Clarifying Responsibility Relationships

by T. Hamilton


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Abstract

Organization charts and position guides provide very useful information but, generally speaking, do not portray coordination relationships or lines of communications. Yet the way individuals coordinate, co-operate and work together is the essence of any organization's detailed procedures. Through its function of providing for prompt and comprehensive agreement and understanding as to who does what, the responsibility matrix facilitates the accelerated preparation of detailed procedures and improves an organization's capability to develop highly accurate position guides and more effective organizational arrangements. With the increased knowledge and understanding generated during the matrix development process, the capability to develop more effective organizational arrangements increases proportionally. These organizational conflicts, duplications, overlappings, or inadequate coverage of functions identified would merit prompt attention. These and other rearrangements deemed advantageous would, naturally, result in modification of existing organization structures.

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