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An organization chart is a diagram which shows the internal structure of a business, and how the different jobs within it fit together.
Different businesses are organized in different ways, tobest achieve their objectives. However, an organizationchart for any business will clearly show:
the different functional areas of the business and the job roles within each functional area
how many people work in each functional area
the different levels of responsibility/authority in the business – who is in charge, and who reports to whom.
In an organization chart, the people near the top have responsibility for those below them.
The chain of command refers to the number of layers through which messages (commands) have to pass in order to get from the person at the top level of authority to staff at the bottom level. The larger the business, the longer the chain of command is likely to be.
The span of control is the number of people under the supervision of any given manager (i.e. the people below them in the chart).
Thorpe Park is a large business with many different functional areas. This organization chart shows the structure of the Marketing department at Thorpe Park.
Large businesses and organizations such as Thorpe Park and your school will usually have a hierarchical structure.
This is a form of organization with many different levels of responsibility. The more levels in a business, the more opportunities there are for promotion up the hierarchy.
Smaller businesses or organizations will tend to have flat structures – where there are only two or three levels. These types of business are more informal, with close contact between managers and the rest of the staff.
What advantages and disadvantages of flat and hierarchical structures can you think of?
Organizations can either be centralized or decentralized. A centralized organization keeps the control in the hands of a few senior managers or directors. In a decentralized organization, authority and control is delegated to the individual managers.
Virgin is well-known as a decentralized organization: the Virgin group consists of separate, semi-independent companies. While Richard Branson is chairman of the Virgin group, he allows his managers to take control of the running of each business.
Businesses organize themselves to achieve their specific aims and objectives, which means that no two businesses will share the same structure. However, in in all medium-to-large businesses, there will usually be four key job levels.
There are a number of differences between key job levels ina business. The roles of staff in managerial, supervisory, operative and support roles will vary in terms of:
their key responsibilities
their tasks or activities – what the job entails
their job security
decisions to make and problems to solve
the skills, qualifications and personal qualities they require
the related pay and benefits.
Think about the job roles of a supermarket manager and a checkout assistant. How do you think they are likely
Businesses often set out the activities and duties of their employees using job descriptions. A job description is a document that summarizes the key tasks the job holder will be expected to perform and the responsibilities they will have.
Many organizations have job descriptions for every job within the business, from the managing director to the cleaner.
Job title: Theme park cleanerDepartment: Housekeeping and Maintenance
Hours of work:35 hours per week Duties & responsibilities: 1. Work as part of the park cleaning team to ensure that
litter is collected and that the outside areas of the park remain clean and tidy at all times.
Imagine you are the Human Resources Manager at Thorpe Park. During the busy summer months you need to recruit temporary staff to help out at the park. Select one of the following job roles and write a job description for it.
Ride technicianFood and beverage team leaderCustomer assistantTheme park gardener
Managers are often responsible for the work of several other members of staff as well as their own.
Skills/qualifications: usually educated to degree level.Personal qualities: leadership, ambition, commitment, drive.Pay and benefits: variable depending on the size of the business, but can exceed £100,000. May also also benefit from share option schemes, private healthcare, pension contributions, a company car and performance-related bonus schemes.
Key tasks: running a business or department, meeting targets, managing and motivating staff, planning for the future.Job security: dependent on the success of the business.
Supervisors, also known as duty managers or team leaders, are the link between the manager and the operatives. They are responsible for staff within their own department.
Job security: variable, although supervisors cost less than managers so they may be less vulnerable to business changes.Skills/qualifications: dependent upon area of work.Personal qualities: attention to detail, ability to motivate staff, reliability.Pay and benefits: dependent on the size of the company, but less than managers.
Key tasks: ensuring the smooth, day-to-day running of their own department and managing and motivating their staff.
Job security: dependent upon the demand for the organization’s products and services.Skills/qualifications: dependent on job.Personal qualities: hardworking, reliable, able to work within a team.Pay and benefits: variable – can be salaried or paid hourly.
Key tasks: doing own job professionally, whether it be as a supermarket checkout assistant or restaurant waitress.
Operatives are responsible for carrying out specific tasks, which are crucial to the day-to-day running of the business.
Skills/qualifications: variable.Personal qualities: reliability, attention to detail (possible supervisory skills for skilled support staff).Pay and benefits: unskilled support staff often receive minimum wage. Skilled support staff are paid according to their specific skills and level.
Key tasks: can include administrative duties, IT support, security, maintenance and cleaning.Job security: variable, although it is rare for any organization to operate without support staff.
Support staff assist the operatives, supervisors and managers. Their roles are not directly related to the production of an organization’s goods and services.