2023年7月17日发(作者：)

Task 1. Identify, with reasons, the structure that best describes the organisation at persent. Your description

should include the way in which activities are currently grouped together and reasons for this

Organizating: the process of creating an organization’s structure. Organizational structure the formal

arrangement of jobs within an organization. Organizational design：developing or changing an organization’s

structure. It’s the formal arrangement of jobs with an organization. When managers develop or change the

stucture, they’re engaged in organizational design, a process that involves decision about six key elements:

work specialization, departmentalization, chain of command, span of control, centraliza-tion and

decentralization, and formalization.

In terms of the work specialization. At the starting stage in 1990 the new firm of Barbour Brown Engineering

Ltd opened. The company have seven staffs, including pavid and Neil,two other qualified engineers and Jack a

recent high flying graduate and James. In addition there were two qualified techniciians and one opprentive

technician. They didn’t have clearly classification in the company. It is a simple structure. By the year 2004, the

firm employed other eleven employees including, two engineers, four technicians, and four apprentices, an

office supervisor was also employed to deal with reception, book-keeping and salaries. So, the specialisation

has increased.

In terms of the departmentalization. Functional departmentalisation means grouping job by functions performed.

The company have 3 departments. They are civil engineering department, administration and structural

department. David leads civil departments and administration, then civil engineering department have 3

engineers, 3 teglicicus and 3 appreitices. Neil leads structure department. Product departmental is atin means

grouping jobs by product line. The company have administration, then staff an office supervisor was also

employed to deal with reception, book-keeping and salaries. Hybrid a combination of two or more type. So

Barbour Brown Engineering Ltd is hybird structure.

The chain of command is always very clear. The unbroken line of anther that extends the top of the

organization to the lowest echelon and clarifies who reports to whom. In team have two main leaders David and

Neil. They have authority over 3 departments, all the staff are responsible to their leaders, David focus on unity

of command, for example, he use a timesheet to control staff’s time staff were required to seek authorisation by

having their timesheet initialed either by David or Neil （ James if they were unavailable prior to going out on

a site visit ）. Neil empowee employees, do not team structure, emphaise unity of command.

In terms of span of control. The company has always used a flat structure. This is good sign David and Neil

lead their staff directly. They have wide span of control.

David leader civil engeering department and adminitistation is centralization, because this is David style. He

makes all the decisions by himself, he never sought advice form his staff on the best way to divide up the work.

1 The use of timesheets also gave rise to discontentmant, especially among the engineers. Staff were required

authorisation by having their timesheets initialed to highly centralised department structure. Neil sturture

engineering department is decentralization, because this is Neil style. Neil uses decentralization more. He trust

his staff and he’s management approah was much more flexible. He shares his office with his staff and

discusses the project design and development with the team. Athough he would offer advice and assistance on

design elemants. So, Neil, Jack the structure engineer and his staff in the same office.

Refer to formalization. The degree to which jobs within the organization are standardized. I have to say David’s

department. David’s department has a high formalization structure. He made a lot of rules his staff, including a

timesheet to control their time and going out on a site vist. It is a bad sign. High formalization: minimum

worker discretion in how to get the job done. Many rules and procedures to follow the limited information

networe and low decision participation. It also means minimc worker decretion in how to get the job done,

many rules and procedures to follow. Neil uses low formalization, he gives his staff carried out, low

formalization job behaviors are nonprogrammed, employees have maximum discretion, low formalization

means fewer constraints on how employees do their work. The fewer constraiats on how employees do their

work. Neil’s staff have non-standardized jobs, fluid team-based structure. Neil has little direct supervision, and

minimal rules 3 opening communication network and empavered emplouees are good signs.

David’s department mechanistic organization is narrow spans of control, high formalization, limited

information network( downward) and low decision particpation.

Neil’s department organic organization is fluid team-based structure, little direct supervision, minimal formal

rules and low formalization.

Task 2. Describe a form of structure that would be more applicable for the organisation based on the proposed

new developments. Again your description should include the way the organisation should be grouped

Functional structure

2 David Neil John

Administation Engineering

Department

Construction

Department

Civil Structure Team1 Team2

Barbour Brown Engineering Ltd has a merger with John colbert civil Engineering. Therefore the department

has to restructure at the time. Because the two parties have corporational experiences before, they think the

marger is the best way to make profits. After the merger, the company have 3 margers, David leader

administation. The merger are good for the each other and meet the needs of customers. More and more dients

wanted cost savings that could be derived form the synergy that would result form dealing with one

organisation for design and development. Cunertly the two firms were about to start work on two major

departments: the new leisure complex and the office block for the swttish Executives, the latter of which was

only secured as a resule of the close working arrangement of the two fims. So the merger is leasonable, the

engineers would be formal an thority to manage the construction staff and a merger would help clarity this

relationship.

David is in change of the administation department. That department doesn’t need too much flexible works.

David have ability to control this department perfectly. Neil is in change of engineering department. The

engineering departments have two branches, Civil engineer and structure engineering. John is a chartered civil

engineer. He is responsible for the construction department. The department has digger driver and qualitied

builders. So the company has three chain of command. Using this method is simple and logical to decide and

usually effective in practice. It follows the principle of specialisation, and economies result by having similar

tasks grouped under one area.

The new firm faces the specialisation may invoke narrowness of outlook, because it is irability to see the whole

business. There may be conflicts between local functional goals and the needs of the whole organisation.

Management positions need people of wide experience and that is not readily available in a rigid functional

departmentation system that affords poor training gramds. So the merger’s new system is based on the function

of each departments. We can see the difference view of the structure. Efficiencies form putting together similar

specialties and people with common skills, knowledge, and orientations, coordination within functional area

and in-depth specialization but poor communication across functional areas and limited view of organizational.

3 Technology the organistation uses is a key factor in its success. This is in relation not just to information

technology but the complete approach to producing an item or delievering a service several studies have shown

how the approach taken to produce an item, i.e. the technology can influence the structure. Organisations adapt

their structures to their technology. Woodward’s classification of firms based on the complexity of the

technology employed, unit production of single units or small batches, Mass production of large batches of

output, process production in continuous process of outputs. Administration uses the Mechomistic seructure, it

belongs to mass production and Routine technology. Engineering design belongs to unit production and

non-routine technology. Constructior need to change the process, so it belongs to process production and

non-routine technology. Organic structure will be suituble.

Task 3. Using the Contingency Approach, describe how the main situational variables of task, technology and

size have helped determine the new organisation structure

The Barbour Brown Engineering Ltd structure is functional structure. The contingency approach suggests that

an effective organisation must adjust its structure in a way that is consistent with the type of environment in

which it operates as well as the technology it uses and any other context related factors such as the business

environment. The success of the organisation will be dependent on the business achieving a match between its

situation and its strategy.

The nature and size of the task is a key determinant in shaping the organisation. A complex task such as cancer

research may require a more complicated organisational structure then say a farming business, which only

grows and sells potatoes. We can know this case, David is in charge of administration department. Neil is in

charge of engineering design. John is in charge of construction department. After the merger, the task has

changes, and the task becomes complex. The engineering design and construction are the most important, the

administration is to support the other two departments.

Technology the organisation uses is a key factor in its success. This is in relation not just to information

technology but the complete approach to producing an item or delievering a service. Several studies have

shown how the approach taken to produce an item, i.e. the technology can influence the structure.

Organisations adapt their structures to their technology. Woodward’s classification of firms based on the

complexity of the technology employed, unit production of single units or small batches, Mass production of

large batches of output, process production in continuous process of outputs. Administration uses the

Mechoristic seructure, it belongs to mass production and Routine technology. Engineering design belongs to

unit production and non-routine technology. Constructior need to change the process, so it belongs to process

production and non-routine technology. Organic structure will be suituble.

The size of the organisation is key variable in influencing the design and structure of the organisation, with

small organisations typically having few procedures as compared to the large business, which typically will

4 have many written procedures, organisation charts and formal processes. The size of a company enclarge, the

competitiveness level will increase. The task becomes complex if the size increases. The company need to

improve their technology.

Those employed in the organisation can influence the structure of the organisation in several ways. David’s

authority reduce, he will be dissatisfied with the cultent condition. So the leaders should reach agreement about

the current authority. The employees can enhance communications with each other. The working methods

should discuss together. After the merger, the office moves out of town, they can communicate by email or

telephone. The cilents need not get to the office so that break out the control strategy.

The new company’s historic backgroud has the following items, the Barbour Brown Engineering Ltd has work

specialization, the company has well departmentalization, division of authority (Dvid is in charge of civil

engineering, Neil is in charge of structral engineering). The construction staff is charged by the engineers, that

would bring about conflicts. After the merger, the status has changes compared with before, the company may

be has the possibility of conflicts.

The changes always take place in the external environment. If the external environment is steady, the structure

need not change. About the company, it has lost several contract, that proves the competition is fierce. So the

Barbour Brown Engineering Ltd should maintaion the organic organisation.

Task 4. Identify the different line, staff, functional and / or lateral relationships within the proposed new

structure(You may use a diagram for this part)

A line relationship is said to exist where authority comes down from the boss to their staff divectly. In the

product organisation structure, there are 3 lines of command. One is the authority of administration manager

flows down its line of command. Another one is the authority of structural engineering service manager flows

down its line of command. The last one is the authority of structural engineering service manager flows down

its line of command where the functional special ist supports or has authority over certain activities of a

particular department there is said to be a Functional relationship. In the case study, the administration

department advise and support managers and their staff and act across the organisation. In my opinion, the

administration department can not exist without the engineering and constructure department. However,

engineering and constucture department can operatel in depanolently without the participation of administration

department. In addition to this, the relationship between engineering and constraction department is cooperative

and complenentary.

Lateral relationship are those that exist between staff at the same level in the organisation. In the gaven

structure, the engineering staff and constructure staff belony to the same level and administration manager. The

mangers of civil engineering and structured, engineering service and administration manager are the same

management level. Moreover, David, John and Neil are the same level managers.

5 Staff relationship describe the relationship between the assistants of senior staff and other staff. In my designed

structure, the engineering staff and construction staff belony to the same level. Thus they have the same right

and obligation. However, in the real sltuation, the engineering assistant house the indirect authority to manage

the constructare staff. That is because the engineering issistunt act as a representative of the senior manager

they work for.

Functional relationship: The functional specialist supports or has authority over certain activities of a partioular

department there is said to be a functional relationship. In the case, administration department is to support

engineering and construction department, Engineering and Constraction department will build up a cooperative

and complernontal relationship.

Task 5. Describe how authority, responsibility and delegation should be exercised within the new structure

Management Line Relationship

Functional Relationship

Lateral Relationship

Staff Relationship

Non-management staff

Authority is the right to direct or guide the actions of other and extract from them responses that are appropriate

to achieving the goals of the organisation. With the merger of the two firms, authority will be allocated as well.

Thus, there will be more new problems with the authority. Taking David for instance, the manager of

administration department can not satisfy the need of David. Therefore, the new firm should find measures like

communicating with him to solve such problem.

Responsibility is the obligation placed on a person who has a certain position in an organisation to perform a

task, assignment or function Generally speaking, the responsibility of training should be under taken by

functional department. At the same time, the administration department has the responsibility of book- keeping,

reception or others.

Delegation is the act of passing the responsibility to complete a task to another person. Zen the given structure,

the manager of civil engineering service pass his responsibility to the engineering staff and construction staff

6 for completing the company’s task more efficiently.

References

SQA, (2004), Managing People and Organisation, 3rd Edition, China Modern Economic Publishing House

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