A traditional way to departmentalize is by function, involving divisions such as design, production, marketing, and accounting, which allows each department to focus on specialized tasks. This organization method is used in various business sizes and industries, promoting operational efficiency and clear labor roles.
A traditional way to departmentalize is by function, such as design, production, marketing, and accounting. This method of organizing a business into different departments allows for a clear division of labor, where each department focuses on a specialized set of tasks.
For example, modern businesses, such as restaurants, may have a range of jobs like top chef, sous chefs, kitchen help, servers, a greeter, and a business manager, among others. In larger businesses, such as manufacturing factories or hospitals, there can be hundreds of job classifications, each contributing to efficient operational processes.
While this functional departmentalization aids in organizing activities and personnel, questions may arise regarding its flexibility, such as in a situation where a hostess at a restaurant may be available to help with tasks outside her usual scope, like delivering food when the kitchen is backed up. In such cases, a smart division of labor could involve cross-functional cooperation to address immediate needs.