Formal organization

Examples of Formal organization in the following topics:

• Formal Structure

  • Formal structure of an organization or group includes a fixed set of rules for intra-organization procedures and structures.
  • A formal organization has its own set of distinct characteristics.
  • Practical experience shows no organization is ever completely rule-bound: all real organizations represent some mix of formal and informal characteristics.
  • Tended effectively, the informal organization complements the more explicit structures, plans, and processes of the formal organization.
  • A formal organization is a fixed set of rules of intra-organization procedures and structures.

• Informal Structure

  • For example, a college management class of 50 students may contain several informal groups that constitute the informal organization within the formal structure of the class.
  • For example, a college management class of 50 students may contain several informal groups that constitute the informal organization within the formal structure of the class.
  • The nature of the informal organization becomes more distinct when its key characteristics are juxtaposed with those of the formal organization.
  • For example, a college management class of 50 students may contain several informal groups that constitute the informal organization within the formal structure of the class.
  • Second, they provide social status and satisfaction that may not be obtained from the formal organization.

• Flat versus tall organizations

  • Flat organizations follow the decentralized approach, or organic system.
  • This type of structure promotes task interdependence with less attention to formal procedures.
  • More decisions are made at the middle levels of the organization.
  • Internally, the organization as a whole encourages more participation between all levels of the organization.
  • A tall structure is a more formal, bureaucratic organization or mechanistic system.

• Formal Communications

  • The messages which circulate on regulated channels within an organization are referred to as formal communications.
  • The messages which circulate on the regulated channels within an organization make up formal communication.
  • Print forms of communication are widely used as a form of formal communication.
  • Regardless of the channel used, formal communications are transmitted by authorized senders over official channels and are received by individuals who need to react, or know the content of these messages.
  • Categorize formal communication into four distinct channels: electronic, print, face-to-face, and workspace

• Layers in an Organization: Tall vs Flat Organizations

  • A tall organization is a more formal bureaucratic or mechanistic organizational structure and management system.
  • Tall organizations have several tiers in their structural hierarchy and multiple levels of management control with regard to the daily operations of the organization.
  • Flat organizations follow the decentralized approach or organic system of organization and management.
  • This type of structure promotes task interdependence with less attention to formal procedures and more decisions are made at the middle levels of the organization.
  • Various factors, both internal (i.e. management style, culture, etc.) and external (i.e. competition, regulation, etc.) to the organization, influence what type of structure an organization assumes.

• Feedback, Concurrent Control, and Feedforward

  • Bureaucratic control uses formal systems to influence employee behavior and help an organization achieve its goals.
  • Bureaucratic control is the use of formal systems of rules, roles, records, and rewards to influence, monitor, and assess employee performance.
  • Since standards and best practices are usually highlighted during decision-making, bureaucratic control makes an entire organization more efficient.
  • One disadvantage of bureaucratic control is that it may discourage creativity and innovation by making an organization more standardized and less flexible.
  • Business leadership may be versatile in some organizations, but it is not possible for a few individuals to generate all possible ideas or plans.

• Sanctions

  • Sanctions can either be positive (rewards) or negative (punishment), and can arise from either formal or informal control .
  • As with formal controls, informal controls reward or punish acceptable or unacceptable behavior, otherwise known as deviance.
  • To maintain control and regulate their subjects, groups, organizations, and societies of various kinds can promulgate rules that act as formal sanctions to reward or punish behavior.
  • For example, in order to regulate behavior, government and organizations use law enforcement mechanisms and other formal sanctions such as fines and imprisonment .
  • Authoritarian organizations and governments may rely on more directly aggressive sanctions.

• Development of Human Resources

  • Examples of human resource development include formal activities like classroom training, college coures, and a change effort planned by the organization.
  • Human resources development (HRD) as a theory is a framework for the expansion of human capital within an organization through the development of both the organization and the individual to achieve performance improvement.
  • Groups within organizations use HRD to initiate and manage change.
  • TD alone can leave an organization unable to tap into the increase in human, knowledge, or talent capital.
  • HRD does not occur without the organization, so the practice of HRD within an organization is inhibited or promoted upon the platform of the organization's mission, vision, and values.

• Horizontal Communication

  • Horizontal communication is the flow of messages across individuals and groups on the same level of an organization.
  • Horizontal communication occurs formally in meetings, presentations, and formal electronic communication, and informally in other, more casual exchanges within the office.
  • Territoriality occurs when members of an organization regard other people's involvement in their area as inappropriate or unwelcome.
  • An organization that has relied on rigid, formal styles of communication in the past may find it difficult to switch to more employee-directed, horizontal communication.
  • Horizontal communication refers to any communication between employees at the same level of an organization

• Formal Means of Control

  • Formal means of social control are generally state-determined, through the creation of laws and their enforcement.
  • Formal means of social control are the means of social control exercised by the government and other organizations who use law enforcement mechanisms and sanctions such as fines and imprisonment to enact social control.
  • The mechanisms utilized by the state as means of formal social control span the gamut from the death penalty to curfew laws.
  • Our understanding of formal control is enhanced by social theorist Max Weber's work on the state's use of violence.
  • Explain the relationship between formal means of social control and state authority