Blog: cs615 VU Current Assignment No. 3 Fall 2011 solution

CS 615 assignments Solution

People are managed through an organizational structure. This hierarchical structure is based on the four cornerstones of management:

– Delegation

– Authority

– Responsibility

– Supervision.

Delegation bestows authority, and authority produces (and requires) responsibility. Both authority and responsibility require supervision, and effective supervision requires a suitable organizational structure:

Organization as a System

It helps to think of organizations are systems.

Simply put, a system is an organized collection of parts that are highly integrated in order to accomplish an overall goal. (Page 194)

Systems have inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes. To explain, inputs to the system include resources such as raw materials, money, technologies and people.

These inputs go through a process where they're aligned, moved along and carefully coordinated, ultimately to achieve the goals set for the system. Outputs are tangible results produced by processes in the system, such as products or services for consumers.

The organization is depicted by its organizational charts, job descriptions, marketing materials, etc.

The organizational system is also maintained or controlled by policies and procedures, budgets, information management systems, quality management systems, performance review systems, etc.

Structural Dimensions

The organization's structure, or design, is the overall arrangement of the organization's various roles, processes and their relationships in the organization.

The design of an organization is a means to accomplishing the organization's overall goal - the structure is not an end in itself.

In systems theory terms, the design ensures that the appropriate inputs go through the necessary processes to produce the required outputs to produce the intended outcomes.