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In the past, organizations were commonly structured as bureaucracies. A bureaucracy is a form of organization based on logic, order, and the legitimate use of formal authority. Bureaucracies are meant to be orderly, fair, and highly efficient. Their features include a clear-cut division of labor, strict hierarchy of authority, formal rules and procedures, and promotion based on competency.
Today, many people view bureaucracies negatively and recognize that bureaucracies have their limits. If organizations rely too much on rules and procedures, they become unwieldy and too rigid—making them slow to respond to changing environments and more likely to perish in the long run.
As a result, two distinct frameworks, the mechanistic and organic structures, were identified.
The mechanistic structure, sometimes used synonymously with bureaucratic structure, is a management system based on a formal framework of authority that is carefully outlined and precisely followed. An organization that uses a mechanistic structure is likely to have the following characteristics:
* Clearly specified tasks
* Precise definitions of the rights and obligations of members
* Clearly defined line and staff positions with formal relationships between the two
* Tendency toward formal communication throughout the organizational structure
The organic structure tends to work better in dynamic environments where managers need to react quickly to change. An organic structure is a management system founded on cooperation and knowledge-based authority. It is much less formal than a mechanistic organization, and much more flexible. Organic structures are characterized by
* Roles that are not highly defined.
* Tasks that are continually redefined.
* Little reliance on formal authority.
* Decentralized control.
* Fast decision making.
* Informal patterns of both delegation and communication.
The ManagementFlow project management software creates unique environment which optimizes effectiveness of work flow and allows general manager easily to see all the weaknesses of business process , combining both classical business models, mechanistic and organic.
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