THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA.

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION.

DEPARTMENT OF ADULT EDUCATION AND EXTENSION STUDIES.

NAME : LEWIS CHIYABA

COMPUTER # : 15026795

COURSE CODE : AED 4210

LECTURER : MR. M. LUCHEMBE

TASK : ASSIGNMENT TWO.

QUESTION:

The element of a management structure become more important as organisation grow.

Explain and discuss the following common elements of management structure.

a. Specialisation
b. Hierarchy

DUE DATE : 31 JULY, 2020.

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Most of the companies do have an overall organizational structure to cope up with the variety
of work that is to be handled. In such cases, the company would decide upon the
responsibilities that each job category would need to carry and thereby the human resource
categorizes employees to suit to the work specialization. Therefore the paper seeks to explain
and discuss the common elements of management structure which are specialisation and
Hierarchy. The essay will start by defining the major concepts in the question and finally a
conclusion will be drawn.

Specialization is a term used to describe the extent to which work is divided into smaller units
which is completed by a single individual in other words Specialization is concerned with the
division of labour within the organization, the distribution of official duties among a number
of positions. It includes division of labour in which a single person completes repetitively a
single step of the complete task, Hierarchy is a system in which members of an organisation
or society are ranked according to relative status or authority. Well an organizational
structure is a system that outlines how certain activities are directed in order to achieve the
goals of an organization, these activities can include rules, roles, and responsibilities
(Durkheim, 2009).
SPECIALIZATION.

Specialization involves breaking down a task to its lowest level and designing jobs around
each part, specialization design in the workplace is frequently seen where a worker focuses
on one specific task and ability during the entire work shift, for example in the constriction
company each worker is given a specific task such as a bricklayer, carpenter, machine
operator, general worker and site manager, the task frequently repeats all day long because
job specialization allows significant expertise build-up in a specific task, the learning and
speed of production happen faster. The job does not involve complex processes, so it can be
taught faster to new workers. In theory, this approach reduces quality control costs and
improves production efficiency (Thibodaux, 2012).

Workers become very skilful and effective into their single allocated task. This is because the
workers who specialize in a single task have a lot of time and occasion to practice their
allocated job. This can lead to increase speed, accuracy and skill in the narrow range of tasks
he or she perform. Workers in a factory who are responsible for only one part of the process
become as skilled as they possibly can in that process without the distraction of learning other
skills in the other areas, Specialization refers to individuals and organizations focusing on the

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limited range of production tasks they perform best (Niederhoffer,2012). This specialization
requires workers to give up performing other tasks at which they are not as skilled, leaving
those jobs to others who are better suited for them. An assembly line, where individual
workers perform specific tasks in the production process, is the best example of
specialization.

Specialization, also known as the division of labour, occurs when workers learn how to
perform specific tasks very well rather than focusing on doing many different tasks. Job
Specialization is one of the key facets of the modern capitalist economy and offers a range of
potential advantages for workers and the organizations that employ them (Hamel, 2008). One
of the most important aspects of job specialization is its potential to increase worker
productivity and output. While productivity tends to benefit the employer of workers,
specialization can also be advantageous to workers in that it may improve employment
prospects. Workers with specialized skills are often more desirable than those with only
general skills. Many jobs even require workers to have specific knowledge and skills just to
be considered. For instance, most of the organizations dealing in computer often require that
workers are versed in a specific software language. This is one of the primary reasons
education is important, it allows workers to learn specialized skills. Job security is another
potential advantage that specialized workers are likely to enjoy. A worker with a specialized
skill that no one else knows is difficult for a company to replace. An employee with a tech
support company who is the only one that knows how to recover data from crashed hard
drives, is more valuable to the company than someone with no special job skills, if the
company is forced to lay someone off, they will likely fire the person without the specialized
skill.

Specialization reduce risk, an employee who performs the same task repeatedly by
specializing in it is less likely to make a mistake. They are familiar with the pitfalls and issues
that a non-specialist performing that task would not know. For instance, someone who makes
deliveries to the same places every day will know the roads and potential traffic issues better
than someone who doesn’t drive that route all the time. The biggest benefit derived from job
specialization is the expertise employees develop over time in their chosen task. As
employees become better at their jobs, they perform more efficiently and produce products
with fewer defects and higher quality (Hamel, 2008).

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According to London (2012), specialization allows every person to be a professional in what
he does. Specialization involves giving workers individual job roles to remove the
responsibility of other jobs and reducing the worker's capacity to one task in particular. There
are many advantages and disadvantages to specialization, which became commonplace
during the industrial revolution with the creation of factories. Factory owners would not
simply hire one worker who produces all the goods. The work is divided among many
different workers and each employee becomes a cog in a large machine. Perhaps the biggest
advantage of specialization, emphasized by Karl Marx, is an increase in efficiency as workers
become more skilled in the specific jobs they do. Workers in a factory who are responsible
for only one part of the process become as skilled as they possibly can in that process without
the distraction of learning other skills. Durkheim (2009) wrote of the benefits of
specialization in "The Division of Labour in Society. ‘He said the specialization of people in
society into different labour roles brings more than just economic efficiency”. He argues that
the true function of specialization is to create a common feeling of solidarity between people.
People are united by their common job role, form unions, socialize together and understand
each other based on the similarity of their lives. One of the key disadvantages of
specialization is that jobs often become monotonous. People like variety, and if their jobs
become the same process over and over again, they become tedious, empty and unsatisfying.

Specialization also has some drawbacks. Due to the repetitive nature of the work performed,
employees can be subject to boredom and burnout. Units of specialized workers also have a
tendency to be insular and may refrain from collaborating with other units. Hamel (2008)
observed that although specialization can be advantageous, workers are often expected to
have certain general skills as well. A worker with specialized skills that does not have general
skills might be at a disadvantage when searching for a job.

Since specialization involves the performance of repetitive production tasks, the work the
employees perform may become boring. Depending on the demands of the production cycle
on employees, specialization can also lead to job burnout if the company overworks the
employees for long periods (Hamel, 2008). Both boredom and burnout can lead to job
dissatisfaction and low employee morale. A worker has to do the same small task again and
again. Therefore, the job becomes boring and the worker loses interest in his work. Boredom
and monotony create mental fatigue which ultimately spoils the quality of work. For example
a brick-layer in a construction company may few boring everyday lifting blocks well ending
up building a bend wall.

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Because of the drawbacks of specialization, many firms have sought alternative approaches
to designing jobs such as job rotation which involves systematically moving employees from
one job to another, global connection encourages rotation of workers to new jobs and
possible pay raises for each new job they master. Job rotation gives employees more tasks to
perform and increase both the number of tasks a worker does and the control the worker has
over the job (Lennick, 1995).

HIERARCHY.

Having a strong organizational structure is paramount to the success of any business.

Corporations need a structured hierarchy to establish internal control. A company's hierarchy
allows employees on different levels to identify the chain of command and serves as a
reference point for decision making. A company without a hierarchy cannot effectively hold
its executives, managers and employees accountable.

In the most basic sense, a well-run organization functions like the human body. The head
instructs the various body parts on how to move and react in unison to perform the simplest
of tasks. In a company, this hierarchical decision making flows from the top (the head of the
organization) down to employees who perform various tasks. Management is responsible for
making the decisions that allow the company to function efficiently to achieve company
objectives. In large corporations, there are three levels of management: top level, middle level
and first level (Tatum, 1989).

The hierarchy of authority in an organization is designed to benefit the company and the
employees. The company grows with the strength of a competent managerial staff, and
employees look to management to provide career development. A hierarchy is also a method
of maintaining managerial integrity and important to the sustained success of the company. A
hierarchy helps to establish efficient communication paths between employees, departments
and divisions of the company. The manager of each department becomes the departmental
administrator, and any information that is relevant to the department is given to the manager,
the manager can either act on the information or delegate it to someone within his or her staff.
Information can be effectively distributed through company managers rather than trying to
contact each individual employee. The manager's understanding of his or her staff and the
structure of his or her department makes him the ideal person to improve communication to
his department (Hong, 1999).

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 Hierarchy within an organization is also about accountability. Without an established
structure, managers of all levels and employees are unable to perform their roles efficiently.
In addition, having a hierarchy establishes protocol that informs everyone within the
organization from the top down on how to address issues that affect the company. For
instance, having a hierarchy holds a floor manager accountable for the performance of the
employees under his supervision. In turn, the floor manager must report to a higher-level
authority who assesses his work performance based on the results produced by line
employees (Paslack, 2004).

Hierarchical organizational structure establishes a clear picture of authority, there is a clear

picture of who has authority and who does not in the organization. This makes it easier to
identify which managers have the power to allocate resources, reward successes, or initiate
disciplinary action proceedings. There is no confusion about who is in charge and who is not
in charge, which can be very useful during crisis situations (Hunter, 2002).

The disadvantage of hierarchy in an organization is that, managers often become territorial

about their power within the company. They become defensive if other managers start trying
to work with their employees. Instead of looking at an organization-level issue with a clear
mind, they might approach the situation from the perspective of their department only, this
creates a competition for power which can be destructive for everyone involved (Hunter,
2002).

Although the hierarchical organizational structure is intended to improve communication, it

may hinder it instead. Some companies do not permit workers to skip layers within the chain
of command that may cause some workers to avoid communicating at all because they
distrust their direct supervisor. It can also cause teams to create their own jargon, which
makes it difficult to communicate internally. It is not unheard of to have teams purposely
withhold information because it would benefit someone other than themselves, it also takes a
lot of time in making and implementing viable decisions as the chain of command has to be
followed, and it moves gradually and slowly. Finally information flow is from the top to
bottom but very little from bottom to top, this can cramp any initiative shown by the lower
levels (Hamel, 2008).

In conclusion. Organizational structure is a system used to define a hierarchy within an

organization. It identifies each job, its function and where it reports to within the
organization. This structure is developed to establish how an organization operates and assists

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an organization in obtaining its goals to allow for future growth, a successful organizational
structure defines each employee's job (specialisation) and how it fits within the overall
system. In short, the organizational structure lays out who does what so that the company can
meet its objectives.

REFERENCES.

Durkheim, D. E. (2009). The division of Labour and society. Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Retrieved 14-06-2013.

Hamel, G. (2008). The Advantages of Job Specialization. E-How Electronic Magazine.

Hong, J. (1999), “Structuring for organizational learning”, The Learning Organization, Vol 6,
pp. 173-185.

Hunter, J. (2002). “Improving organizational performance through the use of effective

elements of organizational structure; International journal of health care quality assurance
incorporating leadership in health service, pp. 7-17.

Lennick, D. (1995). American Express executive, quoted in Fortune, April 3, 92.

Niederhoffer, V. (2012). Specialization and the Division of Labour.

Paslack N. (2004). Operations management. 4th Ed. Edinburgh: Pearson Education Limited.

Tatum, C. B. (1989). "Organizing to increase innovation in the construction firm." Journal of

Construction Engineering and Management, 115(4), 602 - 617.

Thibodeaux (2012). What is job specialization? E-How Electronic Magazine.

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