Simple structure

The Simple structure It presents a minimal differentiation of units and few hierarchical levels, a division of vague labor and a very low level of formalization of behaviors. Fundamentally organic, and coordination is achieved by direct supervision. The power to make decisions and control the operation of the organization is concentrated in the executive director that is the central and basic part of this type of structure.

Simple structure

Workers are part of this structure, there are hardly any staff members, intermediate controls and support technicians. The groups are formed on functional and flexible criteria and their coordination depends on the executive director. Communication flows are basically informal and occur between the live and all other members. The workflow is flexible and the tasks to be performed are little specialized and quite interchangeable among the workers.

Decisions are made in the direction and that centralization makes possible responses possible. It is the responsibility of the director to formulation of strategies and plans. Conditions of this type of structure are organic organizations that allow rapid adaptation to environments Changing Simple. Dynamic environments, of little predictable future and of little complexity that are the most appropriate, than because of their flexibility and simplicity, have a great adaptation capacity. The technical system is of little complexity and little regulation. They can exist without staff and technical support personnel, it presents a degree of bureaucratization and formalization. Structure that occurs mainly in small -sized organizations and a few years of existence.

Type of structure that adopts a large part of organizations in their early years and that maintain many small size throughout their existence. The different variables tend to be configured so that they present a "Gestalt" Effective structural under certain conditions, but that can stop being in others. Advantages and disadvantages of simple structures that decisions are centralized in the person of the director, with direct knowledge of the organization's march, favors the flexibility and the adaptability of organizational responses. This can lead to confusion between issues that are general and strategic in the organization and those that refer to specific problems.

Decisions may be misunderstood by focusing the director's interest in the other. Structure that has the risk of depending on a few individuals, managers. Having formalized the procedures, positions, etc. The person who has the information is central and directs the organization. Its unforeseen disappearance can be an important problem for these organizations. A positive aspect is the satisfaction it produces in many of its employees for being small, with easy interpersonal relationships, without great hierarchies, with little fractional works, etc.

There are people who perceive them as highly restrictive. The salmi and cummings They point out that higher level managers were more satisfied in small organizations, those of medium or low level were more satisfied in large organizations. Differences that can also be found in employees of another level. Type of organization that has been criticized for its paternalistic, autocratic and unplayed character for current organizational needs, which make anachronistic social entities, however, they exist and in some contexts they are effective and adaptive.

Main configurations

In recent decades, the need to obtain data on the structures of non -bureaucratized organizations is insisted.

It is necessary to establish sufficient enough structural typologies to cover the multiplicity of existing organizations. There are many environmental, contextual and structural dimensions of the organization and numerous combinations that can result from these factors.

Mintzberg (1979) raises the problem taking as a starting point the hypothesis of the configuration, according to which effective organizations would achieve internal consideration between the different parameters that determine them. Consistency that makes logical configurations of contingency factors and structural parameters that characterize the main types of organization arise.

The combinations of these parameters are multiple, but the types of organization that allow a categorization of real organizations are:

• Simple structure,
• mechanical bureaucracy,
• professional bureaucracy,
• divisionalized form,
• The "adhocracy".

The systematic perspective does not consider the relationships between the different variables in a bivariate and unidirectional way but understands them as "gestalts" of contingency factors and structural factors. There are no dependent and independent variables, anything depends on any other. Organizations, at least the effective ones, seek.

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