Bridget Unger

S481 Module I-Organization

August 27, 1203

Organizational Theories

The classical theory and approach is mainly designed on efficiency and productivity. In this theory, people are seen as being most productive when there are well-defined tasks for them to complete. This theory is “built around four elements: division and specialization of labor, chain of command, organizational structure, and span of control” (Sullivan & Decker, 2009). By dividing the specific tasks to be done and to fit the people into this design, it brings about maximum efficiency to the organization. The chain of command is the hierarchy of authority and responsibility within the organization. In other words, the system is designed to have supervisors and managers responsible for the work completed by other people that they supervise. In addition, the organizational span of control refers to the determined number of employees that a supervisor or manager can oversee (Sullivan & Decker, 2009).
Organizational Structures
Within this theory, the organizational structure is what describes the pattern of the work group and how the work is subdivided between the employees. By subdiving this work, the theorists developed a concept of “departmentalization” as a way to acquire control of larger groups and continue to provide an effective communication and authority. As each department has a group of employees that divide the tasks, the quality and quantity of task increase with the level of efficiency. An example is the functional structure. The functional structure tends to centralize the decision making because the functions congregate their way to the top of the organization (Sullivan & Decker, 2009). In contrast, as the organization grows, it typically has to organize self-contained units and functional units resulting in a hybrid structure. Hybrid structures