Alternative transcript:

are made up of many layers of staff with different authority >> provides lots of opportunity for premotion. Span of control is small. Communication pathways can be very long. Some organisations have very flat structure. There are not many levels of hierarchy, and the span of control is much larger. Communication pathways are shorter, and decisions can be made much quicker. More delegation happens in flat structures. If the marketplace is changing and customer trends are evolving, businesses may need to delayer. Delayer - removing layers of a structure >> therefore moving towards a flatter structure. This means that decisions can be made more quickly, and communication is better so companies can keep up with customer trends. In a centralised business structure, the power to make decisions is concentrated at the top of the hierarchy (the business owners or a small bunch of senior managers). Decisions are then communicated down the chain of command. In decentralised structures, there is far more delegation. Power is more widely dispersed throughout the organisation. Managers have more freedom and independence which is good for innovation and employee morale but may lead to a lack of co-ordination and consistency. Training The main reason training and development is important is to increase employee productivity. Well trained employees will carry out tasks more effectively >> higher quality goods >> better customer service. Training can mean that employees feel more valued >> more likely to stay. Induction training allows employees to learn how to preform their role properly and meet their new colleagues. Training and development is an ongoing process and employees should continually be improving their skills. On the job training happens in the workplace. It can be done through a demonstration or job shadowing where an employee watches a more experienced member of staff. On the job training is effective as it is hands on, and the employee is actually carrying out the job >> usually learn faster. It is also more cost effective as employees are learning whilst working. However, as it takes place 'live' in the workplace, it can be stressful, and mistakes can be made (costly). Those who are tasked with demonstrating the job need to be chosen correctly as behaviour will be copied so if they don't do the task 100% correctly, tis will be passed onto the observer. Off the job training is when employees are trained externally by a third party. A sandwich course is when an employee takes several moths out of work to learn new skills. Or an employee could follow an online training course. Off the job training is good because it is provided by a qualified professional so tends to be more consistent and comprehensive. A more controlled environment can be less stressful too. However, it is very difficult to fully recreate customer interaction so may not fully prepare employees for their role. It is also expensive. Questions and answers Good communication is vital to any business. Orders are given from the manager to the subordinate, and this is known as the... Span of delegation Explain the importance of having clear communication pathways in a business. Clear communication pathways lead to better organisations. Assess the advantages and disadvantages of a business using Taylor's theory of motivation to improve productivity. ADV = employees are likely to produce more products seen as they are being paid by piece rate. DIS = doesn't take into account psychological needs/factors so employees may be unhappy and unfulfilled and therefore leave. Discuss the benefits to both employers and employees of having an organisation chart. Employees are easily able to see who they need to go to if they need assistance from someone higher up the hierarchy. its easy for employers to see who they can delegate responsibility to. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of delayering an organisational structure. ADV - better communication. DIS-less opportunity for promotion which may decrease employee motivation. Explain how Maslow's theory of motivation could be used to benefit an organisation such as Google. Google take care of their staff's well-being e.g. free gym memberships on site and free massages. this is good because it meets the higher tiers of Maslow's theory triangle (esteem etc). If companies are able to meet higher tiers, they are more likely to be motivated and stay in their job. Assess the advantages of both a centralised and decentralised structure to a business. Centralised ADV = it keeps decisions consistent. DIS = employees lower down the structure have less freedom and independence. Decentralised ADV = managers/employees further down the structure have more freedom >> increases staff morale. DIS = may lead to a lack of co-ordination. Describe how both job rotation and job enlargement can motivate employees. Job rotation allows employees to do different jobs of the same skill level to prevent them from getting board and therefore increases motivation. Job enlargement allows employees to carry out jobs that require a higher skill level and therefore they feel as though they have accomplished more which increases motivation. Assess the importance of both financial and non-financial methods of motivation for employees. Financial motivation may come in the form of wages, salary, commission, and piece rate. Commission and piece rate both relies on the output of each employee and therefore motivates them to work harder and produce more products/sell more items. Non-financial methods of motivation like offering promotions, job enlargement and job rotation focus on employee's well-being e.g. boredom. It focuses on making employees feel valued which increases motivation. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both on the job and off the job training. On the job ADV = more cost effective DIS = it takes place 'live' in the workplace so it can be stressful and mistakes can be made (costly) Off the job ADV = employees may gain official qualifications DIS = expensive Explain the benefits of effective training in an organisation. Employees are able to produce higher quality goods and have high levels of motivation.