Organizing Effective Performance
The organizing function includes all managerial activities that translate required planned
activities into a structure of tasks and authority. In a practical sense, the organizing functioninvolves (1) designing the responsibility and authority of each individual job and (2) determining
which of these jobs will be grouped in specific departments. For example, managers
of an engineering firm must determine what each engineer should do and what group
each engineer will be assigned to. The organizing function’s outcome is the organization
structure.
The organization structure consists of many different individuals and groups performing
different activities. These different activities must be integrated into a coordinated whole. 25
It’s management’s responsibility to devise integrating methods and processes. If the differences
among jobs and departments aren’t too great, then the simple exercise of authority is
sufficient to integrate the differences. For example, a small yogurt shop’s manager can easily
integrate order takers’ work by issuing directives. But the manager of a multiproduct,
multidivisional organization must rely on more complex cross-functional teams, product
and customer services managers, and electronic communication.