Question: Wk2 Q1

Forecasting

Explain how forecasting is used in HRM. Is management, outside of HRM, necessary in forecasting? Why or why not?

Question: Wk2 Q2

Downsizing and alternatives

For what reasons do companies downsize? What are some alternatives to downsizing that offer less of an impact for the employee?

Summary

Organizational structure is a formal system of task and reporting relationships that coordinates the activities of employees so that they can work together to achieve organizational goals. Organizational design is the process by which managers make specific organizing choices that result in a particular kind of structure for the company. Organizational design involves numerous activities that include designing jobs, departmentalizing decisions, completing the company’s structure, and outlining the best structural configuration.

Job design is the process of assigning tasks to jobs. It begins with job analysis, which results in the assignment of individual tasks to specific jobs. Then, a job description outlining the tasks and duties can be created. Finally, a job specification identifies the eligibility requirements or qualifications needed to perform a job. Departmentalization is an organizational tool that involves placing various jobs into different departments or divisions. The primary forms of departmentalization include those by function, product, customer, geographic region, or strategic business unit, as well as by the matrix approach. Managers select the form of departmentalization that best matches each company’s unique operating needs.

An organization’s structure is complete when lines of authority and responsibility have been identified. Authority consists of the right to direct activities and permission to act or make decisions. Responsibility is the obligation to complete tasks as assigned by reporting to a specific supervisor. Parity of authority and responsibility means that equal levels of both are placed in each job or position in the organization.

Managers then conduct organizational operations by featuring centralization, decentralization, specialization, formalization, and degrees of mechanistic or organic flexibility. Each structure matches the specific circumstances of the company involved. When a crisis arises, one natural response is to create additional structure or a new department designed to defend against the threat.

Structural configurations related to various business enterprises include a simple structure, machine bureaucracy, professional bureaucracy, divisional structure, or adhocracy. Each form facilitates the operation of a specific type of enterprise. Organizational goal-setting processes lead to the most efficient and effective forms of organizational decision.