Organizing

“In today’s situation, we should admit that there is no one best structure.”

Peter Lorange

Organizing is one of key managerial activities (functions). The reasons for organizing is more, the most important ones are division of labor, delegation of authority and responsibility, setting span of control and more. In terms of organizational structure, organizing means organization, creating order and system, i.e. defining the relationships between people, thus organizing people and other resources, processes, services, structures and systems within the organization. In terms of every day work of a manager it means proactive organizing of people work.

Organizing takes place in all types of organizations and its foundations form basic methods of organizing:

• Division of labor
• Creation of organization units
• Creation of organizational structures
• Balancing the authority and responsibility
• Delegating (division of competences)
• Determining the span of control and number of degrees of management
• Coordination of activities

The history of organizing and key milestones, are described here.

Basic concepts of organizing:

• Adhocracy
• Bureaucracy
• Meritocracy

Basic methods of organizing:

• Centralization
• Decentralization
• Empowerment
• Organizational development
• OSCAR
• A specific and modern form of organizing are work teams

Analytical techniques applicable in organizing:

• 360° feedback
• Davidson’s break
• Eisenhower principle
• Job Analysis
• Job description
• Job specification
• Leavitt’s Diamond
• McKinsey 7S
• MIT 90’s
• Organizational Architecture
• Organizational decomposition techniques
• Paradox of Mintzberg
• Principle of strategy → structure (Chandler)
• Profiles of roles
• Reengineering
• Sloan filter
• Social Network Analysis
• System approach

Related terms:

• Authority
• Basic parts of an Organization (Mintzberg)
• Empowerment
• Formal organizational structure
• Holism × Reductionism
• Informal organizational structure
• Job
• Labor
• Management style
• Manager
• Managerial functions / activities
• McKinsey 7S
• Objectives
• Organization
• Organigram
• Organizational unit
• Organizational architecture
• Organizational culture
• Processes
• Profiles of roles
• Responsibility
• Social network
• Social position
• Social role
• Social status
• Surroundings
• Surroundings characteristics
• Typology of organizational structure
  • Functional organizational structure
  • Linear organizational structure
  • Matrix organizational structure
  • Strategic Business Units (SBUs)
• Work role

Related fields:

• Management