specialization

Examples of specialization in the following topics:

• The Reasoning of Specialization

  • Gathering together into communities for the mutual achievement of common goals succeeds because each person specializes in practice.
  • Specialization is the separation of tasks within a system.
  • In a multicellular creature, cells are specialized for functions such as bone construction or oxygen transport.
  • In both cases, specialization enables the accomplishment of otherwise unattainable goals.
  • People who specialize in construction build office buildings to house people who specialize in other things, like finance.

• Specialization by Skillset

  • Specialization by skillset can be seen in functional departmentalization, grouping workers by the functions they perform.
  • Division of labor is the specialization of cooperative labor in specific, circumscribed tasks and like roles.
  • One can see specialization by skillset being used in functional departments, grouping activities by functions performed.
  • Employees within the functional divisions of an organization tend to perform a specialized set of tasks, for instance, the engineering department would be staffed only with software engineers.
  • Coordination and specialization of tasks are centralized in a functional structure, which makes producing a limited amount of products or services efficient and predictable.

• About this author and acknowledgements

  • Very special thanks to the Academic Reviewer: Debbi D Brock, William and Kay Moore Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management, Berea College.
  • Special Thanks to Michael Tanenbaum, Kaushik Shirhatti, and Sumeet Malik my graduate assistants and my former students, Ann Shafer and Luiz Montoya from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management who assisted by providing initial research on preliminary versions of Chapter 1.
  • Special thanks to my former student Jay Milbrandt for providing his journal.
  • Special thanks as well to Taissia Belozerova, Graphic Designer, Artist, MBA Candidate at Pepperdine University Class of 2009.
  • Additionally, special thanks to Estelle Holloway.

• The Value of Intermediaries

  • Utilizing intermediaries reduces organizational complexity and allows firms to focus on developing a core competency through specialization.
  • This creates the economic advantage of specialization, and enables multiple strategic partners to collaborate on the design, production, and distribution of countless goods and services.
  • Specialization and Focus - As discussed above, often one of the primary advantages of utilizing intermediaries is the ability to increase focus on a business' core products and core competency.
  • As a result, organizations with many intermediaries can benefit from the specializations of their partners.
  • Organizations tend to complete each of these tasks in some way, and outsourcing a variety of them is a useful starting point for specializing through intermediaries and strategic alliances.

• Alternative Philosophies

  • Three alternatives to job specialization are job enlargement, job enrichment, and job rotation.
  • Three alternatives to job specialization are job enlargement, job enrichment, and job rotation.
  • Thus, job enlargement seeks to motivate workers through reversing the process of specialization.
  • Certain positions within a company may be specialized due to technology or may require highly skilled workers.
  • Evaluate job enlargement, job enrichment, and job rotation as solutions to the problems of specialization

• For more information

  • Look for specialized private companies, government agencies and academic institutions with experienced staff (always conduct a thorough background check before hiring a professional service).

• Departmentalization Pros

  • The division of labor or degree of departmentalization is driven by the need for specialization whether by process or purpose within an organization.
  • From a process prospective, a high degree of specialization can be very efficient in some instances and enable the development of highly centralized control functions.
  • Departmentalization at the functional level can take advantage of employees' specialization.
  • In this regard, a high degree of specialization can enhance skill proficiency and professional competence intra-departmentally.

• Agencies

  • Creative agencies specialize in creative or design-based business models; their basic interest is in the creation of the advertisement or branding.
  • Specialization occurs in such fields for a variety of reasons.
  • Often, as in recruitment advertising, for example, specialized media or media uses are involved that require knowledge and expertise not ordinarily found in a general-line agency.
  • Such specialist advertising agencies are also usually full-service, in that they offer all of the basic advertising agency services in their area of specialization plus other, peripheral advertising services related to their area of specialization.
  • Social media agencies specialize in promotion of brands in various social media platforms like blogs, social networking sites, Q&A sites, discussion forums, microblogs etc.

• Savings and Loan Associations (S&Ls)

  • A savings and loan association is a special kind of deposit institution that only participates in a subsection of financial activities.
  • A savings and loan association (or S&L), also known as a thrift, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans.

• Benefits of Organization

  • The philosophy of organization is centered on the concepts of specialization and division of work.
  • Specialization occurs when the responsibility for a specific task lies with a designated expert in that field.
  • Explain the role of specialization, delegation, efficiency and departmentalization in effective organization.