Answer to Question #196790 in Management for Mohamed

Question

*‏Developing responsiveness through organisational structure*

‏UNISON is the UK’s biggest public service trade union. It represents 1.3 million members who deliver essential services to the public. These are services that protect, enrich and change lives. Its members work in all areas of public service.

‏There are UNISON branches in all sorts of organisations in the UK. As a trade union, UNISON represents and supports its members in issues at work. It looks after their welfare and campaigns for changes on their behalf. UNISON also has a role in local and national negotiations and in collective bargaining. This is where UNISON negotiates with employers and groups of employers for all of its members collectively. One of its key roles is in campaigning on behalf of members. This could be for changes that will benefit members such as better wages or working conditions or against policies that threaten members’ jobs.

‏Organisational structure refers to how the workers within a business are organised and how they relate to each other. A visual representation of the structure can be shown in an organisation chart. This shows who has authority over whom and the different roles that workers carry out.

‏Certain organisational structures suit particular types of organisations. This will depend on the size of the business, its aims and the way it sees itself (known as its corporate culture or image). It may also be affected by factors outside of its control (external factors) such as the nature and spread of its customers. Structure is often linked to the type of business.

‏It is important for a business to choose a structure that helps it operate efficiently. The structure should also help to achieve the organisation’s aims and objectives and make best use of people and resources. The main types of business structure are:

‏• Hierarchical (tall) structure. This means that the business is organised in layers, with the higher layers having more authority than those below them. The advantage of a tall structure is that every role is clearly defined. Decisions can be made quickly by those at the top of the organisation but communication may be slower as the message has to pass through all the layers.

‏• Horizontal or flat structures. Here there are fewer layers and more people in each layer. Decision making may need to take account of several groups within a layer. However, communication is usually more effective. Flat structures often work well with skilled and motivated workers.

‏UNISON has a complex structure that reflects the complex nature of the work that it carries out. Its structure is split by function and by region. UNISON’s 1,100 staff work in either its new centre on Euston Road in London or in one of the 12 UK regions. Within each region there are employees responsible for different areas of the union’s work. These areas include health, learning and development, and local government and education.

‏The type of structure that a business has reflects how it behaves. It defines its culture or way of working. A highly centralised, hierarchical structure means an organisation is run from the top. It may have a well-known person at its head who makes most of the decisions. A decentralised structure is likely to create a much more democratic culture, where everyone’s opinion is valued. Decisions will often be made by groups of people or in consultation with different layers.

‏The national structure of UNISON is centralised with many decisions affecting the whole union made by the senior members and workers in the new UNISON centre. However, UNISON’s culture is one of equality. It is a culture that gives people freedom to express their views and to be part of decision making. Therefore, some power is given to the regions so that they can make decisions. Quite often the people in the regions will have a better idea of local needs. This decentralisation helps UNISON to be responsive at all levels.

‏Within most large organisations there are roles at different levels within the hierarchy such as directors, managers, team leaders, supervisors and operatives. UNISON is no different. The qualities and skills needed for these roles are different. For example, those at the top of the hierarchy will have to think more strategically and may need greater leadership skills than those lower down. UNISON’s job roles are specific to the aims of the union.

‏Questions:

‏1. Summarize the case study in your own words.

‏2. Analyse the roles within a typical hierarchical structure, using UNISON as an example.

‏3. Evaluate why UNISON’s structure is appropriate to the union, giving reasons to support your answer

Answer 1

1) UNISON is a public service that helps in protecting, changing and enriching the lives of the public with different branches found in the United Kingdom. The UNISON organization structure describes how workers are relating to each other and organized. Good organization structure ensures efficiency in operation depending on the organization's size and it's aim. Hierarchical structure has many higher layer with higher authority than the workers below them while the horizontal structure has fewer higher layers with authority than those below them. UNISON new staff are located on Euston Road with employees in charge of health, learning development and education. Highly centralized hierarchical structure, most of the decisions are made from the top while decentralized structure, everyone's idea and opinion is valued hence the decision are made by groups or by consulting the organization's lawyers.

2) Hierarchical structure in UNISON organization has many higher layers with higher authority that makes most of the decisions. UNISON many layer include the directors, managers, team leaders,supervisors and operatives. Therefore,the top members with higher authority in UNISON organization will require alot of leadership skills to be able to lead and guide the UNISON trade union.

3) UNISON structure is appropriate to the union because it facilitates the efficiency of union operation. The UNISON structure helps the organization to achieve it's aim and objectives. It helps in identifying the level of authority at each layer on each layer's decision impacts the organization.