Organisation Theory
CONCEPTS AND CASES
5th edition
Stephen P. Robbins and Neil Barnwell
,Index
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 13
- Hofstede
-
,Chapter 1
Organisation = a deliberate managed and coordinated social entity, with a relatively
identifiable boundary, which functions on a relatively deliberate basis to achieve a common
goal or set of goals
- Deliberate managed and coordinated: there is a management hierarchy involved in
decision making
- Social entity: the unit is composed of people or groups of people who interact with each
other
- Identifiable boundary: differentiates who is part of the organisation and who isn’t
- Continuing basis: members participate with some degree of regularity
Why an organisation?
Goals are unattainable when working alone or are achieved more efficiently when working
together.
Organisation structure = defines how tasks are to be allocated, areas of responsibility and
authority, reporting relationships, and the formal coordinating mechanisms and interactions
patters that will be followed
1. Complexity = the extent of differentiation within the organisation
2. Formalisation = the degree to which an organisation relies on rules and procedures to
direct the behavior of employees
3. Centralisation = considers where the responsibility for decision-making authority lies
* Centralised: problems flow upwards and just a few (or one) senior executives make
the relevant decision
* Decentralised: authority is dispersed downwards the hierarchy and a greater
number of people are involved in decision-making
These are 2 extremes, organisations tend to be one of these.
Organisation design = the construction and change of an organisation’s structure
Organisation theory = the discipline that studies the structure and design of organisations
Organisation behaviour = a field of study that investigates the impact of individuals and
small-group factors on employee performance and attitudes
, System = a set of interrelated and interdependent parts arranged in a manner that produces
a unified whole
Differentiation: distinct functions
Integration: to maintain unity and purpose among the differentiated parts
1. Closed system = a self-contained system that has no interaction with its environment
More of a conceptualization rather than something that actually exists.
2. Open system = a dynamic system that interacts with and responds to its environment
Characteristics of an open system
- Environment awareness = the organisation consistently interacts with its environment
- Feedback = the system adjusts to information from its environment
- Cyclical character = the system consists of cycles of events
- Tendency towards growth = without active intervention, the system runs down of
disintegrates
- Steady state = there is an input or energy to counteract the winding-down properties
- Movement towards growth and expansion = the more sophisticated the system, the
more it is likely to grow and expand
- Balance of maintenance and adaptive activities = to be effective the system must ensure
that its subparts are in balance and that it maintains its ability to adapt to the
environment
- Equifinality = there are a number of ways to achieve the same objective
Biological metaphor = suggests that organisations proceed through predictable life-cycle
stages (they will be conceived, live and die)
Organisational life circle = the pattern of predictable change through which the organisation
moves from start-up to dissolution
1. Entrepreneurial stage
o Ambitious goals
o High creativity
2. Collectivity stage
o Informal communication and structure
o High commitment
3. Formalisation-and-control stage
o Formalisation of rules
o Stable structure
o Emphasis on efficiency
4. Elaboration-of-structure stage
o More complex structure
o Decentralization
o Diversified markets
5. Decline stage
o High employee turnover
o Increased conflict
o Centralisation
CONCEPTS AND CASES
5th edition
Stephen P. Robbins and Neil Barnwell
,Index
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 13
- Hofstede
-
,Chapter 1
Organisation = a deliberate managed and coordinated social entity, with a relatively
identifiable boundary, which functions on a relatively deliberate basis to achieve a common
goal or set of goals
- Deliberate managed and coordinated: there is a management hierarchy involved in
decision making
- Social entity: the unit is composed of people or groups of people who interact with each
other
- Identifiable boundary: differentiates who is part of the organisation and who isn’t
- Continuing basis: members participate with some degree of regularity
Why an organisation?
Goals are unattainable when working alone or are achieved more efficiently when working
together.
Organisation structure = defines how tasks are to be allocated, areas of responsibility and
authority, reporting relationships, and the formal coordinating mechanisms and interactions
patters that will be followed
1. Complexity = the extent of differentiation within the organisation
2. Formalisation = the degree to which an organisation relies on rules and procedures to
direct the behavior of employees
3. Centralisation = considers where the responsibility for decision-making authority lies
* Centralised: problems flow upwards and just a few (or one) senior executives make
the relevant decision
* Decentralised: authority is dispersed downwards the hierarchy and a greater
number of people are involved in decision-making
These are 2 extremes, organisations tend to be one of these.
Organisation design = the construction and change of an organisation’s structure
Organisation theory = the discipline that studies the structure and design of organisations
Organisation behaviour = a field of study that investigates the impact of individuals and
small-group factors on employee performance and attitudes
, System = a set of interrelated and interdependent parts arranged in a manner that produces
a unified whole
Differentiation: distinct functions
Integration: to maintain unity and purpose among the differentiated parts
1. Closed system = a self-contained system that has no interaction with its environment
More of a conceptualization rather than something that actually exists.
2. Open system = a dynamic system that interacts with and responds to its environment
Characteristics of an open system
- Environment awareness = the organisation consistently interacts with its environment
- Feedback = the system adjusts to information from its environment
- Cyclical character = the system consists of cycles of events
- Tendency towards growth = without active intervention, the system runs down of
disintegrates
- Steady state = there is an input or energy to counteract the winding-down properties
- Movement towards growth and expansion = the more sophisticated the system, the
more it is likely to grow and expand
- Balance of maintenance and adaptive activities = to be effective the system must ensure
that its subparts are in balance and that it maintains its ability to adapt to the
environment
- Equifinality = there are a number of ways to achieve the same objective
Biological metaphor = suggests that organisations proceed through predictable life-cycle
stages (they will be conceived, live and die)
Organisational life circle = the pattern of predictable change through which the organisation
moves from start-up to dissolution
1. Entrepreneurial stage
o Ambitious goals
o High creativity
2. Collectivity stage
o Informal communication and structure
o High commitment
3. Formalisation-and-control stage
o Formalisation of rules
o Stable structure
o Emphasis on efficiency
4. Elaboration-of-structure stage
o More complex structure
o Decentralization
o Diversified markets
5. Decline stage
o High employee turnover
o Increased conflict
o Centralisation
