Management Structures Within Organizations
To achieve an organizations affirmed goals, management is key
, and is defined as the process of leading and controlling the efforts of staff, as well as planning, arranging and using resources in a way that allows the achievement of company goals.It is typical within an organization, though it will depend on its size, to find regional managers (who manage in one of the geographical regions that the organization operates in), divisional managers (who manage a particular division within an organization e.g. human resources, finance, sales, etc.), and departmental managers (who manage the departments within the divisions).
There are two main types of organizational or management structures - flat and hierarchal - and the structure itself is determined by how regions, divisions, departments and human resources are linked, and the interaction between and among them.
What is known as a flat management structure promotes a decentralized decision-making process, which increases staff involvement. It is achieved by very few, or even no, management layers between front-line workers and the company's leadership.
By elevating the level of responsibility of baseline employees, and by eliminating layers of middle management, comments and feedback reach all personnel involved in decisions more quickly. Since the interaction between workers is more frequent, this management structure generally depends upon a much more personal relationship between workers and managers.
The hierarchal management structure has a set chain-of-command - that is each unit in the organization (except that at the very top) is subordinate to another unit or division. That means that each individual communicates directly with an immediate supervisor or subordinate and does not jump over layers of management to get to the top leader.
The benefit of a hierarchal structure is also its primary limitation in that it will reduce the level of communication that goes directly to the top. The hierarchal configuration, however, is the most prevalent for large corporations, governments, and even organized religions.
To determine the most beneficial management structure for an organization, the size and complexity of the entity must be considered. Complexity is impacted by geographic dispersal i.e. Are there offices and units scattered all over a country or even the globe?
The more complex and substantial a company is, the less effective a flat management structure will be and, while a company may be able to keep a streamlined structure, it will be unable to maintain that personal staff-to-manager relationship that is inherent in the flat structure once it reaches a certain size or complexity.
by: Mark Walters