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Organization Gap Kemball Cook

In a sentence

A practical guide to bridging the gap between organization theory and daily management practice through Decision Centre Analysis, a systematic method for analysing and designing organization structures and management information systems.

The Organization Gap addresses the frustration of practising managers who find that abstract organization theory offers little help with the concrete task of redesigning an actual organization or specifying the information each manager needs. Drawing on years of P-E Consulting Group experience, R. B. Kemball-Cook introduces Decision Centre Analysis (D.C.A.), a disciplined, detail-oriented procedure that treats an organization as a lattice of interlinked decision centres — combinations of roles, tasks, objectives, and information flows — all derived from and serving the corporate aims of the business. The book walks the reader from concepts through the practical steps of specifying, collecting, summarizing, and analysing data, to designing or revising structures and their supporting management information systems, extending the method to large multi-divisional groups via Group Structure Analysis. It is a hands-on manual for managers, students, and consultants who want a rational, repeatable way to diagnose organizational weaknesses and build purposeful structures that fit the real work people actually do.

The four lenses

  • Science
  • Statistics
  • Systems
  • Strategy

The model

A framework model expressing how corporate aims and design levers (structure, delegation, information specification) shape psychological and behavioral states of managers and, through them, organizational effectiveness outcomes. The book treats an organization as a lattice of decision centres (role-task-objective-information) whose alignment determines performance.

Clarity of Corporate Aims and Objectivescontextual condition

The degree to which the enterprise has explicitly identified and articulated its long-term aspirations (market satisfaction, innovation, survival/growth, employee and community interests) from which all managerial objectives can be logically derived.

Precision and Detail of Structural Analysisdesign lever

The extent to which organization analysis and design deal in the concrete reality and detail of activities as actually performed, with clearly defined terms and coded data, rather than vague functional generalizations.

Matching of Responsibility with Authoritydesign lever

The degree to which delegated responsibility for tasks is matched by corresponding authority over the resources (staff, finance, materials, plant) needed to achieve the objectives, and by a shared superior-subordinate understanding of the delegation.

Appropriateness of Span of Control and Levelsdesign lever

The extent to which the number of subordinates reporting to each manager and the number of management levels are set at a level consistent with effective decisions and coordination, given complexity, technology, stability, ability, diversity, and communication factors.

Degree of Decision Programmingcontextual condition

The extent to which decisions in a task are well programmed — supported by decision rules or precedents, makeable by one individual, with readily available data — versus unprogrammed requiring judgement, consensus, and special studies.

Quality and Match of Management Information Systemdesign lever

The extent to which the management information delivered to each decision centre is relevant, accurate, comprehensive, significant, timely, well-presented, and cost-effective, and is matched to the organization structure and delegated responsibility.

Alignment of Tasks with Objectivespsychological state

The degree to which each key task is linked to a positive management objective that contributes logically upward to corporate aims, avoiding tasks without objectives and objectives without tasks.

Fit Between Structure and Business Situationcontextual condition

The extent to which the organization structure suits the total business situation — its markets, technology, resources, environmental change rate, and ruling management style — rather than being a tidy end in itself.

Involvement of Managers in Design and Implementationbehavioral pattern

The degree to which the senior managers themselves participate creatively in revising the structure and information system and are involved throughout analysis and implementation, rather than being studied as passive subjects.

Manager Stress and Frustrationpsychological state

The psychological strain, frustration, and insecurity experienced by managers arising from mismatched responsibility and authority, unclear reporting, redundant levels, information overload, or imposed change perceived as threat.

Effectiveness of Coordination and Communicationbehavioral pattern

The extent to which working groups spanning departmental boundaries can cooperate effectively, communications flow upward, downward, and laterally, and lines of communication are short and quick.

Organizational Effectiveness and Performanceoutcome metric

The ultimate performance of the enterprise expressed as profitability, growth, market standing, and improved performance at the point of action, resulting from a structure and information system well matched to purpose.

Appropriateness of Delegation in Large Groupsdesign lever

In multi-unit groups, the degree to which operating responsibility is decentralized to subsidiary units at the right level with clearly defined roles, avoiding both over-delegation and under-delegation and matching accountability, control, planning, and objectives.

How they connect

  • corporate aims clarity → predicts objective task alignment
  • objective task alignment → influences organizational effectiveness
  • structural detail precision → influences structure situation fit
  • responsibility authority matching − predicts manager stress frustration
  • manager stress frustration − influences organizational effectiveness
  • span of control appropriateness → influences coordination effectiveness
  • decision programming → moderates span of control appropriateness
  • information system quality → influences coordination effectiveness
  • structure situation fit → influences information system quality
  • information system quality → correlates responsibility authority matching
  • structure situation fit → influences organizational effectiveness
  • manager involvement → moderates organizational effectiveness
  • manager involvement − predicts manager stress frustration
  • delegation appropriateness group → influences organizational effectiveness
  • delegation appropriateness group − predicts manager stress frustration

The story

The reader A practising manager (or student/consultant) who wants to design or revise a workable organization structure that fits the real needs of a particular business.

External problem

An actual organization has become inadequate — responsibilities are unclear, deliveries are late, reports are irrelevant, and the manager must decide who does what and what information must circulate.

Internal problem

The manager feels perplexed, frustrated, and alone, sensing a yawning gap between the theory he has read and the urgent day-to-day problems he must solve.

Philosophical problem

It is just plain wrong that a body of organization knowledge exists yet offers no positive, practical help to the person actually charged with putting a live organization to rights.

The plan

  1. Gain a thorough understanding of the total business situation, corporate aims, environment, and resources.
  2. Specify and code the data needed for each decision centre — roles, tasks, objectives, and information.
  3. Collect the data through recorded sources, questionnaires, interviews, and observation.
  4. Summarize and analyse the data using matrices, edge-punched cards, or computer summaries.
  5. Design or revise the structure by testing each role-task combination against sound criteria.
  6. Specify the matching management information system to service each task and manager.
  7. Implement changes with full involvement of managers and staff, extending to large groups via Group Structure Analysis where needed.

Success

  • A purposeful organization structure in which every task serves an objective that contributes to corporate aims.
  • Managers carrying fair workloads with clearly defined responsibilities matched by authority.
  • An information system that delivers only significant, relevant, timely data to each decision centre.
  • A structure flexible enough to adapt smoothly to change and to be kept continuously up to date.
  • Reduced frustration, clearer accountability, and improved performance at the point of action.

At stake

  • A 'tidy' but irrelevant or crippling structure that conflicts with reality and the ruling management style.
  • Neglected key tasks, redundant management levels, and confused allocation of responsibilities.
  • Managers swamped in irrelevant paperwork while lacking the few key items they need for control.
  • Continued frustration, poor performance, and vulnerability to competition and a changing environment.
  • In large groups, spider's-web information flows, conflict, and delegation illusions that mask real powerlessness.

Questions this book answers

How can a manager apply valid organization principles to the specific detailed needs of a particular business?
What is the basic unit of organization structure and how should it be analysed?
How should responsibilities, tasks, and objectives be allocated so structure serves corporate aims?
How can management information systems be specified to match organization structure and delegated responsibility?
How do the problems of structure change when organizations grow into large multi-divisional groups?

Glossary

Clarity of Corporate Aims and Objectives
The degree to which an enterprise has explicitly identified, articulated, and understood its long-term aspirations — market satisfaction, innovation, survival/growth, and obligations to employees and community — that motivate its existence and serve as the base from which structure and managerial objectives are derived.
Precision and Detail of Structural Analysis
The extent to which organization analysis and design are grounded in the concrete, coded detail of activities as actually performed, with precisely defined terms, rather than vague functional generalizations.
Matching of Responsibility with Authority
The alignment between the responsibility delegated for tasks and the authority granted over the resources needed to achieve their objectives, together with a shared superior-subordinate understanding of the extent of delegation.
Appropriateness of Span of Control and Levels
The degree to which each manager's number of direct subordinates and the total number of management levels are set to permit effective decisions and coordination, given the many determining factors, avoiding both overload and redundant levels.
Degree of Decision Programming
The extent to which decisions in a task are well programmed — governed by rules or precedents, makeable independently, and supported by readily available data — versus unprogrammed, requiring judgement, consensus, and special studies.
Quality and Match of Management Information System
The extent to which management information delivered to each decision centre satisfies criteria of relevance, accuracy, comprehensiveness, significance, timing/frequency, presentation, and cost effectiveness, and is matched to the structure and delegated responsibility.
Alignment of Tasks with Objectives
The degree to which each key task is associated with a positive management objective that contributes logically upward toward the corporate aims, with no key task lacking an objective and no objective lacking a task.
Fit Between Structure and Business Situation
The degree to which the organization structure suits the total business situation — markets, technology, resources, environmental change rate, technological imperatives, and ruling management style — rather than being a tidy end in itself.