The only problem with a credit card is that it will usually carry a high APR. Such decisions are executed promptly also. Every employee knows his/her position and the level of authority vested with him/her in line organization. They can rely on personal judgment and take a call. Co-ordination: . The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". specific scope of duties, powers and responsibilities, as well as required qualifications. Modern business is so complex that it is extremely difficult for one person to carry in his head all the necessary details about his work in his department. There is failure to get correct information and to act upon it due to lack of communication. Staff experts in specific areas are incorporated into the formal chain of command. For instance, a senior manager can discuss ideas and goals with a chief supervisor. There is less probability of conflict. The business unit may be divided into departments headed by departmental heads. Line managers can work more efficiently with staff managers handling specialized functions. Thus, this system can be successfully practised where: (a) The business is carried on a small scale with a small number of subordinates and operatives. The Staff Viewpoint. Each unit is placed under a commander and his word is final as far as his subordinates are concerned. planning. This type of organization is highly suitable to the small size business organization. 2. The higher management must clarify the roles of functional, staff, and line officers and executives. Some assistants or new officers may be appointed to expand and delegate tasks. Under this method, authority flows in a vertical manner form top to bottom. The simple organization is economical in operation. Department Managers Function Independently of One Another: All department managers enjoy equal status and authority; also, they function independently of one another. Simplicity: This system is very simple and can operate very easily. Staff include all of those that provide specialized skills in support of the line departments. The authority is given with reference to the assignment of task. (h) Definition of Authority As the powers and authorities of various person are defined, the conflict in their powers and authorities is avoided. The executive may appoint and promote his own men in various positions ignoring the claim of efficient persons. The line officers cannot be experts in every line of business. However, a line and staff. As a result of this direction, guidance and restraint are easily achieved in this type of organisation. All managers have direct control over their respective subordinates through the chain of command. Moreover, there is a benefit of specialization, as in work is divided between the line and staff executives, and they focus on their respective area. Another way is by seeking . Minimum number of employees are required to adopt line organization. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Under this, the whole enterprise is divided into different departments for achieving maximum amount of convenience in controlling the whole enterprise. The top-level manager can control the entire organization through the hierarchy of authority. They may move higher in the hierarchy by correctly implementing their skills in the processes. Responsibility is fixed. Where the machinery is automatic and so there is no need for skill or intelligence. The message can be passed on only through the manager who has the authority over both the departments. Everything you need to know about the line organisational . Line officers should give due consideration to staff advice. Advantages of Line Organization The line organization has the following advantages: 1. The production manager, for example, will not interfere in the decision-making by sales manager, or finance manager, and vice-versa. Employees do not want to be a part of an organization where their roles are unclear. The advantages are noted below. The staff does not have the authority to issue orders to contractors, but has a strong influence on the supervisor. Choosing the right one is crucial for achieving the companys goals. Most of the work done in aline organizational structureis routine. Hence, discipline can be maintained there. 5. Decision-making responsibilities are static with limited flexibility. Another benefit of line organization is that it is easier to make someone accountable and responsible for the task assigned to him or her so if any mistake happens one can easily pinpoint the person due to whom the mistake has happened and there is no scope for him or her putting blame on other persons of the company.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'letslearnfinance_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',107,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-letslearnfinance_com-medrectangle-4-0'); if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'letslearnfinance_com-banner-1','ezslot_9',134,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-letslearnfinance_com-banner-1-0');Since decisions are taken by the person at the top only the response time to any situation is quick and short besides there is a lot of flexibility due to the presence of a single authority which makes it easier to respond to any situations which may arise from time to time. to improve overall organization performance. Specialized employees help the line staff in processes by offering expert advice. Staff managers are placed in charge of vital issues that are best handled by a single, highly specialized individual, or in which a formal chain of command would simply hinder productivity and efficiency. A staff function supports the organization with specialized advisory and support functions. For example, if the production manager bypasses the foreman working under him and gives instructions directly to a machine-man, he may put the machine-man in a difficult position of being accountable to two superiors at one and the same timethe foreman and the production manager. There is thus a hierarchical arrangement of authority. Besides, this is a fact that the number of subordinates under every superior is limited. A superior delegates authority to a subordinate who in turn delegates authority to his subordinates and so on. about How does a Valuator Value a Business? Image Guidelines 4. It does not make provision for staff specialists. The line officers only have to perform the routine work and leave the rest to staff officers. Flexibility- Since each departmental head has sole responsibility for his department, he can easily adjust the organization to changes in business situation. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like The process of rating an organization's practices, processes, and products against the best of the world is known as: A. webworking. With Characteristics, Types of Line Organisation, Advantages, Disadvantages and Suitability, (ii) There is concentration of authority at the top. Staff and line are names given to different types of functions in organizations. The departmental manager is responsible or answerable to his immediate superior i.e. And so it goes on. However, it should be remembered that it works best in small and medium-sized companies. Line managers can work more efficiently with staff managers handling specialized functions. Further, if superiors were to make a wrong decision, it would still be carried out, because the subordinates are afraid of pointing out that the decision is wrong. It explains the tasks of every worker in an organization. The line officers may become autocratic and start deciding things without consulting their subordinates. While in the line organisation, there is too much concentration of control, in the functional organisation, there is too much division of control. It is extremely difficult for one person to handle activities of diverse nature. They are not provided with an opportunity to put forward their view point or problems or suggestions to persons at the top level. Instruction is given by the boss directly to his subordinates. This is the simplest and oldest, known as chain of command or scalar principle. Advantages of a linear structure. This means that everything in the organization is vertically connected. At departmental level manager is in charge and he can direct the activities of his juniors. (c) It enables clear cut definition of authority and responsibility. For this purpose, a department head is appointed for each department. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. (ii) Every person is in in charge of persons working under him. By this method, specialisation is attained. One of the advantages of the line organization structure is simplicity. Fixed Authority And Responsibility So line organisation enables the fixation of authority and responsibility. This means relying a little too much on their individual capability, knowledge and experience. Last Updated on February 10, 2023 By Methew Harbor Leave a Comment. Employees are fully aware of the boundaries of their jobs. Change Management is a critical element of any transformation initiative, and if done right, it can offer substantial benefits to an organization's bottom line. There is an absolute lack of functional specialization. Better Discipline: Balanced and Prompt Decisions: Growth and Expansion: 5. For example, the person heading the marketing department will have the knowledge and skill necessary to carry the process with full responsibility and successfully run his team. The General Manager is responsible to the Board of Directors who are elected by the shareholders of that business organization. Unified Control. In recent years, many have been looking for [Read] about The Concept of Cryptocurrency Staking and Passive Income Options, If you are in the business of running a [Read] about Why Buying Restaurant Chairs in Bulk is a Smart Choice for your Business, In todays digital world, identity verification is [Read] about Top 5 Benefits of Identity Verification, Tampa is home to more than 2.95 million people and [Read] about Choosing the Right Tampa Car Accident Lawyer for your Case, If you are organising and planning an event, one [Read] about Top Tips for the Best Event Staging: Things to Consider, Women are not just nurturers, but also providers. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. (d) Limited Communication In this type, there is no communication from subordinates upwards and the workers should follow the orders of superiors, without expressing any opinion about the orders communicated to them. Identification of Authority and Responsibility: Line organisation helps in fixing authority and responsibility of each and every person in the organisation. Definition, Types, Reasons, and Pros/Cons. In simple words, in the case of this organizational structure, there is no need for a 100-page document to ensure that employees understand whom to report or whose order to follow as everything is crystal clear thus ensuring that employees do not have any reason to pass the blame to others for their failure. Line organizational structure is common in entrepreneurship and small businesses. A line function is one that directly advances an organization in its core work. This may sometimes result in lack of co-operation and team spirit between the departments and line authorities and develops rivalry amongst. 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Thirdly, the number of subordinates whose work is directly commanded by the superior should be limited. Unlike affiliative leadership structures, such organizational structures do not heed the officers advice. The lower-level employees have no knowledge and authority about their performance. Authority flows vertically from top level person to all the persons responsible for the execution of work. (vi) Flexibility Since each executive has sole responsibility in his own position and sphere of work, he can easily adjust the organisation to changes in the business situation. It is the simplest form of organisation structure and is also known as scalar or military organisation. There is a likelihood that some persons may be given favours and deserving persons, on the other hand, may be ignored. Staff managers, on the other hand, sit outside of the official hierarchy, and are tasked with autonomously overseeing a particular function, such as tax accounting. Surajs workplace follows a hierarchy. Thus it relates to Jack of All Traders But Master of None. It can be easily define and explain to all staff. As such, they can not devote sufficient time to creative functions. The line management must give appropriate reasons in case of rejection. Similarly, each person derives authority from the superior above him. Hence, nobody is escaped from the responsibility. Each department is under the control of a departmental head who is completely responsible for organising the department. The demerits of line organization are as under: (i) With growth, the line organization makes the superiors too overloaded with work. They are bound to follow instructions from their superiors. Your email address will not be published. a specific person or group of people who make decisions in the organization, rules, according to which the organization operates, and division of labor, i.e. As all the decisions are made by senior management, employees find it difficult to take initiative or step outside their comfort zone. A line-staff organizational structure attempts to render a large and complex enterprise more flexible without sacrificing managerial authority. It can be easily established and easily understood by the workers. Having specialized staff managers on board can help to bring clarity to extraneous legal, tax and other issues. (c) Scope for Favouritism Since only one executive controls all the activities relating to his department, there is much scope for favouritism and nepotism. Often the managers are not able to communicate the job roles to the employees. All the employees are performing the same type of work at one level. Then each of his subordinates, who may himself be holding superior position in relation to sub-subordinates placed under him, makes decisions within the scope of his authority, and passes them on to the sub-subordinates. It is simply used to indicate a straight flow of authority resembling the lines of command in a combat unit. Lets explore the pros and cons of aline organizational structure. In this way, responsibility is easily fixed. (f) Lack of Co-operation One executive controls the various activities of a department and gets undue importance while the importance of other people in the department is not recognised. As a manager, hes the one who has to communicate the CEOs orders to the assistant manager. (f) Flexibility This type of organisation is elastic. However, there is a risk: in this structure the functions of managers sometimes overlap and when a problem arises it is difficult to determine whose fault it is. A flat structure elevates each employee's responsibility inside the organization and eliminates excess management layers to improve coordination and communication. In the line organization, managers have to perform a wide range of functions. One person should get orders from one supervisor only. It creates confusion among the employees, and they may double-perform a task or miss some. (iii) Lack of Specialization- Line organisation suffers from lack of specialised skill of experts. Lundy, It is characterised by direct lines of authority flowing from the top to the bottom of the organisational hierarchy and lines of responsibility flowing in an opposite but equally direct manner.. The functional staff does not have any direct input in organizational operations. Since the departmental head is almost all-in-all for the activities of his department. There is a direct link between superior and subordinates. (iv) Which are engaged in the work which is largely of a routine nature. Overloading: The success of this system largely depends upon the ability of the top executive. The leaders follow the line, staff, and functional authority. (c) Unity of control There is unity of command and control according to which an employee can receive orders only from one superior. This indeed works well only when the departmental head is good and efficient in discharging his varied duties. Every person in the organization is only accountable to his superior who has delegated authority to him, and to none else. In recent times, however, the military organisations have undergone changes similar to those occurring in the industrial and other organisations. Thus, in the production department, there may be a number of foremen each having a number of workers under him. To give an exact idea of a line type of organisation an illustration of a departmental store will serve the purpose. The viewpoints of both line and staff of this conflict are given below: A. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. It may increase the employee turnover rate if the job roles are unclear. Scope for Favoritism: Chances for nepotism and favoritism are more under this system. 2. In such a situation, the problem of imbalance in the managerial decision may arise. Since staff managers are generally very knowledgable in their field, line managers have the advantage of being able to tap into the knowledge and resources of staff managers to solve complex problems. And others may be good at execution but not so when it. The organizational structure is shaped by factors such as: No matter what organizational structure we choose, certain elements will always be present in it: management (except for self-managing teams, about which read here), i.e. Favours and deserving persons, on the other hand, may be a number of subordinates every... 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