Mintzberg six basic parts of organization

Abstract:

Mintzberg defined organisational structure as "the sum total of the ways in which it divides its labour into distinct tasks and then achieves coordination among them". Each configuration contains six components: 1. operating core: the people directly related to the production of services or products; 2. strategic apex: serves the needs of those people who control the organisation; 3. middle line: the managers who connect the strategic apex with the operating core; 4. technostructure: the analysts who design, plan, change or train the operating core; 5. support staff: the specialists who provide support to the organisation outside of the operating core's activities; 6. ideology: the traditions and beliefs that make the organisation unique.

At the bottom of the organization is the operating core. These are the people

that do the basic work of producing the products or delivering the services. In the

simplest organizations, the operators are largely self-sufficient, coordinating

through mutual adjustment. In those organizations, there is almost nothing but

operating core.

As the organization grows, the need for direct supervision increases. This results

in the development of a strategic apex, which in the simplest case is just a single

manager. The apex is charged with ensuring that the organization executes its

mission. They are responsible to the owners, government agencies, unions,

communities, etc.

As the organization grows even larger, one manager can't handle all the workers,

and so there are multiple managers of workers, plus a manager to manage the

managers. This creates a middle line which transmits authority from the top to the

bottom.

In Frederick Taylor's view, it was a primary responsibility of the managers to

figure out how work should be done by the workers. However, as organizations

become larger, they typically develop a separate group of people -- analysts --

who take on the job of figuring out what the company's technology should be and

what the company's procedures should be. These analysts form

the technostructure of the organization. The technostructure's mission is to effect

coordination through standardization. For example, the industrial engineers

standardize work processes; the strategic planners standardize outputs; and the

personnel trainers and recruiters standardize skills.

Finally, the organization adds other administrative units that provide services to

itself, such as a cafeteria, mailroom, legal counsel, public relations, etc. These are

called the support staff.

The apex, middle line, and operating core are known collectively

as line positions. In contrast, the technostructure and support staff are known

collectively as staff positions. Originally, the meaning of these terms was that

line positions had formal authority to make decisions, while staff positions did

not: they advised those who did. Today, that meaning has shifted. Line refers to

people that work directly on the main products of the company or manage the

people who do. Staff refers to people who construct and maintain the company's

infrastructure. In a way, staff positions are like roads while line positions are like

the cars that run on top of the roads.

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