Style And Management: Notes: Management Styles And Structure

MANAGEMENT STYLES AND STRUCTURE The key to being an effective leader is to have a broad repertoire of styles and to use them appropriately.

-Rosalind Cardinal

What Is A Management Style?

Management style is the manner in which an organization manages its employees and their work activities and will vary depending upon factors such as the characteristics of employees, the work activities engaged in and the culture of the organization. A successful management

Choosing the correct management structure ensures an organization’s continued growth, content employees and profitable returns for the shareholders.

Key Components of Management Structures There are a number of key components that underpin a management structure and should be considered when implementing a new structure. Some of these key components are: • Task definition – How tasks are allocated, who reports to whom and the formal coordinating mechanisms and interaction patterns that will be followed. • Communication Style – How messages travel throughout an organization. There are a number of possible alternatives: messages may travel down only from top management; they may travel both up and down through management layers; or they may travel horizontally amongst peers in an operating group. • Formalization – The degree to which jobs and procedures within the organization are standardized using defined rules covering decision making, communication and management control. The rules may be objective such as through written description or they may be subjective using informal

Types of Management Structures: • Divisional and matrix management structures are used predominately by large companies that have many different products, services or subsidiaries located either regionally or internationally. Divisional managers define and communicate the tasks and goals for each division whilst strategic goals are communicated by a central authority. Divisional management is generally used to separate their different types of business operations, such as mobile telephony and port operations. • Professional bureaucracy and adhocracy management structures are used when the majority of staff are professionally trained or bring specific expertise aimed at achieving the organization’s strategic goals. The characteristics of management within these types of organizations are more organic and include flexible task definition, lateral communication and low degrees of formalization. These management structures are used in professional firms such as medical consulting rooms, audit firms and within the film