She decides to illustrate the organizational structure. Which of the following elements is not included?
A. Level of authority
B. Lines of communication
C. Span of control
D. Unity of direction
Correct Answer: D. Unity of direction
Unity of direction is a management principle, not an element of an organizational structure. The principle of unity of direction implies that there should be ”one head and one plan for a group of activities having the same objective”. In other words, each group of activities having the same objectives must have one plan of action and must be under the control of one manager or superior. An organization or group having different plans and more than one head cannot achieve the desired results.
Option A: Distributing authority is another important building block in structuring organizations. Authority in the organization is the right in a position and, through it, the right of the person occupying the position to exercise discretion in making decisions affecting others.
Option B: Organizational structures also rest somewhere on a spectrum of centralization. Generally, more conservative corporate entities adopt a centralized structure. In this design, C-level managers make all the decisions, management designs a plan for execution, and front-line employees carry out that plan.
Option C: An organization’s span of control defines how many employees each manager is responsible for within the company. There is no single type of span of control that’s ideal for all companies or even for all businesses in a specific industry.