BU398 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Peter Senge, Hierarchical Organization, Project Manager
Document Summary
Communication and coordination activities connecting the top and bottom of an organization. Organizations may use any variety of structural devices to achieve vertical linkage, such as: hierarchical referral. If a problem arises that employees don"t know how to solve, it can be referred up to the next level in the hierarchy. When it"s solved, the answer is passed back to lower levels: rules and plans. To the extent that problems and decisions are repetitious, a rule or procedure can be established so employees know how to respond without communicating directly with their manager. Rules provide a standard info source enabling employees to be coordinated without actually communicating about every task: vertical information systems. The periodic reports, written info, and computer-based communication distributed to managers. Makes communication up and down more efficient. The amount of communication and coordination that occurs horizontally across organizational departments. The following devices are structural alternatives that can improve horizontal coordination and information flow.
