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Using ums and likes has a stigma that the speaker has bad communication skills, but there have been studies that prove that a word spoken after an "um" is more memorable than the word spoken alone. Chosen carefully, an "um" can be very effective.

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Why do we, like, hesitate when we, um, speak?

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For as long as we’ve had language, some people have tried to control it. And some of the most frequent targets of this communication regulation are the ums, ers, and likes that pepper our conversations. These linguistic fillers occur roughly 2 to 3 times per minute in natural speech. So are ums and uhs just a habit we can’t break? Or is there more to them? Lorenzo García-Amaya investigates. [Directed by Yael Reisfeld, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Yael Reisfeld].

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(Insert generic happy office workers photo)

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(Insert generic happy office workers photo)

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The most important element of communication is to relate quality information. Too much fluff is a waste of time. Some other points I'd like to remember are to avoid being too personal with coworkers, refrain from gossip, and handle conflicts immediately. We need to communicate because some people are so neurotic that a small misunderstanding can manifest into a year long existential crisis.
This is especially something that I need to tackle because I'm gullible and when people say things about me I believe them, while I don't believe myself. I think if I question people as soon as I hear something contradictory to what I believe, then I can understand where they're coming from better instead of creating a narrative that doesn't exist in my head.

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Communication in the workplace has dynamically progressed with recent changes in technology, leading to new standards of contacting those you work with. As a result, there are a handful of ways to improve your communication skills that pertain to your professional life.

Quality Content

The content of the messages you are trying to get across is the starting point of effective communication. It is imperative to ensure that what you are communicating is clear, and that the information is accurate. Whether you are sending out a mass email to all of your employees or simply having an informal conversation by the water fountain, it is important to know what kind of information you should be communicating in order to be successful in this area. For informal conversations, avoid controversial topics and matters that are too personal, as discussion of emotion-invoking matters or gossip can sometimes lead to loss of professional credibility.

Modern Methods

Beyond the content of the information you present, it is essential to focus on what methods you are using to communicate. In some cases, you will need to focus on your body language and means of interaction when you are the communicator. Other times, it is more vital to concentrate your attention on how you respond when coworkers communicate with you.
Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication can be anything from body language to tone of voice. For non-verbal communication, you should appear confident when you give presentations or meet with your superiors. For example, good posture and maintaining eye contact are excellent traits that portray confidence. In addition to this, you should also keep a moderate tone of voice, being careful not to bore your listener with a monotone speech.
Communication Channels
A communication channel is a means by which you articulate the message you want to communicate. These include electronic messages, written messages, and face-to-face contact. When possible, it is best to use face-to-face contact with your coworkers since this builds trust and leaves less room for error with how your message will be received. On the other hand, communicating with large numbers of people over simple topics can be a great use for email, as it is more efficient than meeting with every employee individually.
Information Reception
When you are on the receiving end of communication, some ways to improve your communication skills are to actually listen to what they are saying, and acknowledge what they say with facial expressions and gestures such as smiles and head nods. Furthermore, you can affirm that you understand what the coworker is saying by asking appropriate questions that pertain to the information they communicated to you.

Here at Fremont College, we have designed programs to teach you how to thoroughly and effectively communicate with others, as well as prepare you for your career of choice. To learn more about our programs in Paralegal Studies, Multimedia Design, and many more high-demand subjects, contact us today!

Effective workplace communication is vital to creating and maintaining a positive work environment. There have been major advances during the last several years that have improved the ease at which people communicate in the workplace, however, with this ease comes a tendency to disregard the importance of effective face-to-face communication. Below are tips for effective workplace communication that will help increase productivity and improve relationships with co-workers.

10. Offer positive feedback
If your co-worker performs a task well, tell him or her. Providing positive feedback is a great way to improve workplace communication. It also helps people view you more favorably and encourages open communication. Having a positive attitude in general at work will open the door for effective communication prompting people to respond more favorably to you.

Learn effective workplace communication skills by enrolling in a degree program at Fremont College. At Fremont College, you will obtain the skills you need to be a confident, articulate professional who possesses effective workplace communication skills that employers will appreciate. Choose from the following in-demand degree programs at Fremont College: Multimedia Design, Business Leadership, Paralegal Studies, and Sports Therapy. Space is limited, so contact us today to enroll in one of our degree programs.

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Top 10 Tips for Effective Workplace Communication | Fremont College

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Communication in the workplace has dynamically progressed with recent changes in technology, leading to new standards of contacting those you work with. As a result, there are a handful of ways to improve your communication skills that pertain to your professional life.

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The HR & training page provides an overview of Hilton's culture. Culture drives growth within companies and works to attract the type of people the company wants to employ. Hilton has HR specifications for owners and employees and provides training to employees to ease the owners' burden. Hilton calls its training programs an ecosystem, which turns the company into a living, breathing entity. All companies essentially are alive and constantly changing, so having a strong foundational culture is the defining point of a company.

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Our Team Members are at the center of everything we do.

We provide an ecosystem of programs to support our Team Members at every stage- from joining, to working, to growing all at Hilton.

Opportunities for Team Members are available in 5,000+ hotels and 100+ countries across the world, this global breadth exposes Team Members to fresh challenges and Hilton's unique strategies ensuring career longevity.

But don't just take our word for it...
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For Owners

Expertise: Proven track record in successfully operating non-union hotels in union dominated markets.

Efficiency: Operational staffing resources and strategies support strong business performance; 4% reduction in US Hotel Turnover.

Recruitment: Access to established national Recruitment Operations Centers that provide centralized recruitment expertise and services for hotel talent acquisition.

Engagement: Culture that attracts, nurtures and retains the very best talent in the industry; 80% employee engagement that results in higher productivity, lower labor costs, and loyal repeat guests.

Resources: Accessibility to platforms like TMX (Team Member Experience) - Hilton's new cloud-based, mobile-enabled HR and Payroll system designed to improve access, process efficiencies, and report capabilities across Core HR, Payroll, Compensation, Talent Management, and Performance Management functions.

For Your Team

Recognition: Robust programs, such as Team Member Appreciation Week and Catch Me At My Best, empower Team Members to continue to grow with Hilton and go the extra mile to impress guests.

Learning and Leadership Development: Industry-leading training and development programs that deliver $2,000 savings per Team Member to owners through innovative solutions such as virtual instructor-led courses and provide a 25% decrease in-seat learning time.

Rewards: Access to GoHilton, team member travel program, which grants owners access to dynamic pricing models that contribute to RevPAR by reducing room vacancies; GoHilton has generated $450M in total revenue.

"We are Hilton. We are Hospitality."

Testimonials

Hilton Defining a New Standard of Hotel Cleanliness

Hilton CleanStay with Lysol protection, as the program will be called in North America, will be a rigorous system that incorporates...

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Our Team Members are at the center of everything we do. Opportunities for Team Members are available in 5,000+ hotels and 100+ countries across the world, this global breadth exposes Team Members to fresh challenges and Hilton's unique strategies ensuring career longevity. But don't just take our word for it...

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Functional structure advantages, disadvantages, and who should use them

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Functional structure advantages, disadvantages, and who should use them

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Advantages include efficiency and quality. Disadvantages involved low diversification of tasks leading to burnout. Large companies are best suited for functional organizations.

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Updated August 10, 2020:
What Is a Functional Organizational Structure?

A functional organizational structure is a structure used to organize workers. They are grouped based on their specific skills and knowledge. It vertically structures each department with roles from the president to finance and sales departments, to customer service, to employees assigned to one product or service. Functional organizations contain specialized units that report to a single authority, usually called top management.

Each functional unit handles one aspect of the product or service provided such as:

information technology

marketing

development

research, etc.

They are referred to as "silos" because the function independently and have their own vertical management structure. Workers within each functional department communicate with each other exclusively, and then department heads communicate with each other. This structure works well in a stable environment that has continuous operations. The goal of a functional structure is to put together every informational and human resource necessary for one activity in a single place. The functional organizational structure helps organizations run their business and earn a profit.

Advantages of a Functional Structure

When employees who have similar skills and experiences are grouped together, it makes production more efficient and of a higher quality. Roles and tasks do not change very much so there is little time spent learning, and accountability is clear. Since the hierarchy is simple, employees know the one manager they are to answer to, instead of multiple people. This streamlines communication and reduces confusion among employees. Employees can feel confident about what they're doing because it is standardized. They are more likely to feel a loyalty to their department and the organization as a whole. This increases morale and work ethic, as there is more job security. There is a clear path of growth for employees which provides motivation, and they are more likely to be corporative with people in their department. A functional organizational structure provides a perfect environment for learning for new employees (especially new college graduates) to be taught the real-world application of theoretical information.

Disadvantages of the Functional Organizational Structure

Employees may find it boring to repeat the same task over and over, and become less enthusiastic over time. If promotions are not handled well, an employee may be discouraged if a lower-performing peer is promoted over them. Problems may arise among management if department heads are only focused on their department and do not communicate effectively with other departments. This can cause poor communication and "silos" that are too independent from one another. If employees and management are only loyal to their teams, there will be a lack of teamwork and coordination.

It is a rigid structure where changes, innovations, and flexibility can be difficult to implement. An employee in any department may lack knowledge of information about all other departments. Managers tend to make decisions without consulting the department first, which can lead to problems. A department can become too autocratic and put its goals above those of the organization as a whole. With so many specialists involved in a process, it is difficult to pin the blame for a specific product or service malfunction on any individual.

Who Is Best Suited for a Functional Organizational Structure?

Larger companies are better suited to use the functional organizational structure, especially ones that produce just a few types of goods or services. Smaller companies may not need the structure or may find it too constraining. For projects in which the depth of knowledge is more important than the breadth of information, a functional organizational structure is appropriate. For instance, a fundamental research and development program is well-suited to a functional organizational structure since the project can capitalize on the expertise of the department.

The functional organizational structure helps organizations run their business and earn a profit by grouping employees based on their skills and expertise. It provides a clear hierarchy and minimizes confusion among employees who may be unsure who they are to report to. It is an efficient way to run a business but can have drawbacks as it can lead to a lack of communication between departments and unenthusiastic employees.

If you need help with learning more about a functional organizational structure, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel's marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.

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Functional Organizational Structure: Everything You Need to Know

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Updated August 10, 2020: A functional organizational structure is a structure used to organize workers. They are grouped based on their specific skills and knowledge. It vertically structures each department with roles from the president to finance and sales departments, to customer service, to employees assigned to one product or service.

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The best part of specialization is reducing mental effort. The workers in each specialized department can be highly skilled in their respective departments.

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Specialization next to centralization, formalization and hierarchy, is one of the dimensions of the organizational structure. Specialization determines the division of labor between the units and the posts in the organizational structure and the nature and strength of the ties in the work breakdown. Structural specialization is to sort out positions and organizational structure in units according to some criterion, and the connection of homogeneous positions in larger organizational units, such as departments, divisions, strategic business units. Connecting aims to ensure coordination of the different work by submission of joint actions, to common management. It requires creation of specialized procedures and rules of operation but the tasks entrusted to the individual worker should be restricted to perform one function.

Types of specialization

Depending on how activities are grouped within the organization, there are the following types of specialization:

1. functional Specialization (breakdown by function) - consists of grouping activities according to their functions, for example: the manager might organize company by assigning professionals: technical, accounting, human resources and supply to separate departments.

2. Product Specialization (breakdown by product) - grouping activities according to types of manufactured products, such as: employees who deal with each of the major types of products shall carry out their tasks under the leadership of manager, specializing in all things related to its product range.

3. Market Specialization (breakdown by customers) - grouping activities according to common customers, e.g. company can be divided into three sections, serving retail, wholesale customers and institutions. This type of specialization is based on the premise that each customers group has common types of problems and needs, which can best be addressed by specialists.

4. Regional specialization (breakdown by territory) - grouping activities according to geographic regions, e.g.: the West, South West and the East. Each region has assigned own regional sales manager.

5. Specialization on the basis of the process - grouping activities according to the stage in work process or flow of customers. It is used for example in offices, in which to receive a specific service you need to go through several departments.

Organizations currently applies most of above described types of specialization. Today's competitive environment resulted in the focus of management on customers. To better track their needs and be able to respond to changes, a lot of emphasis is put to the specialization based on customers.

Advantages of specialization

decrease in number of management decisions needed,

high skill of workers in performing daily tasks,

minimizing mental effort,

reduce of the time needed to move from one position to another,

lower costs of training,

ability to use specialized equipment.

Disadvantages of specialization

Specialization promotes productivity, however, excessive specialization leads to the creation of the following barriers to growth:

technology (waste of time formed by frequent transmission of semi-finished products),

psychological (an increase in the number of errors associated with the monotony of work),

organizational (increase in the cost of coordination).

See also:

References

Mayhew, B. W., & Wilkins, M. S. (2003). Audit firm industry specialization as a differentiation strategy: Evidence from fees charged to firms going public. Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, 22(2), 33-52.

Miles, R. E., Snow, C. C., Meyer, A. D., & Coleman, H. J. (1978). Organizational strategy, structure, and process. Academy of management review, 3(3), 546-562.

Norton, E., & Tenenbaum, B. H. (1993). Specialization versus diversification as a venture capital investment strategy. Journal of Business Venturing, 8(5), 431-442.

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Specialization next to centralization, formalization and hierarchy, is one of the dimensions of the organizational structure. Specialization determines the division of labor between the units and the posts in the organizational structure and the nature and strength of the ties in the work breakdown.

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Know and differentiate between 4 different structures

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Know and differentiate between 4 different structures

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This post demonstrates four different organizational structures, simple, functional, multidivisional and matrix. High tech firms usually use matrix structures to oversee many projects at the same time. In multidivisional structures, companies are divided into departments based on products, services, or geographic regions.

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Within most firms, executives rely on vertical and horizontal linkages to create a structure that they hope will match the needs of their firm's strategy. Four types of structures are available to executives: (1) simple, (2) functional, (3) multidivisional, and (4) matrix ( Figure 9.6 "Common Organizational Structures"). Like snowflakes, however, no two organizational structures are exactly alike. When creating a structure for their firm, executives will take one of these types and adapt it to fit the firm's unique circumstances. As they do this, executives must realize that the choice of structure will influence their firm's strategy and strategic options in the future. Once a structure is created, it constrains certain future strategic moves, and supports others. If a firm's structure is designed to maximize efficiency, for example, the firm may lack the flexibility needed to react quickly to exploit new opportunities.

Simple Structure

Simple structures do not rely on formal systems of division of labor, and organizational charts are not generally needed. If the firm is a sole proprietorship, one person performs all of the tasks that the organization needs to accomplish. Consequently, this structure is common for many small businesses.

Functional Structure

Within a functional structure, employees are divided into departments that each handles activities related to a functional area of the business, such as marketing, production, human resources, information technology, and customer service.

Multidivisional Structure

In this type of structure, employees are divided into departments based on product areas and/or geographic regions. Jim Pattison Group, for example, has nine product divisions; Food and Beverage, Media, Entertainment, Automotive and Agriculture, Periodical Distribution and Marketing, Signs, Packaging, Forest Products and Port Service, and Investments and Partnerships.

Matrix Structure

Firms that engage in projects of limited duration often use a matrix structure where employees can be put on different teams to maximize creativity and idea flow. As parodied in the movie Office Space, this structure is common in high tech and engineering firms.

Many organizations start out with a simple structure. In this type of structure, an organizational chart is usually not needed. Simple structures do not rely on formal systems of division of labor ( Figure 9.7 "Simple Structure"). If the firm is a sole proprietorship, one person performs all the tasks the organization needs to accomplish. Many professions, such as doctors, lawyers, and architects, find that a simple structure meets the needs of their business. The same is true for small business owners; for example, on the TV series The Simpsons, both bar owner Moe Szyslak and Comic Book Guy are shown handling all aspects of their respective businesses.

If the firm consists of more than one person, tasks tend to be distributed among them in an informal manner rather than each person developing a narrow area of specialization. In a family-run restaurant or bed and breakfast, for example, each person will contribute as needed to tasks, such as cleaning restrooms, food preparation, and serving guests (hopefully not in that order). Meanwhile, strategic decision making in a simple structure tends to be highly centralized. Indeed, often the owner of the firm makes all the important decisions. Because there is little emphasis on hierarchy within a simple structure, organizations that use this type of structure tend to have very few rules and regulations. The process of evaluating and rewarding employees' performance also tends to be informal.

The informality of simple structures creates both advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, the flexibility offered by simple structures encourages employees' creativity and individualism. Informality has potential negative aspects, too. Important tasks may be ignored if no one person is specifically assigned accountability for them. A lack of clear guidance from the top of the organization can create confusion for employees, undermine their motivation, and make them dissatisfied with their jobs. Thus when relying on a simple structure, the owner of a firm must be sure to communicate often and openly with employees.

As a small organization grows, the person in charge of it often finds that a simple structure is no longer adequate to meet the organization's needs. Organizations become more complex as they grow, and this can require more formal division of labour and a strong emphasis on hierarchy and vertical links. In many cases, these firms evolve from using a simple structure to relying on a functional structure.

Within a functional structure, employees are divided into departments that each handle activities related to a functional area of the business, such as marketing, production, human resources, information technology, and customer service ( Figure 9.9 "Functional Structure"). Each of these five areas would be headed up by a manager who coordinates all activities related to her functional area. Everyone in a company that works on marketing the company's products, for example, would report to the manager of the marketing department. The marketing managers and the managers in charge of the other four areas in turn would report to the chief executive officer.

Using a functional structure creates advantages and disadvantages. An important benefit of adopting a functional structure is that each person tends to learn a great deal about his or her particular function. By being placed in a department that consists entirely of marketing professionals, an individual has a great opportunity to become an expert in marketing. Thus a functional structure tends to create highly skilled specialists. Second, grouping everyone that serves a particular function into one department tends to keep costs low and create efficiencies. Also, because all the people in a particular department share the same background training, they tend to get along with one another. In other words, conflicts within departments are relatively rare.

Using a functional structure also has a significant downside: executing strategic changes can be very slow when compared with other structures. Suppose, for example, that a textbook publisher decides to introduce a new form of textbook that includes "scratch and sniff" photos that let students smell various products in addition to reading about them. If the publisher relies on a simple structure, the leader of the firm can simply assign someone to shepherd this unique new product through all aspects of the publication process.

If the publisher is organized using a functional structure, however, every department in the organization will have to be intimately involved in the creation of the new textbooks. Because the new product lies outside each department's routines, it may become lost in the proverbial shuffle. And unfortunately for the books' authors, the publication process will be halted whenever a functional area does not live up to its responsibilities in a timely manner. More generally, because functional structures are slow to execute change, they tend to work best for organizations that offer narrow and stable product lines.

The specific functional departments that appear in an organizational chart vary across organizations that use functional structures. In the example offered earlier in this section, a firm was divided into five functional areas: (1) marketing, (2) production, (3) human resources, (4) information technology, and (5) customer service. In the TV show The Office, a different approach to a functional structure is used at the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of Dunder Mifflin. As of 2009, the branch was divided into six functional areas: (1) sales, (2) warehouse, (3) quality control, (4) customer service, (5) human resources, and (6) accounting. A functional structure was a good fit for the branch at the time because its product line was limited to just selling office paper.

Many organizations offer a wide variety of products and services. Some of these organizations sell their offerings across an array of geographic regions. These approaches require firms to be responsive to local customers' needs. Yet, as noted, functional structures tend to be fairly slow to change. As a result, when they expand, many firms abandon the use of a functional structure as no longer optimal for their larger size. Often the new choice is a multidivisional structure. In this type of structure, employees are divided into departments based on products, services, and/or geographic regions.

In the multidivisional form, the firm is divided into semi-autonomous divisions that have their own support (corporate) structures with each division being responsible for its own production and maximizing its own profit. The firm still has a central office that oversees the other divisions but the central office's main responsibility is to develop overall strategies for the business, not to be responsible for each division's operations.

Jim Pattison Group is an example of a company organized this way. As noted in this chapter's opening vignette, most of the company's employees belong to one of nine product divisions: Food and Beverage, Media, Entertainment, Automotive and Agriculture, Periodical Distribution and Marketing, Signs, Packaging, Forest Products and Port Services, and Investments and Partnerships.

A big advantage of a multidivisional structure is that it allows a firm to act quickly. When Jim Pattison Group made a strategic move such as acquiring Ocean Foods, only the relevant division (in this case, Food and Beverage) needed to be involved in integrating the new unit into the company's hierarchy. In contrast, if the Group was organized using a functional structure, the transition would be much slower because all the divisions in the company would need to be involved. A multidivisional structure also helps an organization better serve customers' needs. In the summer of 2006, for example, Jim Pattison Group's Investments and Partnerships division created Great Pacific Bank Limited in Barbados. Because one division of Jim Pattison Group handles all the firm's investment business, the wisdom and skill needed to decide when to enter the banking business in Barbados was more easily accessible.

Of course, empowering divisions to act quickly can backfire if people in those divisions take actions that do not fit with the company's overall strategy. McDonald's experienced this kind of situation in 2002. The France division of McDonald's ran a surprising advertisement in a magazine called Femme Actuelle. The ad included a quote from a nutritionist that asserted children should not eat at a McDonald's more than once per week. Executives at McDonald's headquarters in suburban Chicago were concerned about the message sent to their customers, of course, and they made it clear that they strongly disagreed with the nutritionist.

Another downside of multidivisional structures is that they tend to be more costly to operate than functional structures. While a functional structure offers the opportunity to gain efficiency by having just one department handle all activities in an area, such as marketing, a firm using a multidivisional structure needs to have marketing units within each of its divisions. In the Jim Pattison Group's case, for example, each of its nine divisions must develop its own marketing skills, which may reduce a firm's overall profit margin. The organization does have a Group Opportunities (GO) program that offers assistance such as group purchasing and shared services that can create efficiencies and save money.

An additional benefit of such moves is that consistency is created across divisions. Many Canadian universities and colleges have created an Office of Sustainability to coordinate sustainability initiatives across the entire organization. McMaster University has beekeeping on campus (McMaster, 2014). The University of Saskatchewan celebrated International Polar Bear Day by pledging to reduce building energy use by adjusting the cooling and heating temperatures in its buildings, and encouraging students and staff to take personal action to save energy now and in the future (University of Saskatchewan, 2014).

Within functional and multidivisional structures, vertical linkages between bosses and subordinates are central for decision making, communications, and accountability. Matrix structures, in contrast, rely heavily on horizontal relationships (Ketchen & Short, 2011). In particular, these structures create cross-functional teams that each work on a different project. This offers several benefits: maximizing the organization's flexibility, enhancing communication by emphasizing both vertical (top-down) and horizontal communications across functional lines, and supporting a stronger spirit of teamwork and collaboration. A matrix structure can also help develop new managers. In particular, a person with limited managerial experience can become a team leader for a relatively small project in developing their talents for leading others.

Using a matrix structure can create difficulties too. One concern is that using a matrix structure violates the unity of command principle because each employee is assigned multiple bosses. Specifically, any given individual reports to a functional area supervisor as well as one or more project supervisors. This has the potential to create confusion for employees because they are left unsure about who should be giving them direction, especially in setting priorities for their work. Violating the unity of command principle also creates opportunities for unsavory employees to avoid responsibility by claiming to be busy on the other supervisor's projects.

The potential for conflicts arising between project managers within a matrix structure is another concern. Chances are that you have had some classes with professors who are excellent speakers, while in other classes, you have been forced to suffer through a semester of semi-incomprehensible lectures. This mix of experiences reflects a fundamental reality of management: in any organization, some workers are more talented and motivated than others. Within a matrix structure, each project manager naturally will want the best people in the company assigned to his or her project because the boss evaluates these managers based on how well their projects perform. Because the best people are a scarce resource, infighting and politics can easily flare up around which people are assigned to each project.

One area where some degree of matrix management appears to be successful is in health. Most larger Canadian provinces use a regional health model, with regions covering up to half of the province. Local employees, often physically quite remote from headquarters, receive professional direction and orders from HQ health specialists such as the regional head nurse or the regional dental director, while receiving day-to-day directions from a local operations manager.

Organizations such as engineering and consulting firms that are functionally project oriented and require maximum flexibility for projects of limited duration are candidates for matrix management. Matrix structures are also used to organize research and development departments within many large corporations. In each of these settings, the benefits of organizing around semi-autonomous teams are sufficient to outweigh the risks of doing so. However, overall, given the risks and issues in matrix management, few organizations are good candidates for a matrix structure.

Strategy at the Movies

Office Space

How much work can a man accomplish with eight bosses breathing down his neck? For Peter Gibbons, an employee at information technology firm Initech in the 1999 movie Office Space, the answer was zero. Initech's use of a matrix structure meant that each employee had multiple bosses, each representing a different aspect of Initech's business. High-tech firms often use matrix to gain the flexibility needed to manage multiple projects simultaneously. Successfully using a matrix structure requires excellent communication among various managers-however, excellence that Initech could not reach. When Gibbons forgot to put the appropriate cover sheet on his TPS report, each of his eight bosses-and a parade of his coworkers-admonished him. This fiasco and others led to Gibbons to become cynical about his job.

Simpler organizational structures can be equally frustrating. Joanna, a waitress at nearby restaurant Chotchkie's, had only one manager-a stark contrast to Gibbons's eight bosses. Unfortunately, Joanna's manager had an unhealthy obsession with the "flair" (colorful buttons and pins) used by employees to enliven their uniforms. A series of mixed messages about the restaurant's policy on flair led Joanna to emphatically proclaim-both verbally and nonverbally-her disdain for the manager. She then quit her job and stormed out of the restaurant.

Office Space illustrates the importance of organizational design decisions to an organization's culture and to employees' motivation levels. A matrix structure can facilitate resource sharing and collaboration but may also create complicated working relationships and impose excessive stress on employees. Chotchkie's organizational structure involved simpler working relationships, but these relationships were strained beyond the breaking point by a manager's eccentricities. In a more general sense, Office Space shows that all organizational structures involve a series of trade-offs that must be carefully managed.

Most organizational charts show clear divisions and boundaries between different units. The value of a much different approach was highlighted by former GE CEO Jack Welch when he created the term boundaryless organization.A boundaryless organization is one that removes the usual barriers between parts of the organization as well as barriers between the organization and others (Askenas et al., 1995). Eliminating all internal and external barriers is not possible, of course, but making progress toward being boundaryless can help an organization become more flexible and responsive.

One example is W. L. Gore, a maker of fabrics, medical implants, industrial sealants, filtration systems, and consumer products. This firm avoids organizational charts, management layers, and supervisors despite having approximately 9,000 employees across thirty countries. Rather than granting formal titles to certain people, leaders with W. L. Gore emerge based on performance and they attract followers to their ideas over time. As one employee noted, "We vote with our feet. If you call a meeting, and people show up, you're a leader (Hamel, 2007)."

An illustration of how removing barriers can be valuable has its roots in a very unfortunate event. During 2005's Hurricane Katrina, rescue efforts were hampered by a lack of coordination between responders from the National Guard (who are controlled by state governments) and those from active-duty military units (who are controlled by federal authorities). According to one National Guard officer, "It was just like a solid wall was between the two entities (Elliott, 2011)." Efforts were needlessly duplicated in some geographic areas while attention to other areas was delayed or inadequate. For example, poor coordination caused the evacuation of thousands of people from the New Orleans Superdome to be delayed by a full day. The results were immense human suffering and numerous fatalities.

As Hurricane Sandy moved toward the U.S. East Coast near the end of 2012, the Secretary of Defense and affected governors agreed to appoint dual status commanders who could direct federal and National Guard forces. These commanders are typically National Guard officers who have been trained to preserve the two separate chains of command of federal and state forces, helping to coordinate troops and reduce redundancies. Under the direction of these commanders, Guard personnel conducted damage assessments and search-and-rescue missions, removed debris, delivered supplies and equipment, and supported evacuation shelters. The Defense Department also named active duty deputies to help supply dual status commanders with active duty troops if needed to deal with the effects of the hurricane. The coordinated effort worked much more efficiently in assisting those in need during and after the storm.

Creating an organizational structure is not a one-time activity. Executives must revisit an organization's structure over time and make changes to it if certain danger signs arise. For example, a structure might need to be adjusted if decisions with the organization are being made too slowly or if the organization is performing poorly.

In 2014, Walmart Canada confirmed that it laid off 750 employees across Canada to re-work its management structure. According to the company, after testing a new management structure in select stores, 1,300 associates were promoted to more senior roles and about 200 senior managers were added.

Procter and Gamble, the world's largest consumer products manufacturer, announced in 2014 that it may sell off its iconic Ivory soap brand. A range of reports pegged Ivory's 2013 global revenues at $112 million, and its share of the U.S. bar soap market at 3.4 percent. Even though Ivory maintains a high profile, it has retreated significantly from its highs of past decades, and it may be considered an expendable laggard among the high-performance product mix that P&G's CEO wants to create. P&G is being trimmed to concentrate on the seventy to eighty brands that generate more than $100 million in gross annual revenues. Ivory is just above that cutline, and projections do not call for growth.

Sometimes structures become too complex and need to be simplified. Many observers believe that this description fit Cisco Systems Inc., which designs, manufactures, and sells networking equipment. The company's CEO, John Chambers, has moved Cisco away from a hierarchical emphasis toward a focus on horizontal linkages. As of late 2009, Cisco had four types of such linkages. For any given project, a small team of people reported to one of forty-seven boards. The boards averaged fourteen members each. Forty-three of these boards each reported to one of twelve councils. Each council also averaged fourteen members. The councils reported to an operating committee consisting of Chambers and fifteen other top executives. Four of the forty-seven boards bypassed the councils and reported directly to the operating committee. These arrangements are so complex and time consuming that some top executives spend 30 percent of their work hours serving on more than ten of the boards, councils, and the operating committee.

Because it competes in fast-changing high-tech markets, Cisco needed to be able to make competitive moves quickly. The firm's complex structural arrangements are preventing this. In late 2007, a competitor, Hewlett-Packard (HP), started promoting a warranty service that provides free support and upgrades within the computer network switches market. Because Cisco's response to this initiative had to work its way through multiple committees, the firm did not take action until April 2009. During the delay, Cisco's share of the market dropped as customers embraced HP's warranty. This problem and others created by Cisco's overly complex structure were so severe that one columnist wondered aloud, "Has Cisco's John Chambers lost his mind?" (Blodget, 2009). In the summer of 2011, Chambers reversed course and decided to return Cisco to a more traditional structure, while reducing the firm's workforce by 9 percent. Time will tell whether these structural changes will boost Cisco's stock price, which dipped to $18 in mid-2011, but had rallied to the $24 range by 2014.

Askenas, R., Ulrich, D., Jick, T., & Kerr, S. (1995). The boundaryless organization: Breaking down the chains of organizational structure. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Blodget, H. (2009, August 6). Has Cisco's John Chambers lost his mind? Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-has-ciscos-john- chambers-lost-his-mind-2009-8

Cisco Systems Inc. (2014). Historic Price Lookup. Retrieved from http://investor.cisco.com/stocklookup.cfm?NavSection=Investing

Elliott, D. (2011, July 3). New type of commander may avoid Katrina-like chaos. Today News. Retrieved from http://www.today.com/id/43625625/ns/today-today_news/t/new-type-commander-may-avoid-katrina-like-chaos/#.VAZ99GZzaUk

Ketchen, D. J., & Short, J. C. (2011). Separating fads from facts: Lessons from "the good, the fad, and the ugly." Business Horizons, 54, 17-22.

Hamel, G. (2007, September 27). What Google, Whole Foods do best. CNNMoney. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/26/news/companies/management_hamel. fortune/index.htm

Insinna, V. (2012, December). Hurricane Sandy Puts New National Guard Command Mechanism to Work. National Defense Industrial Association. Retrieved from: http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2012/December/Pages/HurricaneSandyPutsNewNationalGuardCommandMechanismtoWork.aspx

Lamb, E. (2014, August 18). Could P&G Sell Off Iconic Ivory Brand? Sales have slid, no projected growth. Adweek. Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/could-pg-sell-iconic-ivory-brand-159565

McMaster University. (2008). Sustainability at McMaster. Retrieved from http://www.mcmaster.ca/sustainability/

The Canadian Press. (2014, May 26). Wal-Mart Canada confirms 750 layoffs. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/wal-mart-canada-confirms-750-layoffs-1.2654753

University of Saskatchewan. (2014). Work Green is Getting Better. Retrieved from http://facilities.usask.ca/sustainability/

Wikipedia Organization. (2014). Magna International. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_International

Wikipedia Organization. (2014). Jim Pattison Group. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Pattison_Group
Figure 9.7 image description: Simple Structure
Most small businesses begin with a simple structure where one person or a small set of people share the tasks needed to accomplish the firm's goals with relatively little formalized division of labor. We illustrate a number of businesses that commonly rely upon a simple structure below.

Need a few dollars to tide you over? You may want to pawn your rare coin collection. The pawn shops simple structure will mean that the same person values your coins, decides how much money you can borrow, and writes up your paperwork.

Bait shop owners generally do not dive deep into their pockets to pay for additional personnel as many are owner operated.

There is flexibility in the management of many yoga studios given the laid back management style often embraced.

The reality show Tattoo Nightmares illustrates how a tattoo parlour's simple structure governs a colourful set of tattoo artists who create body art for their patrons.

Instrument dealers may create beautiful music, but they rarely create complex organizational structures.

Architects often also act as marketers and accountants when drafting their small business plans.

When a dry cleaner is family owned as many are, all members of the family pitch in as needed to clean clothing and wait on customers.

"Bridezillas" are an occupational hazard for bridal shops, but these shops are generally able to avoid the complexity associated with other organizational structures.

Return to Figure 9.7 Figure 9.9 image description: Functional Structure
Functional structures rely on a division Of whereby groups Of people handle activities related to a specific function Of the overall business. We illustrate functional Structures in action within two types Of organizations that commonly use them.

Grocery Store Functions

Grocery stockers often work at night to make sure shelves Stay full during the day.

Pharmacists' specialized training allows them to command pay that can exceed $50 an hour.

Bakers wake up early to give shoppers their daily bread.

Bagging groceries requires a friendly personality as well as knowing that eggs should not go on the bottom.

Folks that work checkout aisles should be trusted to handle cash.

The creation of produce, deli, and butcher departments provides an efficient way to divide a grocery store physically as well as functionally.

Spa Function

Some spa employees manicure fingernails, a practice that is over four thousand years old. Many also provide pedicures, a service whose popularity has nearly doubled in the past decade.

Compared to other spa functions, little training is required of a tanning bed operator-although the ability to tell time may help.

Almost anyone can buy a shotgun or parent a child without any training, but every state requires a license in order to cut hair.

Cucumber masks are usually applied by a skincare specialist Who has taken a professional training program.

The license required of massage therapists in many provinces ensures that spa visits end happily.

Return to Figure 9.9 Figure 9.12 image description: Within a matrix structure, you will have multiple bosses, which contradicts the rule of direct chain of command.
There are 3 branches under CEO: business analyst manager who supervises business analysts, development manager who supervises developer, and quality assurance manager who supervises tester. There are product managers for 3 different product, each product manager supervises a business analyst, a developer and a tester. In this case, the business analysts, developers and testers have 2 bosses.
Return to Figure 9.12

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Mastering Strategic Management - 1st Canadian Edition

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Within most firms, executives rely on vertical and horizontal linkages to create a structure that they hope will match the needs of their firm's strategy. Four types of structures are available to executives: (1) simple, (2) functional, (3) multidivisional, and (4) matrix ( Figure 9.6 "Common Organizational Structures").

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Decision trees are great visual tools for mapping all possible outcomes of decisions.

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Photo by Y XJ on Unsplash

Business rules are a key ingredient for making business decisions. Which customers can be offered a higher credit limit? How much taxes to charge on a transaction? What purchases qualify for installment payments? These decisions require both the data (the parameters that will be evaluated) and the business logic (business rules) for evaluating the parameters.

Capturing business rules can get complicated. Traditional textual representation only works for straightforward rules and small number of variations. The more If-Then-Else constructs you have to use, the harder it will be to make textual representation clear and unambiguous. Just try reading some of the Terms and Conditions that you usually skip, or any the tax rules and regulations.

When we need to evaluate multiple conditions e.g. use a set of business rules to make a decision, two techniques - decision tables and decision trees - are useful to master.

A decision tree is preferred when each condition has no more than two or three outcomes. A business analyst skillful with this technique can become fast friends with the development team: a decision tree can be easily translated into the programming logic, and developers will appreciate the clarity and ease of validation.

From the stakeholders' perspective, a decision tree may be easier to validate than a table, as the logic is visual. Only when the number of factors and possible values grows fast, the tree may become too wide and unmanageable, and then the decision table will be your other option.

So what exactly is a decision tree?

A decision tree is a visual map representing all paths to possible outcomes depending on a limited number of factors.

Here is a simple example depicting the logic you might follow when you need to borrow $1,000. Depending on how long you need the money for, and what is your credit history, you have a few decision options.

You can use a decision tree as a visual representation of a set of business rules that will show the path to each possible decision when a predefined set of factors is evaluated. A business analyst will need to discover and confirm:

What factors are essential to making a decision (conditions)

What are possible values of each decision factor (alternatives)

What are possible outcomes (decisions)

How each factor influences the outcome

Using these elements, create a decision tree following this structure:

There are several modelling notations used for decisions trees, and the shapes utilized to depict the nodes and leaves vary. You can choose any notation that your environment is accustomed to (or introduce your favourite notation), as long as you follow these best practices:

A tree must start from one point but will have multiple end points - leaves (decisions).

You can build a decision tree top down, as in the examples above, or left to right, with the leaves on the far right. Choose what is more suitable based on the number of branches and the depth of the tree.

The order in which you apply conditions matters. Start with conditions that apply to most scenarios, and as you narrow down the scenario, use the conditions that are specific only to a particular branch of the tree.

For each condition, ensure that all possible alternatives are included. Do not leave gaps and avoid overlaps - the alternatives must be mutually exclusive.

Not all paths to the final outcomes need to be the same depth. Based on the conditions, some decisions can be reached with fewer evaluations.

Make the labels on the tree brief and succinct. Drop articles and prepositions. No full sentences are required. All descriptions and clarifications can be provided below, as the focus of the tree should be on the logic and its direction. Follow the modelling best practices.

The beauty of decision trees is in the visible depiction of the logic. We can see how many conditions have to be evaluated, what are possible alternatives for each condition and what are possible outcomes. Once this information is captured visually, your stakeholders will find it easier to see what is missing or incorrect.

To practice creating decision trees, follow along with this video:

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How to Create Decision Trees for Business Rules Analysis - Why Change

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Business rules are a key ingredient for making business decisions. Which customers can be offered a higher credit limit? How much taxes to charge on a transaction? What purchases qualify for installment payments? These decisions require both the data (the parameters that will be evaluated) and the business logic (business rules) for evaluating the parameters.

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The rise of technology in the restaurant industry isn't just a way to improve efficiency of day-to-day operations and enhance the customers' experience. Many new opportunities come with this technology to track costs, customer preferences, etc. and make decisions more easily. Adding data to the decision tree backs the ultimate decision and provides evidence of promising future success.

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Back in the days of pen and paper, the gastronomy sector was just fine. Before online reservations, customers simply picked up the phone to reserve their table. Before digital menu boards, a blackboard and chalk did the job. Before restaurants offered their guests free Wi-Fi, people had conversations that didn't involve commenting on the suitability of selfies. While digitalization is arguably an opportunity rather than an obligation, with so many businesses jumping on the bandwagon, failure to do so is to forego a competitive advantage.

Gastronomers reaping the benefits of technological progress

Needless to say, digitalization in the food and beverage sector goes far beyond switching the corporate accounts from a leather-bound logbook to Excel. We are increasingly familiar with self-ordering kiosks at quick service restaurants. Handheld order-taking devices - in effect, electronic points of sale - reduce turnaround time, eliminating the need for servers to relay orders to the kitchen manually. Restaurant management systems are fed with dine-in and online orders from the respective website, mobile app or third-party aggregators, boosting efficiency.

These examples demonstrate how tech-savvy solutions can overcome logistical hurdles like soothing ointment on day-to-day pain points. But how could technology be leveraged to deliver F&B business smarts? How could the principles of big data and analytics so honed by the IT behemoths of this world be tailored to restaurants? Hospitality Insights spoke to Tiziano Nessi and Simon Bernhard, product managers at Hospitality Digital to find out more.

Leveraging data throughout the company lifecycle

As Bernhard explains, data-driven decision-making can bear fruit as early as a restaurant business' infancy. Before investing the sizeable sums required to realize the dream of running one's own restaurant, or indeed in an effort to reassure investors their money will be well spent, food trucks or pop-ups can provide proof of concept. Bernhard recommends testing the waters with a minimum viable product, tracking certain metrics to benchmark performance: the number of dishes sold, food cost, labor cost, preparation time and an . Both quantitative and qualitative data help complete the picture, yielding insights into market size, demographics, customer preferences and the perceived value of your product or service.

Once underway, tech solutions can aid businesses in complying with regulations. Nessi highlights a "major macro movement in Europe" in that European governments are demanding increased accounting transparency, rendering reporting requirements more stringent. Replacing traditional cashier systems with new hard and software can help ease this burden.

With market viability and compliance in hand, owners of established restaurants can set about optimizing their decision-making at a more granular level. Take , for example. Previously, menu planning may have been a laborious task, weighing up exciting new flavors against ingredient prices, attempting to itemize the cost per plate, when in reality suppliers' shelves may be stocked with bulk-buy products and expenses come in the form of monthly bills. This tool, developed by Hospitality Digital, provides an overview of food costs at a glance and features functionalities with which to create and compile recipes, calculating all of the relevant variables. Costs per serving are generated thanks to weight and amendable product price entries, incorporating VAT. Forecast profit margins and guidance on appropriate price-setting are shown all in one place.

For a more holistic overview, Hospitality Digital's can be used to keep track of all restaurant KPIs. Revenues are documented, whether per category, per waiter or overall. Top seller statistics are compiled along with analyses per table and your projected breakeven point. Consulting this data from either a smartphone or tablet, displayed in user-friendly charts, enables restaurant owners to stay in control wherever they are and make decisions that are both intuitive and supported by tangible data. The best of foundations on which to increase revenues and profit margins.

Reacting to the times

With the world in the throes of the COVID-19 public health crisis, Hospitality Digital is demonstrating how technology can be a facilitator in reaction to contemporary developments. Within just a few days, the company created two tools to support the gastronomy industry under these exceptional circumstances. Firstly, a food order option that restaurants can integrate into their own websites using the free website builder "". And secondly, a voucher portal developed in cooperation with and , enabling restauranteurs to offer their guests vouchers to buy now and redeem later - providing the industry with invaluable financial support.

In sum, restauranteurs can benefit from technology in two major ways: If they can identify pain points from their perspective as entrepreneurs, they can use technology to smoothen out the bumps, removing any hurdles standing between their potential customers and that seven o'clock reservation (once lockdown is lifted, of course) - not to mention drawing on tech to track customer loyalty and optimize marketing. Then, with the orders flying in on digital devices, they can leverage the wealth of information this data harbors to optimize their decision-making from the granular to the holistic level. As Bernhard puts it: "Grasp this interconnectivity, integrate multiple core systems and ensure data is flowing from one to another to generate actionable insights".

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Shaping Restaurants of the Future with Data-Driven Decision-Making

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Back in the days of pen and paper, the gastronomy sector was just fine. Before online reservations, customers simply picked up the phone to reserve their table. Before digital menu boards, a blackboard and chalk did the job. Before restaurants offered their guests free Wi-Fi, people had conversations that didn't involve commenting on the suitability of selfies.

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Peter Drucker advises creating policies, rules, or principles for solutions that are generic to handle them pragmatically. Exceptional solutions must be handled individually, since they cannot be predicted. Drucker also advises outlining specifications that must be met as a result of the decision to be made. Decisions will involve compromises, but it is important to determine what is right before the compromising begins.

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Effective executives do not make a great many decisions. They concentrate on what is important. They try to make the few important decisions on the highest level of conceptual understanding. They try to find the constants in a situation, to think through what is strategic and generic rather than to "solve problems." They are, therefore, not overly impressed by speed in decision making; rather, they consider virtuosity in manipulating a great many variables a symptom of sloppy thinking. They want to know what the decision is all about and what the underlying realities are which it has to satisfy. They want impact rather than technique. And they want to be sound rather than clever.

A version of this article appeared in the January 1967 issue of Harvard Business Review.

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Effective executives do not make a great many decisions. They concentrate on what is important. They try to make the few important decisions on the highest level of conceptual understanding. They try to find the constants in a situation, to think through what is strategic and generic rather than to "solve problems." They are, therefore, [...]

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Ghemawat argues that Thomas Friedman's claim that the world is flat overemphasizes the level of globalization we've reached. Overemphasizing globalization reduces the perceived necessity to increase globalization efforts. Ghemawat wrote an article criticizing Friedman's book with little data, and Friedman responded by calling his findings narrow. Friedman's own book cites no data at all!

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It may seem that we're living in a borderless world where ideas, goods and people flow freely from nation to nation. We're not even close, says Pankaj Ghemawat. With great data (and an eye-opening survey), he argues that there's a delta between perception and reality in a world that's maybe not so hyperconnected after all.

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It may seem that we're living in a borderless world where ideas, goods and people flow freely from nation to nation. We're not even close, says Pankaj Ghemawat. With great data (and an eye-opening survey), he argues that there's a delta between perception and reality in a world that's maybe not so hyperconnected after all.

global issues

business

economics

social change

social media

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Our world is not flat, says ecnomist Pankaj Ghemawat -- it's at best semi-globalized, with limited interactions between countries and economies.

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Pankaj Ghemawat: Actually, the world isn't flat

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It may seem that we're living in a borderless world where ideas, goods and people flow freely from nation to nation. We're not even close, says Pankaj Ghemawat. With great data (and an eye-opening survey), he argues that there's a delta between perception and reality in a world that's maybe not so hyperconnected after all.

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The biggest criticism to globalization is that it exploits people in less developed countries. From a utilitarian perspective, this criticism still provides the best results for all parties involved because although opportunities are poor for people in underdeveloped countries, factories still provide opportunities that the people wouldn't have otherwise.

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License details

Creator: Seppo Leinonen

Copyright: © Seppo Leinonen

Want to know where this information comes from? Learn more

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Many awards exist for having great CSR programs in the U.S. This is a chance to be competitive and earn accolades!

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Welcome to the CSR & Diversity Awards

Welcome to the CSR & Diversity Awards, which honor the winners and honorable mentions in both the CSR & Nonprofit Awards and Inaugural Diversity Awards presented by PRNEWS. These winners and honorable mentions represent the communicators who use their platforms for the betterment of their communities and the global community at large. They amplify the voices of marginalized groups and dedicate themselves to social causes. These campaigns, initiatives, professionals, teams, rising stars and lifetime pioneers are helping to usher in a diverse, equitable future and redefine organizations' role in the fight for global change.

PRNEWS is proud to honor these industry changemakers and salutes them for their contribution to communications and the world beyond. Join us in recognizing these talents and continuing the conversations around their work and missions. Congratulations to all of the honorees!
See the program guide.

Special Recognition

Persons with Disabilities Pioneer Award

CSR Professional of the Year

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Welcome to the CSR & Diversity Awards, which honor the winners and honorable mentions in both the CSR & Nonprofit Awards and Inaugural Diversity Awards presented by PRNEWS. These winners and honorable mentions represent the communicators who use their platforms for the betterment of their communities and the global community at large.

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Brazil is a South American hero for CSR, while still possessing less developed companies engaging in child labor and slavery. The diversity that exists in this country is extreme and intriguing to me.

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Brazilian companies practice social responsibility with a degree of sophistication unparalleled in Latin America. They lead rankings of corporate sustainability in the sub-hemisphere due to a unique creativity that-in the best cases-makes profits and ethics work together. However, the corporate world in Brazil also reflects the huge social and economic disparities of the country. Highly developed companies, aligned with international standards of social responsibility, coexist with others that still engage in child labor, environmental degradation and even slavery. While the best firms are serving as models for the neighboring countries, there is still much to do within Brazil itself.

"In Brazil, social responsibility has evolved in waves and such evolution is happening at a faster pace," says Ricardo Young, president of the Ethos Institute for Business and Social Responsibility, a not-for-profit group that has worked with business members to help raise the ethical standards of Brazilian corporations for almost a decade. According to Young, many businessmen already have a very advanced vision. They know, for example, that even if they reduce water consumption per unit produced, the impact will increase if sales increase. "Some companies have gone so far as to discuss limiting production," he says. "If cadmium reserves are finite, it becomes clear that we cannot keep producing cell phones at the current rate."

A good example of how this consciousness is changing the way that Brazilian companies make their profits is Project Plasma, a partnership between Klabin (paper), Tetra Pak (long-life packaging), Alcoa (aluminum), and TSL Ambiental (residue treatment). These companies joined forces to solve a serious environmental problem in a creative and profitable manner. All three had an interest in recycling the three materials that make up long-life packaging (aluminum, paper and plastic), used mainly for juices, milk and others beverages. However, they lacked a technique that could separate these materials efficiently. Paper could be recovered, but the remaining plastic and aluminum had to be discarded...

Tags: ABN AMRO Real Bank, Brazil, Corporate social responsibility, CSR, Ethos Institute for Business and Social Responsibility, GIFE, Grupo de Institutos Fundacoes e Empresas, IBOPE, President Lula, Regina Scharf, Ricardo Young, Sergio Gabrielli

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Any opinions expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Quarterly or its publishers.

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Brazilian companies practice social responsibility with a degree of sophistication unparalleled in Latin America. They lead rankings of corporate sustainability in the sub-hemisphere due to a unique creativity that-in the best cases-makes profits and ethics work together. However, the corporate world in Brazil also reflects the huge social and economic disparities of the country.

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Mayuri Misra talks about using CSR to supplement government initiatives to help rural people and women. Rural people gain work training and education through good CSR programs and the threat of terrorism decreases. People have less incentive to engage in violent, hateful activities when they can learn to enrich their lives. This TED Talk goes along with my own wishes for my corporate career.

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With over 16 years of experience leading organizations across countries like USA and India, and more in Latin America, Corporate Social Responsibility Consultant and Strategist, Mayuri Misra shares her experiences about working for the socio-economic betterment of the youth in the Kashmir Valley. She worked with the Northern Command of the Indian Army towards the establishment of the CHINAR 9 JAWAN CLUB, a multi faceted Skill Development node in Baramulla, Jammu & Kashmir, empowering several 100s of young people by aligning CSR initiatives with the state/national priorities for inclusive and sustainable development. Mayuri Misra was also part of the government team that formulated the rules, regulations and policy-making framework for the landmark legislation on Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR), in India.

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Mayuri Misra: Corporate Social Responsibility: A Strategy for Peace and Hope.

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With over 16 years of experience leading organizations across countries like USA and India, and more in Latin America, Corporate Social Responsibility Consultant and Strategist, Mayuri Misra shares her experiences about working for the socio-economic betterment of the youth in the Kashmir Valley.

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Robert Katz published academic theses on management theory. Thanks to him and his research, life as we know it is easier. This post is to remind me that by learning about our world, we can make it better and become immortal.

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Management of the total enterprise by Robert L Katz( Book )
15 editions published between 1970 and 1980 in English and Undetermined and held by 417 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Skills of an effective administrator by Robert L Katz( Book )
12 editions published between 1955 and 2009 in English and Undetermined and held by 194 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"While there is a widespread belief that some people are born to lead, the existence of an "ideal manager" is almost entirely a myth. Basic skills - the ones that most employees can learn - are often more important than personality traits." "In Skills of an Effective Administrator, Robert L. Katz identifies the three fundamental abilities companies should seek to develop in their managers. Find out for yourself how these vital skills can be put to work today."--Jacket

Skills of an effective administrator by Robert L Katz( )
2 editions published in 1974 in English and held by 2 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Eine Arbeit, 1955 erstmals veröffentlicht, die heute so gültig ist wie zuvor

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Management of the total enterprise by Robert L Katz( Book )15 editions published between 1970 and 1980 in English and Undetermined and held by 417 WorldCat member libraries worldwide Skills of an effective administrator by Robert L Katz( Book )12 editions published between 1955 and 2009 in English and Undetermined and held by 194 WorldCat member libraries worldwide"While there is a widespread belief that some people are born to lead, the existence of an "ideal manager" is almost entirely a myth.

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Henri Fayol made insights into management theory by observing an underlying issue in the mining company he oversaw. Nobody had the authority to buy a new horse when one broke a leg, so the entire factory had to be shut down. This led Fayol to develop organization along the lines of management.

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Learning Outcomes

Summarize Henri Fayol's contributions to the field of management theory

Summarize the key functions of management today

Henri Fayol and Administrative Theory

Henri Fayol was born in Turkey in 1841. Fayol was a mining engineer who became the head of a large mining company. He wanted managers to be responsible for more than just increasing production. The story goes that he came to this insight when a mine was shut down after a horse broke a leg, and no one at the mine had authority to purchase another. Fayol saw this as a direct failure of management to plan and organize the work. Following this, Fayol began experimenting with different management structures.

He condensed his ideas and experiences into a set of management duties and principles, which he published in 1916 in the book, General and Industrial Management. Fayol was concerned with how workers were managed and how they contributed to the organization. He felt that successful organizations, and therefore successful management, were linked to satisfied and motivated employees.

Fayol's five duties of management were as follows:

Foresight: Create a plan of action for the future.

Organization: Provide resources to implement the plan.

Command: Select and lead the best workers through clear instructions and orders.

Coordinate: Make sure the diverse efforts fit together through clear communication.

Control: Verify whether things are going according to plan and make corrections where needed.

These duties evolved into the four functions of management: planning (foresight), organizing (organization), leading (command and coordinate), and controlling (control).

Fayol also proposed a set of fourteen principles that he felt could guide management behavior, but he did not think the principles were rigid or exhaustive. He thought management principles needed to be flexible and adaptable and that they would be expanded through experience and experimentation. Some of Fayol's principles are still included in management theory and practice, including the following:

Scalar chain: An unbroken chain of command extends from the top to the bottom of the organization.

Unity of command: Employees receive orders from only one superior.

Unity of direction: Activities that are similar should be the responsibility of one person.

Division of work: Workers specialize in a few tasks to become more proficient.

Key Functions of Management Today

Over the years, management theorists have built upon and refined Fayol's original work, and, more recently, have combined the "command" and "coordinate" functions into one function: leading. Today, the key functions of management are considered to be the following: planning, organizing, staffing, leading, controlling, and motivating.

Planning: Deciding what needs to happen in the future (today, next week, next month, next year, over the next five years, etc.) and generating plans for action.

Organizing: Implementing a pattern of relationships among workers and making optimum use of the resources required to enable the successful carrying out of plans.

Staffing: Job analysis, recruitment, and hiring of people with the necessary skills for appropriate jobs. Providing or facilitating ongoing training, if necessary, to keep skills current.

Leading/directing: Determining what needs to be done in a situation and getting people to do it.

Controlling/monitoring: Checking current outcomes against forecast plans and making adjustments when necessary so that goals are achieved.

Motivating: Motivation is a basic function of management, because without motivation, employees may feel disconnected from their work and the organization, which can lead to ineffective performance. If managers do not motivate their employees, they may not feel their work is contributing to the overall goals of the organization (which are usually set by top-level management).

All levels of management perform these functions; however, as with the skills required for effective management, the amount of time a manager spends on each function depends on the level of management and the needs of the organization. In the next readings, we will explore each of these functions in greater depth.

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Summarize Henri Fayol's contributions to the field of management theory Summarize the key functions of management today Henri Fayol was born in Turkey in 1841. Fayol was a mining engineer who became the head of a large mining company. He wanted managers to be responsible for more than just increasing production.