They are tall because there are a lot of people working for them.
Advantages
Clear chain of command
Staff know where they stand
They know who there boss is
Chances of promotion
They know there entitlements and rights
Specialist departments
Disadvantages
Takes more time to make a decision
Inflexible, people only know there area of work, and can’t cover for someone who is not in that works in another area.
Information might get misinterpreted and distorted along the line of communication because there are so many links in the chain.
Matrix Structure
Sometimes an organisation needs to run according to what projects they have to do. In these situations people usually work together in a team to achieve their projects goals. A person working on a project would have two bosses, the boss of the department that they work in and the leader or manager of the particular project that they are working on at the moment. A project may cover some or all of the organisations departmental areas.
Senior manager heads a division or team of specialists drawn from different departments. A specialist (e.g. finance) can be part of a number of teams or divisions
Advantages
Promotes coordination between departments – cuts across departmental boundaries – flexibility and creativity
Mixture of knowledge and skills
Allows a range of staff to be involved which gives good experience.
Disadvantages
Confusion between managers who are dealing with a number of projects at one time
Projects may be temporary
Too many people involved to make decisions.
