ABSTRACT
This question covers everything from the day-to-day running of a course or department to the wider issues of organizational structure and process. At the most concrete level, it is concerned with whether things get done in the right way and at the right time or whether, by contrast, they slip through the net, fall between the cracks, or get delayed or even forgotten. The importance of this everyday organization should not be underestimated; it forms the basic working environment for both staff and students. At its best, it seems smooth and efficient to the point where it is virtually invisible; at worst, it makes life difficult in a hundred little ways that sap energy, divert attention and lead to a slow build-up of frustration. But organizational issues go beyond the practical or everyday The essential problem is that organizations have to break down what they do into specific roles and tasks, but equally have to put them all together again in a coherent, working whole. They have to both allocate and coordinate. Problems can arise with either of these functions and beyond such issues of structure and function there is the more elusive question of the organizational culture, ethos or style, and whether it reinforces or undermines what people do both individually and collectively.
