefore, staff positions, whether personnel
or managers, engage in activities that are supportive to line personnel.

Chief Characteristics Of Line and Staff organization. It clearly distinguishes between the two aspects of administration viz. planning and
execution.
The staff is a supplement to the line.
The staff provides counsel, advice and guidance and does not enjoy command
prerogative. Also, it provides facts and information to the authorities. The staff
works through influence as they have no right to command.
Staff managers have line authority within their own fields.

Line and Staff ConflictDue to different positions and types of authority within a line-and-staff organization, conflict
between line and staff personnel is almost inevitable. Although minimal conflict due to differences in
viewpoints is natural, conflict on the part of line and staff personnel can disrupt an entire
organization. There are many reasons for conflict. Poor human relations, overlapping authority and
responsibility, and misuse of staff personnel by top management are all primary reasons for feelings
of resentment between line and staff personnel. This resentment can result in various departments
viewing the organization from a narrow stance instead of looking at the organization as a whole.

50

Arguments of Line Executives against Staff Managers / Officers

1. Dilution of authority: Line executives argue that the introduction of staff managers
dilutes their authority and also leads to interference in their work. They feel that
their jobs become less important.
2. Stealing show: Line managers feel that the staff executives tend to steal show for
the work that turns out to be successful. On the other hand, when things go wrong,
they alone have to face the blame and criticism.
3. Lacks practical knowledge: Line executives argue that staff executives are not
familiar with the situation where actual work is carried out. The services offered by
the staff executives are rather theoretical and not practical.
4. Lacks human skills: Line executives argue that staff managers with human relations
skills are rarely available. Staff presents matters mechanically.
5. Domination of staff managers: Line executives argue that staff managers always feel
that they are superior as regards education and skills. They dominate line executives.
This is treated as unwanted interference.
6. Easy access to top management: The staff managers work at the head office and
have easy access to top level management. They try to show their superiority to top
level management by making new plans and suggestions which may not be
acceptable to line executives. The top management feels that the line executives are
incompetent due to which the services of staff officers are required. This is a source
of agony for line managers.
7. Stress on paper work: The staff executives are engaged in the paper work. In
addition, they need information and various details from the line executives. As a
result, there is increase in the paper work of line executives, which they resent.
Arguments of Staff Managers against Line Executives
1. Resistance to new plans and ideas: According to staff managers, the line managers
usually oppose/resist new plans/ideas. They treat this as interference in their routine
work. A staff manager is a professional critic. He suggests modifications, which are
useful, but the suggestions are opposed as unnecessary interference. This leads to
conflicts.
2. Inadequate support from line executives: Staff managers argue that line Managers
do not take benefit of their services. Their services are used only as a measure of last
resort.
3. Inadequate scope for the use of authority: Staff managers argue that line managers
do not give importance to suggestions given by them. This reduces the scope of
activities of staff managers. Moreover, the suggestions of staff managers are not
binding on line executives and this affects their importance and contribution.
4. Lack of support from top management: Staff managers also feel that they do not get
full support from the top management. The top management is more concerned
with regular production. As a result, it gives better treatment to line bosses.

51

5. Limited cooperation from line executives: Staff managers argue that line executives
adopt negative approach towards them even when both are working in the same
Organisation with identical objectives. Line executives do not take the
advice/suggestions of staff managers in the right spirit. They reject suggestions on
the ground that they are not practicable even without giving fair trail. This indicates
limited co-operation from line executives.
6. Supply of inadequate information: Staff managers argue that line executives do not
approach them well in advance with all necessary details of the problems faced by
them. They do not supply relevant information but want the solution quickly. If
solution is suggested within the time limit, it is again rejected on the ground that it is
not workable. This leads to dissatisfaction and conflicts.
7. Absence of authority: Staff managers feel frustrated as they offer suggestions for
solving the problem through hard work and also by using their skills and experience.
However, they do not have commanding authority to execute their suggestions.

Remedies for conflictFortunately, there are several ways to minimize conflict. One way is to integrate line and
staff personnel into a work team. The success of the work team depends on how well each
group can work together in efforts to increase productivity and performance. Another
solution is to ensure that the areas of responsibility and authority of both line and staff
personnel are clearly defined. With clearly defined lines of authority and responsibility, each
group may better understand their role in the organisation. Also management should place
qualified and trained personnel in staff positions. This will ensure sound advice to the line
managers and they will be able to convince the line managers about its practicality.A third
way to minimize conflict is to hold both line and staff personnel accountable for the results
of their own activities. In other words, line personnel should not be entirely responsible for
poor performance resulting from staff personnel advice. In advent of line managers ignoring
staff advice there should be proper grounds for it.

Merits Of Line And Staff OrganizationLine officers can secure help from specialists by way of advice and this strengthens
the line positions.
The services of staff can be used for training some of the line officers.
It enables the line officers to work faster and better as they can concentrate on
‘doing’ part and for expert knowledge they can rely upon the staff.
The stability and discipline of the line organization are preserved; only the expertise
is added. There is greater flexibility in the organization as new activities may be
introduced.

52

Demerits Of Line And Staff OrganizationIt may create confusion when the line and staff relationship is not understood
properly.
Line managers may depend too much on staff experts. This may lead to loss of
judgement and initiative on the part of the line managers. Also the staff departments
may undermine the authority of the line officers.
The staff officers may remain ineffective because they do not possess the authority
to get their recommendations implemented.
A serious weakness of staff is that they have no responsibility. Therefore, the staff
people may not take proper care before advising the line managers.
The allocation of authority and responsibility may not be clear between line and
staff executives.

53

FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION
Functional organization has been divided to put the specialists in the top position
throughout the enterprise. This is an organization in which we can define as a system in
which functional department are created to deal with the problems of business at various
levels. Functional authority remains confined to functional guidance to different
departments. This helps in maintaining quality and uniformity of performance of different
functions throughout the enterprise.
The concept of Functional organization was suggested by F.W. Taylor who recommended
the appointment of specialists at important positions. For example, the functional head and
Marketing Director directs the subordinates throughout the organization in his particular
area. This means that subordinates receives orders from several specialists, managers
working above them.
In the functional foremanship, there will be eight specialists/functional heads called bosses.
Out of eight bosses, four bosses will be at the planning level and the remaining four will be
at the slop floor level.
Foremen At Planning Level (Planning Dept.)
1. Time and Cost Clerk: He is concerned with preparing standard time for the
completion of certain piece of work and compiling the cost of that work.
2. Instruction Card Clerk: He lays down the exact method of doing the work. He
specifies the tools to be used for conducting the production and also gives other
instructions on the instruction cards prepared by him.
3. Route Clerk: The route clerk lays down the exact route through which each and every
piece of work should move through various stages till completion. He decides the
production schedule and the sequence of steps by which the production process is
to move.
4. Shop Disciplinarian: He is concerned with the discipline, insubordination, violation of
rules of discipline and absenteeism. All cases relating to these matters will be
managed by the shop disciplinarian.
Foremen At Shop Floor Level (Shop Floor)
1. Gang Boss: He assembles and sets up various machines; and tools for a particular
piece of work. He is in-charge of assembling line of production.
2. Speed Boss: He is concerned with the speeding of machines used for production. He
keeps proper speed of the machines and see that workers complete the production
work as per the schedule time.
3. Repair Boss: The repair boss looks after the proper maintenance of machines, tools
and equipments required during the production process.
4. Inspector: The inspector controls quality of the products by keeping adequate
check/control when the production work is in progress.

54

The functional Organisation structure is given in the following chart:-

Features of Functional Organization
1. The entire organizational activities are divided into specific functions such as
operations, finance, marketing and personal relations.
2. Complex form of administrative organization compared to the other two.
3. Identical functions of various departments in the organization are performed by
specialists.
4. Each functional area is put under the charge of functional specialists and he has got
the authority to give all decisions regarding the function whenever the function is
performed throughout the enterprise.
5. Specialists often operate with considerable independence.
55

Merits of Functional Organization
1. Specialization- Better division of labour takes place which results in specialization of
function and it’s consequent benefit.
2. Effective Control- Management control is simplified as the mental functions are
separated from manual functions. Checks and balances keep the authority within
certain limits. Specialists may be asked to judge the performance of various sections.
3. Efficiency- Greater efficiency is achieved because of every function performing a
limited number of functions.
4. Economy- Specialization compiled with standardization facilitates maximum
production and economical costs.
5. Expansion- Expert knowledge of functional manager facilitates better control and
supervision.

Demerits of Functional Organization
1. Confusion- The functional system is quite complicated to put into operation,
especially when it is carried out at low levels. Therefore, coordination becomes
difficult.
2. Lack of Co- ordination- Disciplinary control becomes weak as a worker is
commanded not by one person but a large number of people. Thus, there is no unity
of command.
3. Difficulty in fixing responsibility- Because of multiple authority, it is difficult to fix
responsibility.
4. Conflicts- There may be conflicts among the supervisory staff of equal ranks. They
may not agree on certain issues.
5. Costly-Maintainance of specialist’s staff of the highest order is expensive for a
concern.

56

COMMITTEE ORGANIZATIONCommittee is a group of persons to whom as a group some matter is committed. It is
appointed by an authority with some delegated powers. It brings into decision making the
experience and expertise of two or more persons. In corporate enterprise committees have
become popular to an extent that the companies are described as a hierarchy of committee.
At the apex is the Board of Directors- the highest policy making body of the company. The
Board appoints various sub-committees to go into specific problems. Managing committees
are formed for project planning, budgeting , deciding disputes, solving specific problems and
review and reporting purposes.
The top executive may appoint committees of line officers, line and staff officers or staff
officers to deliberate on specified matters. These committees may be ebtusted such jobs as
investigating into certain incidents, finding facts and figures relating to a proposed project,
negotiation with some outside agency deciding some dispute and coordinate and control
the activities of different divisions or departments. When the problem may be of technical
nature and line people are involved , the committee may consist of line managers and
experts. When the issue relates to various departments, the selected line and staff
managers may form the committee. The management committee may also consist staff
officers when the object is to seek advice on matters which may not be of direct concern to
line managers.

Merits And Demerits Of Committee OrganisationCommittees facilitate group deliberations and judgement. Various interests and viewpoints
are represented on it. It helps in democratizing the internal administration of the
organization and motivates people by providing them opportunity to express themselves in
committee meetings. The committees are also an effective instrument of communication in
any organization. It can serve as a link between the authority which appoints it and the level
of personnel whose problems are investigated by it. Sometimes, committees are also used
to postpone an issue successfully.
But on the other side, committees may suffer from indecision. The matter may be
unnecessarily dragged and delayed in committee meetings. The minority interests may be
ignored by the members in majority. Compromises may be made on the last common
denominator which may be harmful for the organization. The committee members may
shirk from responsibility on the plea that the decision is of the group and they have no
choice. Again committees incur costs which may at times be heavier than the gain from
committee deliberations
Inspite of the limitations, committee is an effective form of organization and is widely used
in business.

57

AUDIT RELATIONSHIP:
The audit managers are those who evaluate or appraise the work of others periodically to
tell them how well they are performing it. For example, traditional auditors used to tell
whether a department has stayed within its budget or how closely it is meeting standard
cost targets. Quality inspectors appraise the quality of work completed by the department.
Personnel attached to the works may, by looking at turnover, grievances, absenteeism etc.
will be able to assess whether or not a supervisor has been able to maintain cordial
relationships with people working with him.
The audit relationship should not be passive. The auditors must realize the constraints
under which the departments work and the managers function. Similarly the managers must
realize that adherence to certain standards and rules and regulations are in their interest
and deviations from them should be permitted in exceptional cases. When certain standard
set appears to be wrong yhe manager should get it changed by convincing the auditors.

58

OBJECTIVE
An organization can be structured in many different ways, depending on their objectives.
The structure ofan organization will determine the modes in which it operates and
performs.It provides the foundation on which standard operating procedures and routines
rest and the designation of jobs and the relationships among those jobs which we call
organizational relations determines which individuals get to participate in which decisionmaking processes, and thus to what extent their views shape the organization’s actions.
The structure and relationship is very important for an organization. A sound structure and
an efficient organizational relationship is the backbone for successful running of an
organization.
The purpose of this report is to study the structure and relationship of an organization and
understand its hierarchical structure as well as the network of relationships among those
structures.

METHODOLOGY
Selection of organizationWe have taken ICICI bank limited as the subject organization of our study. It is the second
largest bank in India by assets and third largest by market capitalization. It offers a wide
range of banking products and financial services to corporate and retail customers through a
variety of delivery channels and through its specialized subsidiaries in the areas of
investment banking, life and non-life insurance, venture capital and asset management. The
Bank has a network of 2,772 branches and 9,363 ATM's in India, and has a presence in 19
countries, including India.
By studying its structure and organizational relationship we aim to understand its
hierarchical structure and see how one of the most successful and preferred banking
organization of India works through the various modelling of its structure and the
designation of jobs and relationships between them help determine the ground in which it
operates and performs.
Out of the several branches of ICICI, we have taken the ICICI Rohini branch, sector8 for our survey.

Sample sizeTo achieve a good understanding and to arrive at a better conclusion we have taken a
sample size of 15 employees of the rohini branch, ICICI.
59

1

Thegoalsofthisorganizationareclearly stated..

2

Thedivisionoflaborofthisorganizationisflexible.

3

Myimmediate supervisorissupportiveofmy efforts

4

Myrelationshipwithmy supervisorwasa
Harmoniousone.
Myimmediate supervisorhasideasthatarehelpfultomeand my
workgroup
Thisorganizationis not resistanttochange.

5
6
7
8

Thedivisionoflaborinthisorganizationisintendedtohelpit reach
Itsgoals
Theleadershipnormsofthisorganizationhelpits progress

9

Ican alwaystalk with my superior ifIhavea work-related
Problem
10 The manner in which work tasks are divided is a logical one
11 This organization’s leadership efforts result in the organization’s
fulfilment of its purposes.
12 The opportunity for promotion exists in this organization.
13 There are a few supervisors in charge of employees.
14 The structure of my work unit is well designed
15 It is clear to me whenever my boss is attempting to guide my work
Efforts
16 1 had enough input from my superior in deciding my work-unit
goals
17 The division of labor in this organization actually helps it to reach
its goals
18 I understand my boss’s efforts to influence me and the other
members of the work unit
19 This organization’s planning and control efforts are helpful to its
growth and development
20 The organizational structure has the ability to change

60

DisagreeStrongly

Disagree

DisagreeSlightly

Neutral

AgreeSlightly

Agree

AgreeStrongly

Design of Questionnaire

We have designed a questionnaire of 20 questions divided into 7 parameters namely –
purposes, structure ,leadership , relationships, rewards, helpful mechanism and attitude
towards change. Each parameter has been given equal weightage with 5 questions each.
Answer to each question is assigned different score as in
Agree strongly = 1
Agree= 2
Agree slightly=3
Neutral=4
Disagree slightly=5
Disagree=6
Disagree strongly=7

61

AgreeSlightly

Neutral

Thegoalsofthisorganizationareclearly stated.

9

3

2

1

2

Thedivisionoflaborofthisorganizationisflexible.

2

4

4

2

3

3

Myimmediate supervisorissupportiveofmy efforts.

3

6

1

3

1

1

4

Myrelationshipwithmy supervisorwasa
Harmoniousone.
Myimmediate supervisorhasideasthatarehelpfultomeand my
workgroup
Thisorganizationis notresistanttochange.

2

5

2

2

2

2

5

5

3

Thedivisionoflaborinthisorganizationisintendedtohelpit reach
Itsgoals
Theleadershipnormsofthisorganizationhelpits progress.

6

DisagreeStrongly

Agree

1

5
6

Disagree

AgreeStrongly

DisagreeSlightly

RESULTANT FINDINGS

2

2

2

6

2

1

5

5

3

2

Ican alwaystalk with my superior ifIhavea work-related
Problem
10 The manner in which work tasks are divided is a logical one

4

6

2

4

4

4

3

11 This organization’s leadership efforts result in the organization’s
fulfilment of its purposes.
12 The opportunity for promotion exists in this organization.

6

4

3

2

5

5

1

4

13 There are a few supervisors in charge of employees.

4

4

4

2

14 The structure of my work unit is well designed

6

6

1

1

1

15 It is clear to me whenever my boss is attempting to guide my work
Efforts
16 1 had enough input from my superior in deciding my work-unit
goals
17 The division of labor in this organization actually helps it to reach
its goals
18 I understand my boss’s efforts to influence me and the other
members of the work unit
19 This organization’s planning and control efforts are helpful to its
growth and development
20 The organizational structure has the ability to change

4

4

4

1

1

1

5

5

3

2

4

5

4

2

3

5

6

2

7

4

4
6

4

7
8
9

62

1

3

3

5

1

2

2

Purposes
1

Structure
2

Leadership
3

Relationships
4

8

9

10

11

15

16

17

18

22

23

24

25

29

30

31

32

Total

Total

Total

Total

Rewards
5

HelpfulMechanisms
6

AttitudeTowardsChange
7

12

13

14

19

20

21

26

27

28

33

34

35

Total

Total

Total

Average

Average

Average

63

FINDINGS
The information that we collected from the 15 employees at the organisation helped us to
collect valuable insights about the organisational structure and relations of the same. The
answers to certain questions suggest that the organisation possesses a more open structure
in tune with the modern theory of organisation as opposed to the classical theory of
organisation. The classical theory is characterised by excessive emphasis on hierarchy,
seniority by promotion, rigidity in the allocation of work, etc. As we can see from the second
question that the majority of the people interviewed i.e. 66.67% felt that the division of
labour in the organisation was of a flexible nature. Moreover not only did the employees
feel that there was flexible division of labour.93.33% felt that this helped the company to
achieve its goals. 73.33% of the employees felt that the opportunity for promotion was
strong in the organisation. Talking about allocation of work,80% of those interviewed felt
that the allocation of duties was done rationally. Thus we can see that this organisation is
indicative of a more open structure.

Division of labour of the organisation is flexible
Disagree slightly
20%
Neutral
13%

Agree slightly
27%

Agree strongly
13%

agree
27%

64

We can also observe from the data that the employees are satisfied with the planning and
execution existing in the organisation. For an organisation to succeed it should possess
clarity with regard to its objectives.93.99% of the employees felt that the goals of the
organisation were clearly stated.Again 86.67% felt that the planning and control efforts
were helpful to the company in achieving its goals.
Another concept that was dealt with was the span of control.A wide span of control was
characterised by a few employees reporting directly to a manager. In this case however we
see the existence of a wide span of control as 60% of the employees said that there were a
few supervisors in charge of all the employees.
According to the principles of formal organisation the channels of communication should be
open and clear within the organisation.12 out of the 15 employees said that they could
approach their superior in the event of a work-related problem.

I can always talk with a superior if i have a
problem
Disagree slightly
8%

Agree slightly
15%

Agree strongly
31%

Agree
46%

Moreover this organisation resembles a future organisation which is more flexible in nature.
This is shown by the above findings.
However there is one area where the organisation is lacking and that is the ability of the
organisation to respond to change.12 out of the 15 employees who were interviewed felt
that the structure of the organisation did not permit change and 73.33% of the employees
felt that the organisation was resistant to change.
65

This organisation is not resistant to change
Disagree strongly
34%
Disagree
20%

Agree Slightly
13%

Disagree slightly
20%

neutral
13%

In all the above findings we should be careful of the fact that all the employees belong to
one particular branch of the organisation and thus we cannot conclude the above with
regard to the organisation as a whole. Through our above findings we can conclude that this
particular branch of the organisation lacks only with regard to its attitude towards change
and if it could rectify the same, it would be able to function more efficiently.

66

CONCLUSION
In our project on Organisational Structure and Relations we have tried to explain the
different theories that have been postulated with regard to organisations. Furthermore we
have explained the concepts of organisational structure and relations. To understand these
concepts better we have done a survey based on 15 employees of ICICI Bank, Rohini Branch.
In order to understand the structure and relations prevailing in the branch, we posed
certainquestions to the employees. From our survey we find that the organisation follows a
structure similar to that prescribed in the modern theory of organisations. Moreover it
possesses flexibility and a wide span of control.However the only area of concern is its
attitude towards change and if the company can rectify this then it could improve its
functioning. Thus through this project we are able to study an organisation and understand
the impact of structure and relations on the success of an organisation

67

BIBLIOGRAPHY
The books and the websites that we have referred to
for this project are:
(1)www.wikipedia.com
(2)www.eurojournals.com
(3)www.knowledge-hub.com
(4) www.learnmanagement2.com
(5)www.managementstudyguide.com

68

Organisation structure and relationship

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