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ORGANISING
NATURE AND PROCESS OF ORGANISING
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Organising Organising is considered as a basic function of management. It defines the role each individual is to play and establishes relationships between them. This term is used in management in two different senses; as a structure and as a process. As a structure, organisation is the mechanism or framework within which people live and work together for the accomplishment of certain objectives. Some people consider it a social system comprising the human relationships existing among persons performing different jobs. As a process, it is a systematic combination of people, functions and facilities, all working together to accomplish some desired purpose. STATIC SENSE Organisation is the structure of relationships among jobs or a network of horizontal and vertical authority relationships designed to accomplish common objectives. It is the vehicle through which enterprise objectives are to be achieved DYNAMIC SENSE In this sense, it is the process of creating harmonious authority-responsibility relationships between different parts of an enterprise. It involves division of work into appropriate specialised units and creating co-operative relationships between them. According to Allen organising is the process of identifying and grouping the work to be performed, defining and delegation responsibility and authority and establishing relationships for the purpose of enabling people to work most effectively together in accomplishing objectives. In the words of Fayol to organise a business is to provide it with everything useful to its functioning: raw materials, tools, capital and personnel
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Organisation theory It can be defined as the study of the structure, functions and performance of organisations and the behaviour of groups and individuals within themOrganisation theory is the body of thinking and writing which addresses itself to the problem of how to organise.
From these elements, an organisation may be defined as co-ordinated structure of positions arranged in hierarchy for the accomplishment of some common objectives through division of labour.
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PROCESS OF ORGANISATION
The process of organising consists of the following steps
2. Grouping of activities:
Similar or related activities having a common purpose are grouped together to make departments. Activities may be grouped on the basis of functions, products, territories, customers etc. E.g. Activities or works that are connected too purchasing are grouped together to make the purchasing department. The grouping of similar activities leads to division of labour and specialisation. Each department may be further divided into sections to create a logical structure.
3. Assignment of duties:
The individual departments are then allotted to different positions and individuals. The duties of every individual are defined on the basis of ability and aptitude. Clear definition of the responsibility of each is necessary to avoid duplication of work and overlapping of efforts. Every individual is made responsible for the specific job assigned to him. In this way, duties are assigned to specific individuals.
4. Delegation of authority:
Each employee is given authority. Without authority, the employees cannot carry out their responsibilities. Authority is the right to give orders and the power to get obedience. A chain of command is created from top to bottom through successive delegations of authority. When two or more persons work together for a common goal, it becomes necessary to clearly define the authority relationship between them. Each person should know who is superior,
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from whom he should take orders, and to whom will be answerable. Similarly, each superior should know what authority he has over his subordinates. After defining the authority relationship, the employees are provided with the material and financial resources required for achieving the objectives of the organisation. The last step involves coordinating efforts of all the individuals, groups, departments etc. to achieve goals. Thus, the process of organising is a series of steps which must be undertaken to create a logical structure of authority-responsibility relationships. This process involves division of work, placement of individuals on jobs, delegation of authority, coordination of individual efforts and execution of responsibility for results.
IMPORTANCE OF ORGANISATION
An organisation represents a group of people who work together to accomplish something. Everyone who works in an organisation shares the same values, mission, vision and strategic goals. Organisation is the time-honoured mechanism that enables people to live and work together. Sound organisation can contribute to the success of an enterprise in the following ways:
1. Facilitates administration
Good organisation creates room for effective management. It enables smooth operation of the enterprise by providing a framework within which management can perform the functions of planning, directing, controlling and so forth
PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT
In a sound organisation, each individual is assigned the job for which he is best suited. This improves employee satisfaction and interpersonal relations.
INFORMAL ORGANISATION
This refers to the relationships between people in an organisation based not on procedures and regulations but on personal attitudes, prejudices, likes and dislikes etc . It is a natural spontaneous network of relationships based upon personal needs, attitudes and emotions. It is personal and human
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According to Barnard, informal organisation is joint personal activity without conscious common purpose though contributing to joint results. Informal organisation arises because it provides social satisfaction to people. It helps to preserve the intergrity of the work group. It fills the deficiencies of formal organisation and a good leader can easily secure co-operation of employees by using constructively the informal groups. However, informal organisation tends to resist change and maintain status quo. There may be conflict between organisational goals and norms of informal groups. A manager has little control over an informal organisation and cannot eliminate it. He can make use of it to reinforce formal organisation. (use informal organisations to ensure harmonious relations) Informal organisations may be mainly due to the following reasons; a. The desire on the part of the workmen to socialise with the fellow workmen to escape the boredom of repetitive tasks and satisfy the urge to belong and associate with others b. The desire on the part of the workmen to overcome the tension caused by performance of repetitive jobs and to experience a sense of accomplishment. c. The desire on the part of the workmen to give expression to their capabilities and talents which are not fully used in the performance of specialised jobs. d. The desire on the part of the workmen to seek escape routes from the rigid information and communication network of the formal organisation structure which often denies them messages which are meaningful from their point of view.
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It arises on account of social interaction of people and tends to remain small It is personal with emphasis on people and their relationships. It has unwritten rules and traditions
It has no place in the formal chart It is structureless and develops out of social contacts Informal authority attaches to a person Informal authority flows upwards or horizontally Informal authority arises from mans quest for social satisfaction It is relatively fickle and unstable
Encourages negativism Generates inter-personal and group rivalries Opposes change of any kind
PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT
PRINCIPLES OF ORGANISATION
In order to achieve a sound organisation structure, it is vital that the following be adhered to:
i.
Unity of objectives
Focus toward achieving a particular set of goals is very vital to any organisation. This implies that it is imperative that an organisation first set out to formulate and make understood its objectives so as to make an organisation structure guided by the desired objectives.
ii.
Efficiency
This is the ability of an organisation structure to achieve its objectives with minimum cost implication while maintaining high standards. Efficiency should however make sure that there is a derived satisfaction by the organisation in achieving its goals.
iii.
Division of work
The total task should be divided in such a way that the work of every individual in the organisation is limited as far as possible to the performance of a single function. Breakdown of tasks in the organisation should happen in a grouped or sub-divided manner so as to achieve efficiency. Overlapping roles should however be avoided so as to curb confusion or general neglect of the task all together.
iv.
Span of control
Control as far as management is concerned should be limited to the total number of people that a manager can efficiently manage. By this it is important to avoid over burdening an individual as this would lead to poor managerial skills.
v.
Scalar discipline
The organisation structure of a company MUST show a clean chain of command from the highest to the lowest executive. Every subordinate must know who is superior and to whom policy matters beyond their own authority should be referred for decision to be made. This helps to avoid unnecessary battles of who is superior to the other.
vi.
Delegation
The authority delegated to a manager ought to be sufficient so as to enable him/her achieve the desired results. Delegation of authority should done to the lowest level but
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consistent with necessary control. This is to enable coordination and decision making as close as possible to the point of action.
vii.
Functional definition
The duties and authority-relationships of different individuals or groups MUST be clearly defined so that there is no confusion or overlapping. The relationship between various jobs should also be well and clearly defined.
viii.
Correspondence
Authority and responsibility must be conterminous and co-extensive. By this, it is meant that the responsibility exacted from a position should be commensurate with the authority delegated to that position, and vice versa.
ix.
Unity of command
Every individual should report to only one superior and be accountable to him/her. The necessity of this is so that to avoid the issue of conflict of instructions and a divided loyalty and to ensure a feeling of personal responsibility for results. Blame games and multiple quarters of instruction easily break apart organisations.
x. xi.
Unity of direction
Its important to have one head and one plan for a group of activities directed towar ds the same objective.
Balance
There should exist the giving of undue emphasis on various parts of an organisation at the cost of others. For the sake of a good organisational structure, it is necessary to maintain balances between centralization and decentralization, between a narrow span of management and long lines of communication, between line and staff.
xii.
Exception principle.
A manager should only take decisions within his/her scope and of authority and matters beyond scope should be referred to higher levels of management. This is also known as authority level principle.
xiii.
Coordination
There ought to be an orderly arrangement of group effort and unity of action in achieving a common goal. Efficiency and productivity of the organisation fully depends on the security of unity of effort.
xiv.
Flexibility
An organisation should be free from complex procedures that stagger it in the event of a change of environment. The structure of devices, techniques and environmental factors should be built in such a way that they permit adaptation to any changes in the environment.
xv.
Continuity
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Change is unavoidable and thus a company should be structured in such a way that there is continuity of operations even with change of personnel. People should also find is possible to gain experience in positions of increasing diversity and responsibility within the organisation.
ORGANISATION CHART
Definition
An organisation chart is a diagram that shows the organisation structure of a company. Its purpose is to show all concerned as to what the organisation structure, how the company has been divided into departments and departments into sections and most important on what responsibilities and duties are assigned to which officer/employee.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Organising Principles. (n.d.). Retrieved from Management Study Guide: http://www.managementstudyguide.com/organising_principles.htm
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