ISYS111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Informal Learning
17 Jun 2018
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• FORMAL STRUCTURE:
o What can you learn from an organisation chart?
• Division of work: positions and titles show work responsibilities
• Supervisory relationships: lines show who reports to whom
• Communication channels: lines show formal communication flows
• Major subunits: positions reporting to a common manager are
shown
• Levels of management: vertical layers of management are shown
• INFORMAL STRUCTURE:
o An informal structure is a "shadow" organisation made up of the
unofficial, but often critical, working relationships between
organisational members
o If the informal structure could be drawn, it would show who talks to and
interacts with whom, regardless of their formal titles and relationships
o Informal learning is increasingly recognised as an important resource for
organisational development
BUREAUCRACY: STRUCTURAL THINKING APPLIED TO
ORGANISATIONS:
• Decisions are based on rules and regulations that ensure judgements are
rational
• Employees do not own the means of production
• The achievements of individuals and teams are evaluated by superiors against
the objective criteria
• The career path is the hierarchy and promotion depends on skills and
experience
• BUREAUCRACY:
o Permanency of tenure allows specialisation
o Managers take risks and carry responsibility for failure
o Employees specific place in the structure is determined by merit
o Complementary activities of specialists are coordinated by superiors
• FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURES:
o In functional structures, people with similar skills and performing similar
tasks are formally grouped together into work units
o Members of functional departments share technical expertise, interests
and responsibilities
o Major advantages of functional structures include:
• Economies of scale with efficient use of resources
• Task assignments consistent with expertise and training
• High-quality technical problem-solving
• In-depth training and skills development within functions
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