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Topics in this unit:

What is an Organisation?Agricultural extension organization Agricultural extension organizational structures

What is an Organization?Organization has been defined as a specific configuration of structure, people, task and techniques

Structure: This describes the form of departments, hierarchy and committees.

People: It refers to the skills, attitudes and social interactions of the members of the organization.

Tasks: These are goals that individuals and the organization intends to achieve. Techniques: It refers to the methods/approaches used to perform tasks. .

Agricultural Extension Organization:An agricultural extension organization is therefore a formalized planned structure of roles or position directed towards achieving extension activities.

Organizational StructureOrganizational structure refers to the institutional arrangements and mechanisms for mobilizing human, physical, financial and information resources at all levels of a system.

Organizational structure is a plan that shows the organization of work and the systematic arrangement of work.

It is the arrangement and interrelationship of component parts and positions in an organization.

. . Function of an Organizational structureIt gives guideline on the division of work into activitiesLinkage between different functionsHierarchy: Authority Structure and Authority relationshipsCoordination within the environment

Characteristics of an organizational structureComplexityFormalizationCentralization

Design of an organizational structureAn organization can be structured in different ways, based on their objectives. Its structure determines its mode of operation and performance.Factors to consider in the design of an organizational structure.Clarity: people goal, task, functions, relationship and information sources should be well defined.Understanding: it should provide the people of how their work fit into the organizationDecentralization: The structure of an organization should encourage discussions/ interaction and decision making at the lower rung of the organizational ladder Stability and adaptability: It should be flexible enough to adapt to changing environmental condition nevertheless it should be stable during unfavourable environmental conditions

Types of organizational structureOrganizations structure can either be simple or complex traditional (bureaucratic) or modern (organic) depending on strategies, strategic decisions within the organization, nature of the environment and at times needs of the organization Traditional Organizational StructureBureaucraticClassical

Modern organization designs Project, Matrix Adhocracy types.

The Bureaucratic Organization The traditional bureaucratic organizational structure is mechanistic highly complex, highly formalized and centralized, its a type of structure common in a large organization. It is characterised by a high degree of control to ensure standard performance and the use of standard methods and procedures to perform task. Classical organizational structure In a simple centralized organizational structure, power, decision making authority and responsibility for goal setting are vested in one person at the top. This structure is usually found in small and single-person-owned organizations. The manager is versatile and coordinates all activities. Such organization have two hierarchical levels Bureaucratic Organizational structure

Project design Project design is also called the team or task force type. It is used to coordinate across departments for temporary, specific and complex problems which cannot be handled by a single department. This design facilitates inputs from different areas.