OE-1.3 Organizing & Human Resource Management
You can compare organization structures, explain authority, departmentation, span of control and delegation, and describe the HR cycle from planning through career management.
Structure is the diagram of who may tell whom what to do, and every structure trades speed against control - span of control and centralization are the two dials. Line versus staff authority is the distinction that explains most real workplace friction, so learn it with examples rather than definitions. The HR half is the process any of you will meet from the other side within a year of graduating.
Work through these
Nature and purpose of organizing; formal and informal organization
The second management function: deciding who does what. The formal structure is the chart, and the informal one is who actually talks to whom, which is frequently the more powerful of the two.
Types of organization structure
The shapes an organisation can take, from functional through divisional to matrix. Each solves one coordination problem and creates another, which is the pattern to look for rather than a best answer.
Line and staff authority; departmentation
Who can tell whom to do what, and who advises without commanding. Line and staff conflict is one of the oldest sources of friction in an organisation and it is structural rather than personal.
Span of control; centralization and decentralization
How many people one manager can handle, and how far decisions travel down. The two are linked: a wide span forces decentralisation whether or not anyone chose it.
Delegation of authority
Handing authority down while keeping responsibility, which is the awkward part. Most new managers fail here first, so it is worth more attention than its one line suggests.
HR planning, recruitment and selection
How people arrive in the organisation, from forecasting the need to choosing between candidates. It is the part of the function you will meet from the other side first.
Training and development; performance management
How people get better once they are in, and how that is measured. Performance management is the item everyone has an opinion about, and the theory is worth knowing before you form yours.
Career planning and management
The long view of one person's working life, which the organisation has an interest in as well. Read it as something to do to your own career rather than something done to you.
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