What are the 10 Principles of Organization?

The 10 Principles of Organization, proposed by Lyndall Urwick, posits that an organization is built on ten principles:

• Objective - Every organization and every part of the organization must be an expression of the purpose of the undertaking concerned, or it is meaningless and therefore redundant.
• Specialization - The activities of every member of any organized group should be confined, as far as possible, to the performance of a single function.
• Co-ordination - The purpose of organizing per se, as distinguished from the purpose of the undertaking, is to facilitate co-ordination: unity of effort.
• Authority - In every organized group the supreme authority must rest somewhere. There should be a clear line of authority to every individual in the group.
• Responsibility - The responsibility of the superior for the acts of the subordinate is absolute.
• Definition - The content of each position, both the duties involved, the authority and responsibility contemplated and the relationships with other positions should be clearly defined in writing and published to all concerned.
• Correspondence - In every position, the responsibility and the authority should correspond.
• Span of control - No person should supervise more than five, or at most, six direct subordinates whose work interlocks.
• Balance - It is essential that the various units of an organization should be kept in balance.
• Continuity - Re-organization is a continuous process: in every undertaking specific provision should be made for it.