Human resources and organisational structures - OCRThe terminology of organisational charts

Organisational charts

The organisational structure of a business is usually illustrated graphically using an organisational chart. This shows who does each role, who they are responsible for managing, and who they are accountable to. An organisational chart might look like this:

Key terms in organisational structure

There are a number of key terms that apply to organisational structures:

• span of control - the number of staff that a manager has responsibility for
• chain of command - the route by which instructions and communications flow from the top to the bottom of a business, explaining who is answerable to whom
• delayering - a process where a business removes layers of its management to make its structure more flat
• delegation - a process where tasks are given by managers to employees further down the chain of command
• subordinates - members of staff below a manager in the chain of command