Final answer:
An organisation is a social entity characterized by a structured hierarchy, explicit rules, and division of labor, aimed at pursuing collective goals and maintaining its own performance and boundaries.
Step-by-step explanation:
An organisation is a complex structure, characteristically featuring a hierarchy of authority, explicit rules, and a clear division of labor. These are essential in pursuing collective goals efficiently and effectively. Formal organizations can be normative, coercive, or utilitarian, each with distinct motivations for membership, such as shared interests, an imposition of authority, or financial rewards respectively. It is their bureaucratized nature and design- their social structure- that set them apart, allowing them to operate autonomously while maintaining a boundary from their environment. This structure is a fabric made up of practices, material culture, and ideas that define when, where, how, and by whom specific organizational functions are performed.