Nurs 321 Quiz 2 Study Questions and
Correct Answers
Formal Organizational Structure: the emphasis is on organizational positions and formal
power
Provides a framework for defining managerial authority, responsibility, and
accountability ✅Informal Organizational Structure: the focus is on the employees, their
relationships, and the
informal power that is inherent within those relationships
Has its own leaders and communication channel, grapevine
Span of Control
Refers to the number of people directly reporting to any one manager and determines
the number of interactions expected of him or her ✅Too many people reporting to a
single manager delays decision making, whereas too few results in an inefficient, top-
heavy organization.
Unity of Command
Best described as one person/one boss in which employees have one manager to
whom they report and to whom they are responsible ✅Indicated by the vertical solid
line between positions on the organizational chart
Scalar Chain ✅The decision-making hierarchy, or pyramid, is often referred to as a
scalar chain.
Centrality
The extent to which an employee is integrated into the network of interpersonal
relationships within the work system ✅The middle manager often has centrality
because he or she has a broader view of the organization and communicates in many
directions.
Levels of Management
Top-Level Managers ✅Board of directors
Chief executive officer
Chief nursing officer
Administrators
Levels of Management
Middle-Level Managers ✅Nursing supervisors
Nursing directors
Department heads
Levels of Management
, First-Level Managers ✅Team leaders
Charge nurses
Primary care nurses
Case managers
Levels of Management
In centralized decision making, decisions are made by a few managers at the top of the
hierarchy ✅In decentralized decision making, decision making is diffused throughout
the organization, and problems are solved at the lowest practical managerial level
Advantages of the Organization Chart
1. Maps lines of decision-making authority
2. Helps people understand their assignments and those of their coworkers ✅3.
Reveals to managers and new personnel how they fit into the organization
4. Contributes to sound organizational structure
5. Shows formal lines of communication
Disadvantages of the Organization Chart
1. Does not show the informal structure of the organization
2. Does not indicate the degree of authority held by each line position ✅3. May show
things as they are supposed to be or used to be rather than as they are
4. Possibility exists of confusing authority with status
Types of Organizational Structures ✅Line structures
Ad hoc design
Matrix structures
Service line organization
Flat designs
Ad Hoc Design
Modification of the bureaucratic structure
Sometimes used temporarily to facilitate project completion within a formal line
organization
Overcomes the inflexibility of line structure ✅Serves as a way for professionals to
handle increasingly large amounts of information
Uses a project team or task approach and is usually disbanded after a project is
completed
May result in decreased employee loyalty to the parent organization
Matrix Organizations
Designed to focus on both the product and the function
Have a formal vertical and horizontal chain of command ✅Have fewer formal rules and
fewer levels of the hierarchy
Can cause slow decision making due to information sharing
Correct Answers
Formal Organizational Structure: the emphasis is on organizational positions and formal
power
Provides a framework for defining managerial authority, responsibility, and
accountability ✅Informal Organizational Structure: the focus is on the employees, their
relationships, and the
informal power that is inherent within those relationships
Has its own leaders and communication channel, grapevine
Span of Control
Refers to the number of people directly reporting to any one manager and determines
the number of interactions expected of him or her ✅Too many people reporting to a
single manager delays decision making, whereas too few results in an inefficient, top-
heavy organization.
Unity of Command
Best described as one person/one boss in which employees have one manager to
whom they report and to whom they are responsible ✅Indicated by the vertical solid
line between positions on the organizational chart
Scalar Chain ✅The decision-making hierarchy, or pyramid, is often referred to as a
scalar chain.
Centrality
The extent to which an employee is integrated into the network of interpersonal
relationships within the work system ✅The middle manager often has centrality
because he or she has a broader view of the organization and communicates in many
directions.
Levels of Management
Top-Level Managers ✅Board of directors
Chief executive officer
Chief nursing officer
Administrators
Levels of Management
Middle-Level Managers ✅Nursing supervisors
Nursing directors
Department heads
Levels of Management
, First-Level Managers ✅Team leaders
Charge nurses
Primary care nurses
Case managers
Levels of Management
In centralized decision making, decisions are made by a few managers at the top of the
hierarchy ✅In decentralized decision making, decision making is diffused throughout
the organization, and problems are solved at the lowest practical managerial level
Advantages of the Organization Chart
1. Maps lines of decision-making authority
2. Helps people understand their assignments and those of their coworkers ✅3.
Reveals to managers and new personnel how they fit into the organization
4. Contributes to sound organizational structure
5. Shows formal lines of communication
Disadvantages of the Organization Chart
1. Does not show the informal structure of the organization
2. Does not indicate the degree of authority held by each line position ✅3. May show
things as they are supposed to be or used to be rather than as they are
4. Possibility exists of confusing authority with status
Types of Organizational Structures ✅Line structures
Ad hoc design
Matrix structures
Service line organization
Flat designs
Ad Hoc Design
Modification of the bureaucratic structure
Sometimes used temporarily to facilitate project completion within a formal line
organization
Overcomes the inflexibility of line structure ✅Serves as a way for professionals to
handle increasingly large amounts of information
Uses a project team or task approach and is usually disbanded after a project is
completed
May result in decreased employee loyalty to the parent organization
Matrix Organizations
Designed to focus on both the product and the function
Have a formal vertical and horizontal chain of command ✅Have fewer formal rules and
fewer levels of the hierarchy
Can cause slow decision making due to information sharing
