Organizational size

ORGANIZATION SIZE:

An organization's structure is important to the study of business ethics. In a Centralized organization, decision- making authority is concentrated in the hands of top- level managers, and little authority is delegated to lower levels. Responsibility, both internal and external, rests with top management. This structure is especially suited for organizations that make high-risk decisions and whose lower- level managers are not highly skilled in decision making. It is also suitable for organizations in which production processes are routine and efficiency is of primary importance.

These organizations are usually extremely bureaucratic, and the division of labour is typically very well de fined. Each worker knows his or her job and what is specifica lly expected, and each has a clear understanding of how to carry out assigned tasks. Ce ntralized organizations stress formal rules, policies, and procedures, backed up with elaborate control systems. Their codes of ethics may specify the techniques to be used for decision making.

Because of their top-down approach and the distance between employee and decision maker, centralized organizational structures can lead to unethical acts. If the centralized organization is very bureaucratic, some employees may behave according to "the letter of the law" rather than the spirit.

In a decentralized organization, decision- making authority is delegated as far down the chain of command as possible. Such organizations have relatively few formal rules, and coordination and control are usually informal and personal. They focus instead on increasing the flow of information. As a result, one of the main strengths of decentralized organizations is their adaptability and early recognition of external change. With greater flexibility, managers can react quickly to changes in the ir ethical environment. Weakness of decentralized organizations is the difficulty they have in responding quickly to changes in policy and procedures established by top management. In addition, independent profit centers within a decentralized organization may deviate from organizational objectives.