Each organizational structure has its specific characteristics. And, every employee is directly responsible to his immediate superior. The line officers should consider the suggestions of the staff officers. Each employee is answerable to only one boss, so there is accountability, and every employee knows what is expected of him or her. 3. Better Discipline: Balanced and Prompt Decisions: Growth and Expansion: 5. What Are the Tasks of Organizational Structure? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The following are the main drawbacks of this system: 1. Prohibited Content 3. Instability: As the success of the system mainly depends upon the ability of one or two persons, the whole organization shall upset and collapse if they leave the enterprise. Your email address will not be published. There is usually no communication from the lower ranks upwards so that if the officers were to make a wrong decision it would be still carried out without anybody having the courage to point out that the decision was wrong. In case, the manager of one department wishes to issue guidance or directions to a subordinate in another department, he will go up the line and convey the message to the top manager who will then pass it down the line in the other department. (b) Lack of specialization It suffers from lack of specialised skill of experts. Only one person is in charge of a department or division. Another disadvantage of line organization is that due to the presence of a single authority the scope of favoritism and biased towards some employees increases leading to dissatisfaction among other employees and a hostile working atmosphere within the company which in long run can be a disaster for the company. If a decision making process involves the consultation of a number of persons then there are likely to be delays in deciding things. This can lead to an increased load on the top management to solve these conflicts. Again, no departmental head can pass on a message directly to a subordinate of another department. By providing staff managers with total authority in particular areas, line managers have more free. This means relying a little too much on their individual capability, knowledge and experience. So line organisation enables the fixation of authority and responsibility. In simple words when you are driving a car and the brake of the car is not working then you know that it is you who has to handle this situation as you are in the driver seat a and you cannot escape the situation in the same way in case of line organization the top management has to face and solve the problems as they cannot rely on others for solving the problem. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Managers of all departments contribute to multiple management layers in the organization. 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. 1. A departmental head receives orders from the general manager and passes them on to his immediate subordinates. One cannot defy the claim. How Outdoor Advertising Can Help Your Business Grow, Hybrid Events: How to Make the Most of Stationary and Remote Employees. Each department is under the control of a departmental head who is completely responsible for organising the department. The message can be passed on only through the manager who has the authority over both the departments. Thus, in the production department, there may be a number of foremen each having a number of workers under him. Continue with Recommended Cookies. about How does a Valuator Value a Business? Line and staff structure is adapted by medium to large organizations with several employees. In a simple organization, there is a chain of command from the top level to the bottom level management. The managerial growth also suffers because lower level persons are not involved in decision-making process. Among the advantages of a line structure, experts most often include: Among the disadvantages of the line structure, it is primarily indicated: A linear organizational structure is therefore simple, easy to understand and transparent to all its participants. Thus, this system may encourage carelessness on the part of the staff officer. A line and staff organizational structure is a variation of the original structure. Under this organisation, activities on any one level are the same. Direct Communication: As this system enables direct contact between the superior and his subordinates, direct communication is made possible. Privacy Policy 9. He communicates his decisions and orders to his subordinates. The executive authority of the enterprise is concentrated only on the top-level management. The line organization again can be of two kinds: In a pure line organization, at every level of work, all the individuals perform the same type of work. Fixed responsibility: Duties and responsibilities are clearly defined for each individual with reference to the work assigned to him. Suitability 6. Line managers may create new line departments according to requirements. Since the organization includes line and staff functions, decisions can be made easily. ul. The allocation of work will also help in fixing responsibility of various individuals. Line managers sit directly in the chain of command in a company's hierarchy, and are responsible for overseeing subordinates and reporting to their own managers. But as between one foreman and another, there is no formal line of authority or responsibility. Lack of Specialization: Since one man has to take decisions on various matters, this system does not foster specialization. There is a direct link between the superior and his subordinate, both can communicate properly among themselves. Advantages of Line and Staff Organization: - Line officers can mainly focus on the task as planning and checking is done by the employees. It does not involve a large number of people. 2. Clear-cut division of authority and responsibility- The authority and responsibility of every person is clearly defined. As a small-business owner, Ingram regularly confronts modern issues in management, marketing, finance and business law. (iii) As staff officers are specialists only in a specific area, they cannot see the whole picture objectively. Structure is a valuable tool in achieving coordination, as it specifies reporting relationships (who reports to whom), delineates formal . Learn about:- 1. How to Improve Line and Staff Organization? For this purpose, a department head is appointed for each department. Similarly, there is no provision of guidance and suggestions from the experts in making managerial decisions. Departmental head is given full freedom to manage his department. In this model chart, the enterprise has three departments or shops namely, Foundry shop, Machine shop and Assembling shop. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of . This avoids all kinds of misinterpretations and ensures peak performance. Communication- Communication is fast and easy as there is only vertical flow of communication. It is the simplest form of organization and very simple to understand and implement. Fewer levels between employees . Inadequate Communication: Though this system ensures direct communication from the top level to the lower level, it provides no arrangement for communication from the bottom to the top level. It improves different coordinations among all employees and personnel. It explains the tasks of every worker in an organization. The subordinates may similarly communicate the order to the workers. In line organisation only departmental head is required to take decisions and he will not waste time in deciding things. B. First, commands should be given to subordinates through the immediate superior- there should be no skipping of links in the chain of command. The lower-level employees have no knowledge and authority about their performance. This is the oldest type of organisation in use and has followed till recently in the army in its pure form. Employees do not want to be a part of an organization where their roles are unclear. The subordinates should get commands only through their immediate superiors. In the line organization there is a vertical line of authority. The line officers only have to perform the routine work and leave the rest to staff officers. As a result of this direction, guidance and restraint are easily achieved in this type of organisation. This type of organisation is in accordance with the principle of scalar chain. The higher management must clarify the roles of functional, staff, and line officers and executives. Theyre fully-aware of their responsibilities which helps them complete their tasks on their own. Outside of reporting to senior management, each task belongs to individual employees. By this method, specialisation is attained. Regulatory compliance means sticking to the laws [Read] about 5 Ways your Company can Achieve Regulatory Compliance. Every person is accountable to only one person i.e. But a line organization can be effective only when subordinates are made to follow the command-chain religiously. Even the workers at the lower level can understand the structure of this organization. Advantages Of Line Organization A line organizational structure has many advantages but they depend on the type of business and number of employees. In the words of J.M. Using the website without changing the cookie settings means that they will be stored on your end device. They must stay within the limit of their authority and act accordingly. 3. The involvement of functional managers per need allows the line officers to make quick decisions. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. All other types of organization structure have mostly been either modifications of this organization. It does not make provision for staff specialists. There may be a lack of operational uniformity among various departments. This is the simplest and oldest, known as chain of command or scalar principle. Similarly, each person derives authority from the superior above him. Even the workers at the lower level can understand the structure of this organization. The flow of orders, communication of suggestions and complaints etc. (4) There is no question as to responsibility or authority. In this form of organization responsibilities are fixed and defined. The Line Viewpoint. about What Fabric Choices Work Best for Printed Dresses? (iv) Fixed responsibility Everybody in this type of organisation knows to whom he is responsible, and who are responsible to him. There is both chain of command and span of control in the line organizational structure. No one can exchange their duty to others nor can they avoid it. It requires more resources, including finance and infrastructure. Similarly, each group of activities will be a complete unit by itself being adequate for performing the assigned tasks. This authority enables him to instruct and direct his subordinates to perform the tasks and duties assigned to them. ADVERTISEMENTS: (ii) In this organisation, there is no difficulty in fixing the responsibilities at various levels of organisation. This organisation is a vertical structure where one person delegates authority to his subordinate and who in turn delegates to his subordinate and so on. Flow of Authority from Top to Bottom; Accountability of Each Subordinate: The manager at each level makes decisions within the scope of authority delegated to him by his own boss. 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