Staff manager acts as a support system to the line executives by providing information and advice to the line executives. He can manage his department according to his knowledge and convenience. The only problem with a credit card is that it will usually carry a high APR. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Line authority means giving the person a particular amount of control for specific tasks. Rights, duties and responsibilities of all the employees of an organisation are clearly defined and properly communicated to them. General Manager. The staff officer may plan and implement them with their own judgment without suggestions from others. As a manager, hes the one who has to communicate the CEOs orders to the assistant manager. Lets explore the pros and cons of aline organizational structure. Authority conflict is a common issue in organizational structures with multiple command officers like matrix and line and staff structures. Autocratic Leadership 4. Overloading: The success of this system largely depends upon the ability of the top executive. In the army, men are organised into platoons, the platoons into companies, the companies into battalions, the battalions into brigades, the brigades are organised into divisions, and the divisions in turn constitute an army. 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 can be easily understood by the employees. Opportunities for Advancement. c. Responsibility is fixed and unified at each level and authority and accountability If the managers treat the employees as a pendulum between them, they will most likely get tired of their job roles. The managerial growth also suffers because lower level persons are not involved in decision-making process. This structure brings in specialized or supporting staff to aid line executives. For this purpose, a department head is appointed for each department. 3. WHO IS A STAFF MANAGER? immediate boss. It requires more resources, including finance and infrastructure. Account Disable 12. Effective Communication: . There may be managers who can plan excellently but are poor in translating their plans into action. Every unit is complete in itself as far as the functions are concerned. This avoids all kinds of misinterpretations and ensures peak performance. Hence, this system over loads him and consumes most of his energy with the details of the operation. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. It represents a direct vertical relationship through which authority flows. 2. You have to be mindful of the levels of management when you want to communicate or exchange ideas. 11. about A Comprehensive Guide to Enterprise Thin Client Systems. 3. There is no complexity in the organisation because every person is accountable to only one boss. Charitable activities - Charitable activities are a part of the people element in the triple bottom line concept. For example, human resources, accounting, public relations and the legal . This branch addresses a lack of expertise in a typicalline organizational structure. 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. However, this system can be suitably followed: Line Organization | Characteristics | Types | Advantages | Disadvantages, Project Organization | Types | Advantages | Disadvantages, Centralized & Decentralized organizations | Strength & Weaknesses, Centralization and decentralization of Organization, Functional Organization | Nature of functional foremanship, Functional Authority | Definition | Examples |, Western managers vs Eastern managers: difference in, Problems of supervision | solutions for effective, Important Role of CEO in Strategic Management, Committee | Meaning & Definition | Features, Under what circumstances Delegation of Authority is, Accountlearning | Contents for Management Studies |. An organization where information is disseminated from one person to the other based on rank and position follows aline organizational structure. Having a three-way authority system in the company facilitates expansion and growth. (iii) Each subordinate receives orders only from one superior and is answerable to him only. These are issues that are vital to the company's success, but which do not require a large work group to accomplish. In a vertical companywhich was most the most common business model in organizations for the much of the mid- to late-20th centurylines . He may neglect some of the duties and there may be inefficiency in management. Content Filtration 6. Storage Discipline: The vertical arrangement of authority and the singleness of responsibility ensures excellent discipline. It requires recruiting specialized employees who offer guidance to the line and staff officers. It requires high capital to recruit experts for the training of staff. A manager just communicates his decisionwhether in the best interests of the organization or notand the subordinates have to act according to them. Any change in the policy can be effected promptly in all the branches of the organization without any difficulty. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Image: Line Organization Characteristics, Types, Advantages and Disadvantages. Merits of Line Organisation: The line organisation has the following good points: ADVERTISEMENTS: 1. Fixed Responsibility 5. An executive cannot shift his decision-making to others, nor can the blame be shifted. Everybody is responsible for his work and is accountable to his boss. For example, at the lowest levels, all workers may perform a similar activity, but for control and supervision they may be divided into different groups, each placed under a foreman. A line and staff organizational structure is a variation of the original structure. Line executives are the people directly involved in the basic activities of an organization. Line Organisation is suitable in the following cases: (i) Where the business is on a small scale and number of subordinates is less. Everybody knows his work and also to whom he is responsible. They are willing to adopt a dictatorial approach. Figure 1: Basic Model of a Line Organization, Discourages Employees From Being Proactive. 5. 2. In line organisation final decision-making is done by the top management. 2. 2. Under this, the whole enterprise is divided into different departments for achieving maximum amount of convenience in controlling the whole enterprise. Existence of superior-subordinate relationship. Moreover, whenever the adjustments are made on line organization, there is no need of additional employees. The limits of authority of both line and staff should be prescribed clearly. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'letslearnfinance_com-leader-1','ezslot_8',110,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-letslearnfinance_com-leader-1-0');As one can see from the above that line organization has both advantages, as well as disadvantages, and any company thinking of applying this form of organization structure should carefully analyze both the aspects and then take the decision. Quick Decision and Implementation 3. 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. 3. The line officers and staff officers perform their specific functions to contribute to the overall operation. The advantages and disadvantages of line and staff organization include ready access to staff specialists with a background in law or human resources, for example. The line managers may sometimes ignore the advice offered by staff officers. Line organizations totally depend upon few executives. Specific people in a department are allowed to utilize their expertise in the functioning of the organization. (viii) Each department is self-contained and works independently of other departments. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Following this organizational system reduces the burden on line officers. This greatly reduces the establishment cost. Each manager knows what he is required to do. The higher management can help improve line and staff structure by well-defined job roles and considering suggestions of functional officers. Similarly, they can not devote time to supervise their subordinates. Improving Line and Staff Relationship 1. The direct relationship is prevailing between the sub-ordinate and immediate superior. This system of organization is also known as Scalar, Traditional or hierarchical form of organization. There is a scope for favouritism in line organisation. The decisions may lack objectivity. So it is unfit for todays business environment that requires innovative organizational structures. The authority flows from top to the lower levels. They are not provided with an opportunity to put forward their view point or problems or suggestions to persons at the top level. There are no supportive units for accounting, labour, etc. Line and staff organization is a little more complicated than the line system. Matthew is a Co-Founder at BusinessFinanceArticles.org. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. A flat structure elevates each employee's responsibility inside the organization and eliminates excess management layers to improve coordination and communication. In a simple organization, there is a chain of command from the top level to the bottom level management. 1. 4. Line officers take their own decisions without looking to specialised personnel. An employee has to involve in various types of works. It does not involve a large number of people. 7. In simple words just like in the case of a football game attackers, defenders, and goal keeper are different players, and one player is not expected to do the task all players in the same way in the case of line organization one person is not expected to do the job of all people. 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. Line organization is the oldest and simplest method of administrative organization. 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