The use of an organization has been of vital importance throughout human existence. Designing a hierarchical structure allows the coordination of the elements that comprise it, allows efficient decision-making, establishes responsibilities and defines the means of communication.
Through this reading, the background, purposes and techniques of organization and coordination will be defined.
Organization and Coordination
The company as an organization
First of all, what is a company is defined from the point of view of an organization, and we can say the following:
“The company is a sum of different components:
- A common object, - A group of people and means, - A combined effort, and
- A system of dependencies and relationships that ensure coordination ”(Gil Estallo & Giner de la Fuente, 2007).
Thus , the company can be defined as a set of human and material elements that are combined to achieve an end, according to a specific scheme of relationships and dependencies (organization) between all its elements.
Lourdes Münch in her work "Fundamentals of Administration" mentions that since time immemorial, human beings have been aware that obtaining efficiency is only achieved through the order and coordination of the resources that are part of a social group, in this case: the company.
Background
In the second Book of Exodus in the Old Testament, Jehtró, Moses' father-in-law, gives the following advice in Chapter XVlll:
“Why is it you alone who sits down to judge?… You are not good at that. With such stubborn work you consume yourself, not only you, but also this town that surrounds you. It is an endeavor greater than your strength and you will not be able to bear it alone… Be your representative of the people…, but instruct them in the mandates and laws as well as in the path they must follow and the works they must practice… Choose capable men from among the people…, upright, lovers of truth and enemies of greed… and make them leaders… so that they can judge the people at all times. And if something serious happens, refer it to you, leading them to minor ones; And so the burden will be more bearable for you, sharing it with others. If you do this…, you will be able to resist and take care that the precepts are carried out… (14-23) ”(De Val Pardo, 1997)
Once you have established what you want to do, you need to determine how to do it, and this is only possible through organization.
Organization
“At this stage, the structure is designed that allows optimal coordination of resources and activities to achieve the goals established in the planning. Through the organization, the functions and responsibilities are determined and the methods are established to simplify the work. When organizing, it is essential to apply the following principles: of the objective, of specialization, hierarchy, parity of authority and responsibility, unity of command, dissemination, section of control, coordination and continuity. ”(Münch Galindo, 2006)
" Organization refers to the technical structure of relationships, which must occur between the hierarchies, functions and individual obligations necessary in a social organism for its greater efficiency." (Reyes Ponce, 2004)
"Organizing is the process of designing formal work structures in a company, through the generation of a hierarchy of authority and a departmentalization by functions, which establishes responsibilities by work areas." (Hernández and Rodríguez, 2002)
Purposes of the organization
According to the definitions mentioned above, we can find purposes such as:
• Create a stable work structure.
• Define hierarchies and jobs.
• Departmentalization by functions.
• Determine responsibilities.
• Define communication channels.
• Establish methods to simplify work.
This is how we can say that the organization aims to create a stable work structure that allows defining hierarchies and positions, determining their authority and responsibility and establishing communication channels, as well as simplifying work.
Organization principles
• Principle of division of labor
This principle seeks the specialization and improvement of the person in his position to produce more and better.
Henry Fayol uses a metaphor in which he assimilates the company with a biological body. «The division of labor is of a natural order; It is observed in the animal world, where as the being is more perfect it has more variety of organs in charge of different functions. The division of labor aims to produce more and better with the same effort. " (ManagersHelp)
• Principle of authority and responsibility.
According to (Hernández and Rodríguez, 2002) the authority in the organization and in the structures, implies formal or legal, technical and moral aspects. True authority is moral and psychological, which is known as leadership.
• Principle of primacy of linear authority over the adviser.
For organizational purposes, the authority is classified as:
- Linear
- Staff (advisers)
- Normative
The principle is that everyone who holds any level of authority is the one who decides, having the responsibility to do so.
• Principle of primacy of normative authority.
The regulatory authority is in charge of generating operating standards and they depend on a local authority.
• Principle of delegation.
It is well known that "authority is delegated and responsibility is shared." This means that bosses must allow their staff in charge to do their work and make decisions freely, bearing in mind that any mistake they make involves them.
• Principle of unity of command.
When there are two bosses there is a leakage of responsibility. This principle indicates that each individual in the organization should be responsible only to one authority and this can be a person, a committee or a council.
Remember that "who serves two masters with one is bad."
• Principle of hierarchy or chain of command.
Earlier it was mentioned how Moses had to organize the people through a hierarchy, establishing channels to solve problems and facilitate work.
Every organization requires a hierarchy, that is, a system of command levels.
• Principle of control section.
Unlike the principle of unity of command where a person is responsible to an authority, the principle of span of control refers to the number of units, departments or people that can be supervised by one person. It is important to note that the more people depend on one, the less control is exercised and communication between members becomes more complicated.
• Principle of equity in workload.
When a company is organized, the workload must be balanced, in such a way that all those who make up the team have, according to their hierarchical levels and capacities: responsibilities. These responsibilities must be carried out during a normal working day. This principle will also allow the establishment of the payment system, always seeking equity in remuneration.
Organization Techniques
They are necessary tools that help us form a formal organization. These techniques should be applied according to the needs of each organization.
The main techniques are described below.
Organization chart
“The organization chart represents the structure of an organization; structure means… the arrangement or organization of the bodies or positions that make up a company ”(Hernández Orozco, 2007)
"Graphic representations of the formal structure of an organization, showing the interrelationships, functions, hierarchical levels, obligations and authority existing within it" (Münch Galindo, 2006)
According to (Münch Galindo, 2006) he mentions six types of organization.
to. Linear or military
1. Vertical organization chart. They are the organization charts that we commonly find in organizations. They present the hierarchical levels in vertical order from top to bottom.
They are detailed documents that contain in an orderly and systemic way information about the organization of the company.
Procedure or flow diagrams (flowcharts)
These graphical representations show the succession of steps that make up a procedure. They use the following symbols:
Coordination
"Coordination is a process that consists of integrating the activities of independent departments in order to effectively pursue the goals of the organization" (Stoner, Freeman, & Gilbert, 1996)
Thus we can say that coordination is the synchronization of activities, resources and efforts of an organization in order to achieve harmony, unity, speed and efficiency in achieving defined objectives.
Coordination mechanisms
These mechanisms help us to unite the organizational structure. Mintzberg includes six coordination mechanisms (Gil Estallo & Giner de la Fuente, 2007):
Coordinate work through the simple procedure of informal communication. It is the only mechanism that works under difficult conditions, since in these cases the success of the company depends on the ability of the specialists to adapt to each other.
Direct supervision
It achieves coordination when a person takes responsibility for the work of others, that is, giving instructions and controlling their actions. It arises when a certain number of people need to work together.
Standardization of work or processes
It refers to the specialization, the programming of the work content and the procedures to be followed
Standardization of outputs or results
In this case you specify not what you want to do, but the results.
Skill normalization
In this case, what is standardized is more to the worker than the work or the results. The worker acquires knowledge, abilities or skills outside the organization to later apply them at work.
Standardization of the rules
This mechanism means that the members of an organization share a series of common beliefs, therefore achieving coordination.
These counter coordination mechanisms by Mintzberg could be considered as the basic elements of a structure. “And it seems that they maintain a certain order; As organizational work becomes difficult and complex, the favored means of coordination seem to change, from mutual adaptation (the simplest mechanism) to direct supervision, then to standardization, preferably of work processes or norms, the results or the skills, to finally return to mutual adaptation ”(The logistician's diary).
conclusion
Throughout this writing we were able to observe that for many years man had already realized that obtaining good results is only possible through organization and coordination between its elements.
It is important to consider that the organization's rules and procedures are not laws, as it tells us (Münch Galindo, 2006), this can lead to bureaucratization, lack of attention to clients and paralysis of functions and decisions.
It should be clear that the purpose of the organization is to simplify work by coordinating the functions and resources that are available.
“ The organization is not a straitjacket, it is a guide for behavior, decision-making, responsibility and communication ” (Hernández and Rodríguez, 2002).
Bibliography
De Val Pardo, I. (1997). Organize. Action and effect. Madrid: ESIC.
The logistician's diary. (sf). Retrieved 09/10/2012, from
Gil Estallo, M., & Giner de la Fuente, F. (2007). How to create and operate a business. Madrid: ESIC.
Hernández Orozco, C. (2007). Administrative Analysis. Techniques and methods. Costa Rica: Euned.
Hernández and Rodríguez, S. (2002). Administration. Thought, process, strategy and avant-garde. Mexico: McGraw Hill.
ManagersHelp. (sf). Retrieved 09/10/2012, from
Münch Galindo, L. (2006). Administration Fundamentals. Cases and practices. Mexico: Trillas.
Reyes Ponce, A. (2004). Business Administration. Theory and practice. Mexico: Limusa.
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Stoner, JA, Freeman, RE, & Gilbert, DR (1996). Administration. Mexico: Prentice Hall.
