ORGANISATION
MEANING OF ORGANISATION
Organisation is a collection of interdependent human beings engaged in a systematic effort to
produce a good or an activity. It consists of systematic human strategies designed to achieve
certain objectives/purposes that individuals cannot achieve on their own.
Motivating meaning of organization is a function of organization where the employer meets the
social and psychological needs of employees in the fulfillment of organizational goals.
Ways of enhancing motivation of Workers
1. The management should instill a feeling of belonging in its workforce. This can often be
achieved by informing the team as to the progress of firm or site; this will help encourage a
sense of participation which in its turn tends to create a feeling of keenness and loyalty.
2. The supervisor should also try to ensure that a workman’s own initiative is allowed sufficient
scope and assigned manageable responsibilities to prevent him from becoming frustrated.
3. Workers should be encouraged to seek promotion – no good leader stands in the way of
anyone’s advancement.
4. Economic rewards must be a major consideration. It is therefore necessary that a sound wages
policy is laid down with perhaps the added incentive of an attractive bonus scheme.
5. Other considerations to aid motivation include: sense of security, status, minding of workers’
welfare, availing sound opportunities to workers etc.
PRINCIPLES OF ORGANISATION
Since every organisation structure should be evolved to meet specific objectives there is no one
set of principles which can be given as a blueprint for the office manager to follow. However there
are some basic principles, which can be used as a guideline even though they may not all be
applicable to individual circumstances.
1. Unity of Command: Every person should be immediately responsible to one person only.
Nothing is more confusing than for a person to receive conflicting instructions from more
than one supervisor.
2. Authority should be granted commensurate with responsibility. This when not done
makes the individual to feel frustrated and lose his initiative. Responsibilities must be clear,
precise and laid down in such a way that each supervisor knows his own duties. The
superior should take responsibility for the acts of his/ her subordinates.
3. The span of control should be appropriate to the quality of staff, variety of work and
capacities of the supervisor. Span of control means the number of subordinates responsible
to a superior. This should normally be between 5 and 7.
4. Co-ordination. It involves division of work. It eases the flow of command and instructions
so as to not waste efforts that could minimize productivity.
5. Flexibility. The organizational structure should be flexible ie. Adaptable in changing
situations. It permits expansion and replacement without major disruption.
6. Simplicity. The organization should be simple for the clear understanding of employees.
This should include making the levels of management fairly minimal.
7. Scalar principle. It is defining the line of authority from one superior to another or from
the C.E.O to the medium/ lower level.
8. Efficiency. Any organizational structure should enable the enterprise to achieve laid down
objectives with ease and in good time.
9. The maximum use should be made of the specialist abilities of each employee.
10. Number of levels of management to be minimized. This will be determined by the
objectives/policies of the company, the organizational culture etc.
11. There should be the right degree of centralization appropriate to workflow
requirements, staff specialist abilities, and other considerations. Most organisations have
to decide how, and how much, to delegate to managers and others throughout the job
hierarchy.
12. Even work distribution – should be equitable to avoid ineffectiveness, thus ensuring a
successful completion of the separate units into the final end product of the organisation,
eliminating duplication of work, even the possible failure of work being done.
13. Balance. This means the sizes of the department should be reasonable to function well.
There should be centralization and decentralization where needed so that the top
management has balance in horizontal and vertical relationships.
14. Delegation (explain)
SPAN OF CONTROL
Within the limits of an organisation, the groups, sections or departments will be ruled and guided
by a leader who will have the responsibility of ensuring that his section carries out its objectives
to a final satisfactory conclusion, coordinated with the efforts of the other sections. The leader,
whether he be contracts manager or craft foreman, can only control his subordinates if he can
communicate with them. Although the ease of communication will vary under different
circumstances, it is generally considered that a practical limit to the number of persons under one’s
control is between 5 and 7.
Forms of span of control
a) Wider span of control
It is the manager’s authority over a large number of subordinates.
b) Narrow span of control
Is when the manager has direct authority over a few number of staff members. It is appropriate for
managers’ incharge of subordinates performing complicated or customized work.
Factors Determining Span of Control
When considering a man’s span of control all the conditions must be considered bearing in mind
such items as:
1. The method of communication e.g. phone, letter, etc.
2. The speed in which decisions must be made and their importance vis-à-vis the actual time
required for any decision and guidance to reach the subordinates.
3. Whether the work or responsibilities involved are competitive or complex in nature and the
degree of change to which they are subject.
4. The leader himself considering the load he has to carry in relation to his character and stability,
i.e. are they capable of producing results with spans of a certain number?
5. The level of knowledge and experience of the subordinates concerned
6. The costliness of possible mistakes by individuals in the unit
7. The degree of hazard or danger associated with the work
8. The relative location of subordinates and traveling time involved
9. The organizational structure adopted by the organisation
Problems of too big a Span of Control
With a greater number of persons under one’s control, efficiency and production can be affected
due to:
1. Poor communication and coordination, which in turn may lead to:
2. Lowering of morale and the breaking down of team spirit or
3. Unofficial sub-groups forming within the main group
4. Lowering of standard of work due to lack of correct supervision
5. Poor timekeeping and lengthy breaks, and many more unfavourable conditions.
A typical span of control for a large size project is shown below, showing which and how
many men are answerable to whom.