Characteristics or Nature of Organization
The various characteristics of organization are:
1 Division of labour: division of labour leads to specialization which increases the efficiency of individual employees. Fayola recommended that work of all kinds must be subdivided and allocated to a number of persons. Subdivision makes each task simpler and results in greater efficiency. By repeating a small part of work the individual acquires speed and accuracy in its performance. This principle is applicable to both technical as well as managerial work.
2 coordination: in any organization different persons are assigned different functions. And yet all these functions have only one aim accomplish of the enterprise objectives. To this end an organization has to adopt suitable methods to ensure that there is proper coordination of the different activities performed at various work points this implies establishment of correct and adequate relationships between:
1 an employee and his work,
2 one employee and another and,
3 one department or sub department and another.
Failure to establish such relationship may results in different persons (or departments) pursuing different paths thus making it difficult for the enter prise to achieve its goals.
3 social systems: an organization is a social system. Its activities are governed by social and psychological laws. People working in an organization are influenced in their actions and behaviour by their social and psychological needs. All parts of the organizational system are interring dependent. Each part influences and is influenced by any other part and also in turns the boy system as a whole. There are two aspects of an organizational social system the formal or official and the informal or unofficial. The organization social system is dynamic in the sense that inter personal and group relationships within it keep on changing and are not static as shown in the organization chart.
4 objectives: any organization structure is bound together by the pursuit of specific and well defined objectives. In fact just as objectives cannot be accomplished without an organization similarly an organization cannot exist for long without objectives and goals.
5 co-operative: an organization creates co-operative relationship among various members of the group. It cannot be constituted by one person. It requires at least two or more persons. Organization is a system which helps in creating meaningful relationship among persons both vertical and horizontal.
6 well denned hierarchy: an organization consists of various positions arranged in a hierarchy with well defined authority and responsibility. The hierarchy of positions defines the lines of communication and pattern of relationships.
7 communications: every organization has it own channels and methods of communication. For success in management effective communication is vital. This is because management is concerned with working with others and unless there is proper understanding between people. It cannot be effective. The channels of communication may be formal, informal, downward, upward or horizontal.