Organisational structures, span of control and delegation

Overview

Job roles and the chain of command, span of control, tall and flat structures and delayering, delegation, centralisation against decentralisation, and how structure affects communication.

What you need to know

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Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is an organisational structure?

   Model answer

   An organisational structure shows how a business is arranged, including job roles and who reports to whom. An organisation chart sets out the structure.

2. 2

   Why do businesses have an organisational structure?

   Model answer

   A structure makes clear each person's role, responsibilities and manager. Staff know who to report to and how decisions are made.

3. 3

   What are the main job roles in a business's structure?

   Model answer

   Directors set the business's overall aims and strategy. Managers organise departments, supervisors oversee daily work, and operatives carry out tasks.

4. 4

   What is the chain of command?

   Model answer

   The chain of command is the line of authority from the top of a business to the bottom. Instructions pass down the chain and information passes up.

5. 5

   What is span of control?

   Model answer

   Span of control is the number of employees who report directly to one manager. A manager with eight direct reports has a span of control of eight.

6. 6

   What is a tall organisational structure?

   Model answer

   A tall structure has many layers of management and narrow spans of control. Each manager supervises only a few staff.

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