Organisational structure
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| organisational structure | 组织结构 | zǔ zhī jié gòu |
| organisation chart | 组织结构图 | zǔ zhī jié gòu tú |
| hierarchy | 层级 | céng jí |
| chain of command | 指挥链 | zhǐ huī liàn |
| span of control | 管理幅度 | guǎn lǐ fú dù |
| subordinates | 下属 | xià shǔ |
| tall | 高耸型 | gāo sǒng xíng |
| flat | 扁平型 | biǎn píng xíng |
| empowerment | 授权 | shòu quán |
Who reports to whom
- As a business grows past a handful of people, someone has to decide who does what and who answers to whom.
- That map of roles and reporting lines is the organisational structure 组织结构.
Choose the ownership form
Compare ownership, control and liability in real business types.
A diagram showing roles and reporting lines is an organisation ______.
The org chart shows hierarchy and the chain of command.
The organisation chart 组织结构图
- An organisation chart shows roles, levels of hierarchy 层级, and reporting lines.
- It makes responsibility and the chain of command 指挥链 clear.
Each level reports to the one above; authority flows down the chain of command.
The span of control is:
Span of control = direct subordinates per manager.
The chain of command is:
It is the line down which authority flows.
Span of control 管理幅度 and chain of command
- Span of control: the number of subordinates 下属 a manager directly oversees.
- Chain of command: the line of authority from top to bottom.
- A wide span means fewer levels; a narrow span means more.
A tall organisational structure tends to have:
Tall structures have many levels and narrow spans.
Widening spans of control tends to make a structure flatter.
Wider spans reduce the number of levels.
Tall 高耸型 vs flat 扁平型 structures
- Tall: many levels, narrow spans — tight control, but slow communication.
- Flat: few levels, wide spans — fast communication and empowerment 授权, but managers stretched.
Tall structures have many levels and narrow spans; flat structures have few levels and wide spans
Wide span ↔ flat structure. Widening spans of control reduces the number of levels (flatter); narrowing them adds levels (taller). The two ideas are linked, not independent.
You've got it
- an organisation chart shows hierarchy, roles and the chain of command
- span of control = subordinates per manager; wide span → flatter structure
- tall = tight control, slow; flat = fast, empowering, but stretches managers