Intermediate: B1/ Low Intermediate

1. Vocabulary

• organization – (n) company
• headquarter – (n) the place or building serving as the managerial and administrative center of an organization (main office)
• bureaucracy – (n) excessively complicated administrative procedure, seen as characteristic of bureaucracy (protocol)
• centralized – (adj) (of an activity or organization) controlled by a single authority or managed in one place.
• decentralized – (adj) (of an activity or organization) controlled by several local offices or authorities rather than one single one.

2. Questions

1. How many departments are there in your organization? Are they all useful?
2. What does your department do? What is your role?
3. How many buildings does your company own? Are they in one place or spread around?
4. Where are your company headquarters? Would you like to work there?
5. Do you have your own office? Would you like one?
6. Do you have an assistant who works for you? Would an assistant be useful?
7. Are you near the top of your organization? Would you like to get there?
8. Is there too much bureaucracy in your company? How do you deal with it?
9. Would you describe the leadership of your company as democratic? Should it be?
10. How would you restructure the hierarchy of your organization if you had the chance?
11. Are there any activities in your company which should be centralized? Why?
12. Are there any activities which would be better decentralized in your company?