CAERPHILLY COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL

Caerphilly County Borough Council

Caerphilly County Borough Council

Organization structure

Q.1.

Ans

Analysis of the Case

The term organisational structure denotes the social relations that have consolidated themselves in organisational settings. There are two principal definitions of organisational structure. The more common one has its theoretical origins in the positivism of functionalist and structuralist sociology: Organisation is an objective, measurable, and comparable social fact (Cyert & March 1963, 5-11). This definition concerns long-lasting social relations, which once they have become consolidated, are autonomous with respect to the people who have created them and act as if they have an existence of their own. The second definition originates in the constructionism of interpretative sociology and symbolic interactionism and views organization as a constant process. It refers to the temporary and ephemeral occurrence of social interactions in Caerphilly County Borough Council's settings, which are closely connected to interrelations among Council actors without ever becoming autonomous and capable of their own action.. (Caerphilly County Borough Council)

Organisational structure of Caerphilly County Borough Council encompasses the relationships of authority and communication, both formal and informal, that exist within an organisation, as well as the rules, procedures, routines, norms, and other practices that guide and constrain the behavior of organisational participants. Organisational structures comprise both social structures and rational-legal structures that are independent of any particular social actor (Hannan & Freeman 1977, 939-964). The latter get passed down from one generation to the next, enabling an organisation to survive despite changes in participation. The way in which organisational structures are designed is important because different designs can either facilitate or impede the ability of an organisation to pursue its goals. Additionally, organisational structures can be highly dependent upon and influenced by their external environments.

Types of Organisational Structure

Scholars have conceptualised organisational structure in different ways. The most important is the “hierarchy,” which is generally characterized by a top-down authority structure, centralised coordination, and vertical communication. There are different views about how relationships are organised within a hierarchy. Max Weber described hierarchies in terms of their command and control functions one person at the top directs and coordinates everyone below. Herbert Simon, on the other hand, conceptualized the hierarchy as a system of interrelated subsystems organised from top to bottom. In this model, each person at any given level is connected to many people within that level, but relatively fewer people between levels. Aside from the hierarchical model, scholars have also conceptualized organisational structure as: mechanistic (characterised by high task specialization, vertical coordination and control, and management by plan and command), organic (characterized by multitasking, lateral coordination, and facilitative leadership), matrix (characterised by project-oriented teams comprising individuals detailed from other divisions), and M-form (characterized by multiple divisions organised according to the type of output they produce).

Elements of Organisational Structure

Regardless of the form it takes, organisational structure consists of both formal organisation (the rules, procedures, and routines that guide and constrain behavior) and informal organisation (the patterns of social relationships that exist “outside” the formal structure of the ...