SBenegaL

Category: Organizational Behavior

  • Artifacts – Organizational Culture

    In the last byte, we looked at how organizational culture has different layers and visually understood what each layer contains. In today’s byte, we begin discussing about Artifacts.

    Artifacts refer to the symbols of culture in physical and social work environement. Clearly these are the most visible and accessible level of culture. We shall discuss three of these in today.

    Personal Enactment – refers to the behavior that reflects the organization’s values. For example: the way a manager at the top of he organizational hierarchy      behaves with his subordinates could reflect what the organization’s culture would be like.

    Rituals – refers to every day practices that are not repeated over and over. Often these are unwritten, but they send a clear message about “the way we do things around here”. For Ex: Imagine a case where Calling employees in an organization with their first name, and another where people always put refer each other with Mr. Mrs. etc and their surnames!

    Symbols – refer to the communication about an organizational culture through unspoken messages. These are representative of organizational identity and membership to employees. These also help build solidarity in the organizations.

  • Organizational Culture 2

    In the last byte, we listed the various means of communicating the organizational culture. We discuss the various levels of organizational culture today.

    The following diagram capture the various levels of organizational culture:


  • Organizational Culture

    In the last byte, we looked at the emphasis of various organizational structures. In today’s byte, we begin our discussion on organizational culture.

    Defining organizational culture is a challenging task. Following is one definition of organizational culture that would be useful for our discussion here:
     
    “Organizational Culture refers to the patter of basic assumptions that are considered valid and that are taught to the new members as thee way to perceive think and feel in the organization“
     
    Note here that the definition has a corporate tinge.
     
    If one were to think what were the basic means of communicating an organization, we could identify the following:
    • Artifacts
    •     Personal Enactment
    •     Stories
    •     Rituals
    •     Symbols
    • Values
    • Assumptions
    Before we jump into the understanding of these means of communicating organizational culture we should understand the different levels of organizational culture. This is the subject of our next byte.

  • Horizontal Integration

    In the last byte, we looked at vertical integration linkage. In today’s byte, we look at the horizontal integrator mechanisms.

    As mentioned earlier, horizontal integration mechanism provides the communication and coordination that is required across the different jobs and departments in the organization. The need for such horizontal linkages increses as the complexity of the organization increases. When built into the organization, the forms these linkages could take forms like liason roles, task force, integrator positions and teams. 

    Liason roles is created when a person in one department has the responsibility to coordinate with the other department. Task force are temporary committees composed of representatives from multiple deparments and focus on solving specific problem.
     
    The strongest means of horizontal integration is through teams.
     
    Note that these linkage mechanisms vary from organization to organization, as well asaa within the same organization. A simple observation is that the flatter the organization, the more necessary are horizontal mechanisms.
     
    We next look at the various dimensions of org design.

  • Vertical Integration

    In the last byte, we began our discussion on integrations and the role it plays in an organization. In today’s byte, we look at vertical linkages.

    Vertical linkages as mentioned earlier used to integrate activities up and down the organizational chain of command. Many structural devices can be used to achieve vertical linkages viz – hierarchical referrals, rules and procedures, plans and schedules, positions added to the structure of the organization, and management information systems.

    The vertical lines on an organization chart indicate the referral up and down the organization. While work is delegated down the organization chart, when an employee has a doubt he refers up to the chart for consideration and resolution.
     
    The various vertical integration linkage mechanism help the manager have a wider span of control. The employee handbook, procedures etc reduce the demand on the manager’s time to focus each employee  and could choose to manage only in exceptional situations.
    For a greater understanding, one would need to think of each linkage mechanism.

  • Integration

    In the last  byte, we looked at complexity and the relationship the different differentiation. In today’s byte, we look at integration.

    Integration refers to the process of coordinating the different parts of an organization.
     
    The purpose of any integration mechanisms are designed to achieve unity among individuals and groups in various jobs, departments, and divisions in the accomplishments of organizational goals and tasks.
     
    One could understand the role of integration to be that of maintaining a equilibrium in the dynamic state of affairs – a condition in which all the parts of the organization are inter-related and balanced.
     
    We could achieve this through two broad ways:
    1. Vertical linkages
    2. Horizontal linkages
    Vertical linkages are used to integrate activities up and down the organization’s chain of command. Horizontal integration mechanisms provide the communication and coordination that is necessary for linkages across jobs and departments in the organization.

  • Complexity and Differentiation

    In the last byte, we discussed about spacial differentiation. In today’s byte, we look at the the different differentiation in combination. 

    Horizontal, Vertical and Spacial Differentiation indicates the amount of width, height and breadth an organizational structure needs. A lot of distribution on any one of these dimensions doesnt necessarily mean that it is distributed on all other dimensions as well. 
     
    As an example Imagine an university – one could find a very great horizontal differentiation, but relatively little vertical differentiation. On the other hand, consider the case of a large company like Coca-Cola: It would have a great level on all three dimensions.
     
    What one needs to remember is that the more structurally differentiated the organization is, the more complex it would be.
     
    We have used the term “complexity” a  lot. Complexity refers to the number of activities, subunits or subsystems with the organization. It has been suggested that organization’s complexity should mirror the complexity of the environment.
     
    As the complexity of an organization increases, its need for mechanisms to link and coordinate the different parts of the organization increases phenomenally. Failure to coordinate effectively could lead the orientation towards the organization goal to disappear
     
    With the need for linkage and coordination establish, we shall next move towards understanding integration.

  • Spacial Differentiation

    In the last byte, we looked at vertical differentiation. In today’s byte, we look at spacial differentiation.

    Spacial Differentiation refers to the geographic dispersion of an organizational’s office, plants and personnel. Increasing the number of locations increases the complexity of organizatgional design, but this may be necessary for organizational goal achievement or organizational protection.
     
    An implication of this suggestion would mean that organizations intending to open their branch in another company could do it by creating a subsidiary with partial ownership by the main organization while could be managed by the citizen of the country.
     
    This could also offer the organization political and legal advantages in a country because it could be identified as a local company. Distance is as important as political and legal issues in making spacial differentiation decisions.
     
    In the next byte, we continue the discussion on the various differentiations.

  • Vertical Differentiation

    In the last byte, we discussed about horizontal differentiation and specialization. In today’s byte, we look at Vertical Differentiation. 

    Vertical Differentiation is the difference in authority and responsibility in the organizational hierarchy. Two broad categories could be thought off in vertical differentiation
    1. Tall, Narrow organization
    2. Flat, Wide organization
    Tall, narrow organizations have greater vertical differentiation while flat, wide organization have lesser vertical differentiation.
     
    Two components help determine the height of the organization – the level of horizontal differentiation and the span of control.
     
    Tall structures are often characterized by closer supervision and tighter control. This also increases communication overheads as the message has to pass through multiple layers. Flat structures on the other hand have simpler communication but have reduced opportunities for promotion.
     
    The degree of vertical differentiation affects organizational effectiveness – but one would need to consider organizational size, job types, skills, employee’s personal characteristics, degrees of freedom etc when determining organizational effectiveness.
     
    Note: Span of control refers to the number of subordinates a manager can and should supervise.

  • Horizontal Differentiation

    In the last byte,
    we looked at the various orientations that differentiate different
    tasks and the various types there in. In today’s byte, we look the
    horizontal differentiation.

    Horizontal
    differentiation refers to the degree of differentiation between
    organizational subunits and is based on employee’s specialized
    knowledge, education, or training. An example of the above could be two
    university professors who teach specialized subjects in different
    academic departments are subject to horizontal differentiation.
    Horizontal differentiation increases with specialization and
    departmentalization.
     
    Specialization
    refers to the particular grouping of activities performed by an
    individual. The degree of specialization or the division of labor in the
    organization gives an indication of how much training is needed, what
    the scope of jobs, what individual characteristics are needed for job
    holders etc
     
    It
    is interesting to note that as specialization in a subject increases, a
    specialized vocabulary also develops eg. “OB” would mean organizational
    behavior to the professors of management and possibly “obstetrics” to
    the professors in medicine.
     
    The
    more specialized the jobs within an organization the more departments
    are differentiated within that organization (i.e. greater the
    departmentalization). Departmentalization can be by function, product,
    service, client, geography, process, or some combination of these.