Organizational Structure at General Electric

For a company to be successful it is important that it has very good organization. Organization can be defined in many different ways. Bateman and Snell define organizing as assembling and coordinating the human, financial, physical, informational, and other resources needed to achieve goals. Organizing activities include attracting people to the organization, specifying job responsibilities, grouping job into work units, marshaling and allocating resources, and creating conditions so that people and things work together to achieve maximum success (Bateman & Snell, 2011). When a company is able to successfully organize each portion of their business, they will then be able to maintain a strong foundation. A company that has managed to be successful through its well use of organization is that of General Electric Company. They have what it is called a ‘flat’ structure in which everyone becomes equal (Clawson, 2012). General Electric used to have 29 levels, but today it has only a handful of layers (Bateman & Snell, 2011).

The General Electric Company (GE) is organized with its chief executive officer, shareowner, and board of directors on the top of the pyramid, followed by their executive leaders and corporate staff. GE’s Board of Directors ensures the company serves the interests of shareowners and other key stakeholders with the highest standards of integrity and compliance. Serving equally as tough critics and wise counselors, they provide in-depth oversight of the major strategic issues of the company (General Electric Company, 2012). The authority officially vested in the board of directors is assigned to a chief executive officer (CEO), who occupies the top of the organizational pyramid (Bateman & Snell, 2011). There chai...

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...ic Company is a very good example of how a company can change their organizational strategies to better their company. By switched from a tall to a flat organization they are now able to work together to help the company become more successful.

Works Cited

Bateman, T.S., & Snell, S.A. (2011).Management: Leading and collaborating in a competitive world (9thed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Clawson, D.M. (March 13, 2012). Management Theory and Practice- Week three: Organizing as a Management Function.

General Electric Company. (February 2011). GE Company Organizational Chart. Retrieved from http://www.ge.com/pdf/company/ge_organization_chart.pdf

General Electric Company. (2012). Functions. Retrieved from http://www.ge.com/careers/functions.html

General Electric Company. (2012). Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.ge.com/company/leadership/index.html