The functional org chart is a popular organizational diagram usually implemented by small business companies. In this structure, an organization can be grouped into separated departments by areas of specialty or function. Those departments are vertical and disconnected from each other.
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The functional org chart is one of several common organizational structure diagrams many companies have adopted and a clear depiction of how people are organized. Wherein employees are segmented based on their skills and specialties. Usually, people are grouped into departments and made to report to and follow their department manager. Each functional manager is responsible for supervision and direction with his or her department subordinates. This article aims for an explanation of functional org chart by five characteristics.
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It Fits Small Companies Well
As for small companies, their functional org charts get low hierarchy layers, therefore, it’s concise and clear which can make the company operate efficiently. Functional org chart performs well when the hierarchy layer is less than four. While as the company expands to a very large one, functional org chart would be much more complicated and redundant even cause bureaucracy which would make it hard to management and organization to respond to outer market quickly.
The functional org chart is a traditional type of org chart many companies adopt. Under this organizational structure, workers are divided into several departments based on expertise and function each person can perform.
Workers are required to get involved in duties within their departments and they have to report to their functional managers only. The functional org chart does not have a project manager role, which differentiates from matrix org chart where employees need to obey orders from both functional managers and project managers if employees are working on some projects. The figures below are some common functional org chart templates.
Functional Org Chart Baic Concept
The functional org chart is a very common organizational structure that many companies follow, which is supposed to divide people into several departments according to peoples’ specialties and function they perform in the company. Persons with rich experience and profession would be appointed as department manager authorized to be totally responsible for department’s affair such as training, the task allocating and promotion.
Definition of Functional Org Chart
The functional org chart divides people into different groups based on expertise and specialty. This structure gets involved in a great amount of process standardization within a company, with the real decision-making authority centered at the top of the organization. Employees in one department are responsible only for relevant tasks. For instance, an HR department that focuses only on recruitment & training, a sales department that only engages in sales activities, and an engineering department that only designs products and produces facilities.
Hierarchical organizational structure puts the authority and responsibility on the top side of the company and makes them flow down from the top to the lowest level gradually. This model works like a pyramid and centralizes all power and duties on people who stand on the peak of the organizational structure. To assess this type of management style, it has advantages as well as disadvantages.
In the functional structure, such as shown in the following Facebook organizational chart, functions are separated into different groups, resulting in some defects. Here are the major disadvantages you must consider:
Functional organization structure is optimal for small businesses or companies producing standardized goods or services.
Functional Organization Structure Main Advantages:
- Offers a high level of specialization.
- Employees are possible to become experts.
- Staff working skills can be effectively improved.
- could enhance the work efficiency and productivity due to the specialized skills and technology.
- Employees are highly motivated as they see clearly their career path within the functional units.
- Functional specialization can minimize the cost of operation.
- Leads to high-quality technical problem-solving.
When referring to the functional organizational structure, employees are grouped based on their roles and functions, resulting in functional units such as marketing, HR, finance, etc. Generally, the heads of these specialized units will report to the top management of the company. According to the company’s size, the functional units might be further divided into smaller units. The sub-division type of organizational structure seems to be the most common organizational structures that many companies have applied.
What is a Vertical Organizational Structure
The vertical organizational structure is a strict hierarchical structure with power emanating from the top to the bottom. With a chain of command well defined, decisions usually move from the top down through layer by layer, and people at the bottom have the least autonomy. In the structure, each person is supervised by the one directly above him. Employees can clearly monitor their roles and duties.
