Mechanistic organizational structure refers to an arrangement in an organization whereby the boundaries of various departments within the structure are clearly defined and they are not easily changed- they are rigid. This is often achieved by use of documented procedures thus making it routine work to the managers and
employees and this kind of structure has been associated with manufacturing organizations and those organizations which may not easily have variations in the manner in which they are run.
This form of structure encourages individual specialization as employees work separately in a specific task as one is not allowed to tackle more than one task, in this also there is a lot of standardization resulting from the use of rules that are laid down, the standards and operating procedures. Finally this arrangement has a hierarchy which is distinctly defined and there is much written communication as opposed to verbal or oral communication which is very much used in organic structures.
Centralized organizational structure entirely depends on one individual to make decisions or to provide the way forward or direction in matters of an organization. This type of structure is usually used by small businessmen and women who are often responsible for the day in day out running of their business. They are preferred because they are efficient in terms of making business decisions since there is no consultation before taking any course of action.
The business owners are responsible for coming up with the organization’s mission, goals and objectives which must be adhered to by managers and employees. This form of structure is not desirable as it creates bureaucracy which always has a negative effect to the business. This is because the employees feel left out despite the fact that most of the work which has lead or will lead to the success of the business is done by them.
