Modern Management: concepts and skills, 14/e

Dividing Job Activities

Obviously, one person cannot be responsible for performing all of the activities that need to take place within an organization. Because so many people work in a given management system, organizing necessarily involves dividing job activities among a number of individuals. Some method of distributing these job activities is essential.

The Functional Similarity Method

The functional similarity method is, according to many management theorists, the most basic method of dividing job activities. Simply stated, the method suggests that management should take four basic, interrelated steps to divide job activities in the following sequence:

1. Examine management system objectives.

2. Designate the appropriate activities that must ...