Lecture 4 part 1: Organizations

Building Blocks of an Organization: both the structures and relationships that allow individuals to work together to complete tasks and further the mission of the organization:

• planning process/objective
• coordination/chain of command
• specialization of tasks 
• resources

One of the great things about using this approach to an organization is that it allows us to consider personal preference in specialization--and get everyone to use their greatest strengths toward a common goal! 
 

Dr. P. Feehan, SLIS J704 Fall 2012, Lecture 4

Formal & Informal hierarchies in organizations:

"The formal structure is the hierarchy and the informal structure is who 
has the influence and establishes the communication lines." 

~Dr. P. Feehan, SLIS J704 Fall 2012, Lecture 4

A personal example from Amy: 

I have seen the difference in these 2 structures comparing my experiences in the academic library v. the public library.

     The public library lived by a formal structure. The governmental hierarchy seemed to reign firmly, with more notice (and criticism) of outside-the-box actions. This influenced the library system staff, across the board, to be counter-productively cautious. Problem-solving initiative was muted, sometimes leaving customers feeling we were apathetic, and enthusiasm for "the new" (in programming or technology) was dampened with anxiety about the lack of usual protocol to follow. How could something be done without having road-tested rules to follow, especially if they could be blamed for a mistake?

     On the other hand, the academic setting showed more fluidity due to a healthy respect of the informal structure. People at all levels, and from different departments, freely established communication lines about new ideas. The nexus of influence shifted frequently, without regard for hierarchy, depending on who emerged as the "natural leader" of a particular project. The formal department director simply requested to be kept informed, seemingly comfortable that obstacles could be met with solutions by the team members.