IGNOU : M.COM : MCO 1 : UNIT 1 : Q- 1. Describe basic features of an organisation.

Stoner, Freeman, and Gilbert describe that at an organisation, two or more people work together in a structured way to achieve a specific goal or set of goals. Through this description, certain salient features of an organisation emerge. These are: 

•  Organisation is a conglomerate of multiple number of persons; 
•  Relationship among people working together is defined through a structure. Through structure, communications take place among persons working in the organisation. Such structure may be relatively rigid, as in the case of formal structure, or the structure may be relatively loose, as in the case of informal structure; 
•  Organisation strives to achieve planned goal. The goal(s) may be singular or plural. Goal is one of the fundamental elements of an organisation.

Hicks describes an organisation as a structured process in which persons interact for objectives. This description indicates five facts that are common to all organisations: 

•  An organisation always include persons; 
• These persons are involved with one another in some way; 
• The interactions among persons can always be ordered or described by some sort of structure; 
• Each person in the organisation tries to meet personal objectives also through organisational activities; 
• These interactions can also help to achieve compatible joint objectives, i.e. organisational objectives and personal objectives