Cancer Research Organizational Structure

Organization Structure

In this report, I will be assessing the organisational structure that Cancer Research has chosen to adopt. I will analyse the purposes of an effective organisational structure and how it impacts the organisations communications, lines of control and division of work.

Cancer Research uses a functional organisation structure; this is a hierarchical organisation structure where employees are grouped as per their area of specialization. Usually a functional manager will be assigned to overlook the operations of the employees, he applies expertise to utilize the skills of his employees and ensure everyone contributes to fulfilling the businesses objectives. Communications usually flow through department heads to top management
Employees are grouped by knowledge and skill which allows them to unlock the highest performance; also employees can benefit from working with similar colleagues. Each employee is presented with a clear growth path and are more likely to feel a sense of job security; resulting in employees becoming loyal to the company and performing well without fear of losing their job. There is no duplication of work because each department and each employee has a fixed job responsibility; this facilitates easy accountability for work. A functional hierarchy is very clear and organized which results in employees not needing to report to multiple supervisors; each employee should only report to their assigned supervisor reducing the confusion of accountability and the number of communication
Cancer Research has 12 Research Groups that specialize in everything from Cell Division to Transcriptional Networks in Lung Cancer. Each of these research groups are very likely to have a functional or department manager that overlooks the work of the employees they have been assigned to. Each research group will be dominated by scientists who conduct research into their specific field of expertise, all of these scientists report to their functional managers. Communication then flows upwards towards the upper management of the research groups; the heads of the research groups are then responsible for feeding back the information to Richard Marais. Cancer Research also have a Head of Finance, HR Manager, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Laboratory Officer, all of which have been delegated responsibility of a department. Mark Allen, the HR manager of Cancer Research UK, is in charge of the human resources and recruitment aspects of the company. The human resources department is responsible for recruiting, screening, interviewing and placing workers. They may also handle employee relations, payroll and benefits and training. The manager, Mark Allen, is in charge of overseeing these factors as well as planning, directing and coordinating the