Organisational Structures
Who reports to whom, and who decides what? Meet tall and flat structures, the chain of command and span of control, centralised and decentralised decisions, and the different ways people work.
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How a business is organised 🏢
Every business needs a way to organise its people: **who reports to whom**, and **who decides what**. The shape of that structure changes how fast it moves and how well it communicates. This module meets **tall** and **flat** structures, the **chain of command** and **span of control**, and the different **ways of working**.
The language of structure 🔑
Four ideas run through this module:
A tall or a flat structure ⚖️
The number of layers changes how the business works.
Match each term to its meaning 🔗
- Chain of command
- Span of control
- Delegation
- Centralised
- The line of authority from the top down to the bottom
- The number of employees a manager is directly in charge of
- Passing authority and tasks down to a subordinate
- Keeping the major decisions at the top of the business
Where decisions are made 📡
In a **centralised** business the major decisions stay at the top, which keeps them consistent but can be slow. In a **decentralised** business decisions are spread to local levels, which is faster and can motivate staff. Either way, the more layers a structure has, the more chances there are for **communication** to break down.
Span in a tall structure 🎯
In a tall, hierarchical structure, what is the span of control usually like?
- Narrow, so each manager controls only a few staff
- Wide, so each manager controls very many staff
- Zero, because managers control nobody
- Always exactly the same as a flat structure
A flat structure ✅
Select the TWO features of a flat structure.
- Few layers of management
- A wide span of control
- A long chain of command
- Many levels of management
Down the chain of command 🪜
An interactive activity.
Match each way of working 🔀
- Full-time
- Part-time
- Flexible hours
- Freelance
- Working a full working week
- Working fewer hours than a full week
- Choosing when to start and finish within limits
- Working for yourself on separate contracts
Faster local decisions 🔎
A business wants its local branches to make quick decisions for their own customers. What should it do?
- Decentralise, so branches decide for themselves
- Centralise every decision at head office
- Let nobody make any decisions
- Close all the local branches
Structure in words 🧩
The line of authority from top to bottom is the _____ of command. The number of people a manager controls is the _____ of control. A _____ structure has many layers, while a flat structure has few. Passing authority down to a subordinate is called _____. A _____ business keeps its major decisions at the top.
Spot the true statements 🖍️
An interactive activity.
Organise the business 🧭
An interactive activity.
Tall or flat? ✍️
An interactive activity.