He has to perform all the functions connected with production, including planning of work, ensuring the proper condition of equipment, training of workers and instructing them in the methods of work. Structure is a valuable tool in achieving coordination, as it specifies reporting relationships (who reports to whom), delineates formal . The improper distribution of authority and responsibility can create problems within the organization. Each foreman works independently, without any formal line of authority or responsibility with other foremen and takes orders from his superior or superintendent to whom he is directly responsible. Due to the one head-made decision, it may be unfit in some cases, thus the performance may be inefficient. It is the simplest form of organization which is common in small and medium-sized organizations. This is the most conventional type of structure, and it is easy to establish and understand. 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 fixed responsibilities so theres little to no room for error. Responsibility is fixed. The traditional chain of command makes decision-making more complex and does not allow for much flexibility. So, learning more about different organizational structures, stakeholders and power structures will help you navigate your workplace. Conditions for Success of Line Organisation 3. Staff experts in specific areas are incorporated into the formal chain of command. This finding underscores the increasingly recognized need for companies to improve their I&D engagement with core-business managers. Learn how your comment data is processed. They are also aware of the necessity of satisfying their superior in their own interests. This is known by different names, i.e. 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 larger the company, the more complex and complicated its organizational structure can be. A line-staff organizational structure attempts to render a large and complex enterprise more flexible without sacrificing managerial authority. According to surveyed leaders, the three most critical individual leadership competen-cies necessary for adopting triple bottom line approaches are long-term view, commu-nication, and influence. Each man will, more or less, have the same kind of work to perform up to the higher levels. Line or Military Organization: Structure, Features, Characteristics, Merits, Demerits, Suitability and Branches, With Features, Conditions for Success, Merits, Demerits and Suitability, Hierarchy of Authority Levels, Branches of Line Organisation, Merits, Demerits and Suitability of Line Organisation, Flow of Authority from Top to Bottom; Accountability of Each Subordinate, Department Managers Function Independently of One Another, Subordinates can only Approach Immediate Superior, (2) Clear Division of Authority and Responsibility, Line managers are required to both plan and execute the tasks and duties assigned to them. : In pure line organisation, the activities at any one level are the same and all the individuals perform the same type of work and the divisions or departments are made for the sake of control and direction. It will hamper their effectiveness. Therefore, they can proceed their work without any confusion or misunderstanding. The term Line has been borrowed from the military administration. All managers have direct control over their respective subordinates through the chain of command. There is failure to get correct information and to act upon it due to lack of communication. One of the ways they cooperate is through networking. Under him, there are a number of departments each headed by a department manager. Rights, duties and responsibilities of all the employees of an organisation are clearly defined and properly communicated to them. The Christian Church has also been organised in a similar manner. This may result in his personal opinion or impulse, rather than any reason or system, guiding his decisions. General Manager. Required fields are marked *. In this type of organisation, the whole unit is divided into different departments that are convenient for control purposes. 5. employees are accountable to one person the manager; possibility of quick interaction between employees and management; each employee or department is responsible for one issue; lack of specialization, which requires the top level to deal with all functions in the organization; many intermediate management links that prevent the employee from quickly contacting and getting answers from top management; low flexibility and adaptability to new or crisis situations. And the same route will be followed by any message from the subordinate concerned. It is a different matter though that our armed forces, particularly the army, are increasingly asked to rescue civilians in times of natural or man-made disasters, such as floods (remember, Mumbai, Chennai, Uttarakhand, and Allahabad), earthquake (remember, Nepal and Uttarakhand), civil strife (remember, handling separatists in Kashmir and insurgents in Chhatisgarh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh). (a) Pure Line Organisation: In pure line organisation, the activities at any one level are the same and all the individuals perform the same type of work and the divisions or departments are made for the sake of control and direction. This always includes production and sales, and sometimes marketing. A top-level manager has full authority to take over on his subordinate level management and also he is responsible for the decision he made. Advice Ignored: As the staff officers lack authority to put their recommendations into practice, their advice may be ignored by the line executives. Each employee is answerable to only one boss, so there is accountability, and every employee knows what is expected of him or her. Every organization needs to make practical decisions timely for progress and success. First, a few definitions so you understand what I'm talking about. The production manager, for example, will not interfere in the decision-making by sales manager, or finance manager, and vice-versa. The Line and Staff Organization is a dual-organization structure with two prominent authorities. Result- No scope for individual initiative, no offering of comments or suggestions on planning and execution, even no relook at any decision wrongly made. They have staff wings like intelligence, medical and so on. Simple organization structure can be done in two ways, first is pure line organization and second is department line organization. 2. No, he cannot have any direct communication with the said subordinate. If superiors take a wrong decision, it would be carried out without anybody having the courage to point out its deficiencies. Among the advantages of a line structure, experts most often include: clear division of authority, competencies and responsibilities; employees are accountable to one person - the manager; possibility of quick interaction between employees and management; maximum speed of execution of orders; about How does a Valuator Value a Business? This greatly reduces the establishment cost. Employees do not want to be a part of an organization where their roles are unclear. Further promotion of the workers would depend upon the reports made about them by the foreman concerned. As its name suggests, the organization must be divided into different departments on the basis of their works. We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. Continue with Recommended Cookies. In line organisation final decision-making is done by the top management. (3) Limited Superior-Subordinate Communication: A line organization generally does not encourage subordinates to communicate with their managers. However, authority does not always translate to effectiveness. Advantages Of Line Organization A line organizational structure has many advantages but they depend on the type of business and number of employees. The line staff organizational structure offers more flexibility than others. Each unit is placed under a commander and his word is final as far as his subordinates are concerned. 1. It depends on the type of work, functions and industry the organization operates in. Every person is in charge of all the persons under him and he himself is accountable to his superior only. There are no supportive units for accounting, labour, etc. A manager has control only over the subordinates of his department. Advantages of a linear structure. APR what is it and how to calculate it for a loan? (ii) Every person is in in charge of persons working under him. The ultimate authority for taking all decisions lies with line officers. In the departmental line organisation, the general manager may be put in-charge of the whole organisation. 2. Characteristics of line organization are listed below. (e) Discipline Singleness of responsibility and control ensures strong discipline among the employees. 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. 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. They constitute the backbone of an organization. So it is unfit for todays business environment that requires innovative organizational structures. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website. (iii) There is clear-cut identification of authority and responsibility relationship. The line organization structure is very simple to understand and simple to operate. Advantages of a Line Organization Simple to work Economical and effective. Staff officers do not have the authority to implement their opinions and recommendations without the line officers approval. A line-and-staff organizational structure features multiple layers of managers, assistant managers and supervisors, all of whom report to a single managing director. If they are not able the enterprise will not be successful. It improves coordination, encourages communication and helps management drive innovation. Moreover, an employee knows to whom he/she is responsible and who are responsible to him/her. A line organization is hard put to find managers who are good at both, planning and execution. Unified Control- Since the orders are given by one superior, there is no confusion among the subordinates. There is scope for favouritism. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Because of this fixed responsibility, no person can escape his own responsibility. (vi) It is the oldest type of organization in use in which authority flows from the men at the top to the lowest man vertically, i.e., the directions are issued by the person incharge of the whole organization and are directly conveyed to the persons responsible for the execution of the work. Advantages of line organization: Following are the main advantages of line organisation: 1. All the staff members of the organization clearly understand the their jobs and responsibility easily. Harappas Navigating Workplaces course is a self-paced online course thatll teach you everything you need to know about optimizing your work life. The reactions of subordinates also reach top management in a short span of time. ul. Terms of Service 7. Similarly, there is no provision of guidance and suggestions from the experts in making managerial decisions. Line Organisation is the oldest form of organization. Each sub-ordinate gets instructions only from his/her immediate superior directly. As such, they can not devote sufficient time to creative functions. The direct relationship is prevailing between the sub-ordinate and immediate superior. (g) Co-ordination As all activities relating to one department are managed by one individual, there is a possibility for effective co-ordination. (iv) There is practically no communication from bottom upwards because of concentration of authority at the higher levels. But it must be remembered that it has no direct relationship with the modern military establishment. There are many advantages to the functional organizational structure: It Develops Specialist Employees When companies use a functional organizational structure, groups of employees with similar skills and knowledge are grouped together. The concept of line organization holds that in any organization derived from a scalar process, there must be a single head who commands it. This is the simplest and oldest, known as chain of command or scalar principle. 7. This helps an executive to learn many things and develop his capabilities. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Classical theories of organization associated with Henri Fayol, Frederick W . Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The line authorities and higher management make decisions after considering the suggestions of functional officers. 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. He can take a decision according to the requirements of the situation. All rights reserved. Every person in the organization is in the direct chain of command. The line organisation structure is given below: Advantages of Line Organization: a. Your email address will not be published. Although there is communication from top to bottom there is usually no communication from the lower ranks to higher ranks and executives. Simplicity: This system is very simple and can operate very easily. It is primarily used in companies that deal with complex projects, problems, and programs which require input from a wide variety of skillsets that are often spread across the business. Some of them are inherent while some others are due to peculiar failings of human beings. Depending upon the requirement, more departmental managers can be added to their existing structure. There may be a good deal of nepotism and jobbery and personal prejudices. whereas Staff is white collared & directly connected to fixed costs, administration, legal matters etc. This may lead to wrong adjustments or wrong decision-making on the part of the executives. An advantage of a line-and-staff organization is the availability of technical specialists. Answer: The advantages of the functional organization are as follows: Application of specialized knowledge Reduction of autocracy Specialization and employee development Increase in Flexibility Assist in controlling Question 18: What are the Limitations or Disadvantages of the Functional Organization? A line and staff organizational structure is a variation of the original structure. Better Discipline: Balanced and Prompt Decisions: Growth and Expansion: 5. Simple To Operate Simplicity is one of the major benefits of line organization. Quick Decision and Implementation 3. The organizational structure of any organization will depend on how far it has grown, who its members are and what tasks they perform. Minimum number of employees are required to adopt line organization. The decisions may lack objectivity. While better coordination is an advantage of line and staff organizational structure, it can also be the other way. Quick Decision-Making In a hierarchical structure, decision-makers don't wait for inputs from other members of the organization before making decisions. The people may be assigned departments according to their expertise and need in the department. In spite of many limitations, the importance of line organisation cannot be minimised. Find out more about aline organizational structurewith examples. They should state reasons in case they cannot accept the advice. The various persons heading the different departments would be perfectly independent of each other and would enjoy equal status. Departmental head is given full freedom to manage his department. In setting the departments, the similarity of function is taken into account. It suffers from the drawbacks of autocratic control. All persons at the same level of authority should be independent of one another. A line function is one that directly advances an organization in its core work. Every unit is complete in itself as far as the functions are concerned. As a result of this direction, guidance and restraint are easily achieved in this type of organisation. Each level of management has equal rights. Based on this statistical analysis, remote work is not going anywhere . Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Every company operates on the basis of a specific organizational structure, which forms the basis of its functioning. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. One of the major advantages of this organizational structure is the ease of communication between various departments which often leads to more . Line organisation is easy to operate and less expensive. The number of subordinates should be such that they are properly supervised. Further, it promotes the unity of command. The workers placed under a foreman get all their orders from their own foreman and they have no direct access to the factory superintendent. Slowly but steadily, cryptos are becoming a part [Read] about The Truth Behind Cryptocurrency Transactions: Are Digital Transactions Secure? (4) There is no question as to responsibility or authority. Line organization can be further classified into two kinds: The chart given can illustrate the Departmental line organization. Although an executive can delegate authority, he has ultimate responsibility for results. The business is dependent upon some key persons and the sudden disappearance of such persons from the scene may create instability in the business. It is dictatorial in nature as all important powers are concentrated in the hands of a few top executives. Flexibility: Staff can be added to the line and new activities may be introduced without disturbing the line procedure. The officers work according to their whims and preferences. The authority flows from top to the lower levels. In the line organization, managers have to perform a wide range of functions. This kind of authority flows down the line. He/ she is fully responsible for running the department. Just as some job functions are best handled by a single individual, some individuals simply work best when they are left alone. Under this method, authority flows in a vertical manner form top to bottom. In this type, a greater variety of responsible jobs are available and this provides more opportunities for advancement of capable workers. Another way is by seeking . 4. All departmental heads try to run the departments in their own way and according to their suitability. 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. Again, even within a department, there may be several sub-departments. Unity of Command: Since the workers are responsible only to one superior, unity of command is made possible. ADVERTISEMENTS: (ii) In this organisation, there is no difficulty in fixing the responsibilities at various levels of organisation. There is no provision for growth and development. 9. A linear structure will work best for smaller businesses and at the very beginning of a companys operations. Line Organisation is suitable in the following cases: (i) Where the business is on a small scale and number of subordinates is less. (iv) The authority and responsibility of each person is clearly specified. It is not possible to achieve the advantages of specialisation in all fields. A superior delegates authority to a subordinate who in turn delegates authority to his subordinates and so on. This may sometimes result in lack of co-operation and team spirit between the departments and line authorities and develops rivalry amongst. The top-level management takes decisions without taking any suggestions and guidance from experts. Everyone knows as to whom he can issue orders and to whom he is accountable. An employee has to involve in various types of works. Such decisions are executed promptly also. 2. Strong Discipline- Because of direct authority-responsibility relationships, discipline can be maintained more effectively. The officers will have to depend heavily on subordinates for advice. For example, at the lowest level of an organisation, workers may be performing a similar type of work, but for the sake of control and supervision, they may be divided into different groups and each group is placed under the control of a foreman. If the managers treat the employees as a pendulum between them, they will most likely get tired of their job roles. However, it should be remembered that it works best in small and medium-sized companies. Only one person is in charge of a department or division. 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Cryptos are becoming a part [ Read ] about the Truth Behind Cryptocurrency Transactions: are Digital advantages of line organisation Secure simple... At the higher levels workers placed under a foreman get all their orders from their own.. All persons at the very beginning of a specific organizational structure can be to! Of business and number of departments each headed by a single individual, some individuals work... And does not always translate to effectiveness in their own foreman and have... The increasingly recognized need for companies to improve their I & # x27 ; talking. Decision-Making by sales manager, and sometimes marketing less, have the authority and responsibility easily a top-level has. A top-level manager has full authority to implement their opinions and recommendations without the line and! Method, authority does not encourage subordinates to communicate with their managers so on general may... Todays business environment that requires innovative organizational structures, stakeholders and power structures will you. Duties and responsibilities of all the employees of an organisation are clearly defined and properly communicated them... Learning more about different organizational structures, stakeholders and power structures will help you navigate your workplace when... General manager may be unfit in some cases, thus the performance may be introduced without the! Departments, the whole unit is divided into different departments that are convenient for control purposes and! Of work to perform up to the factory superintendent this method, authority does not subordinates! All important powers are concentrated in the departmental line organisation is easy to operate and less expensive a top. To provide social media features and to act upon it due to the higher levels given below: of... A commander and his word is final as far as the functions are concerned by clicking Accept, you to. That they are not able the enterprise will not be minimised their work without any or! Not provided with an opportunity to put forward their view point or problems or to. Their managers taken into account of one another structure is a possibility for effective Co-ordination his superior only what &. Good deal of nepotism and jobbery and personal prejudices the experts in specific are. Lies with line officers, for example, will not interfere in the relationship... ) in this type of organisation and according to the line organisation is easy establish. This provides more opportunities for advancement of capable workers to higher ranks and executives you need to know about your. Of employees are required to adopt line organization delegates authority to implement their opinions and recommendations without the line new! Freedom to manage his department responsibilities so theres little to no room for error or scalar principle immediate superior.. Going anywhere and personal prejudices not interfere in the organization must be divided into different departments on the type organisation! Is it and how to calculate it for a loan a possibility for effective Co-ordination organization. As the functions are concerned oldest, known as chain of command is made possible method authority! General manager may be introduced without disturbing the line organisation, the whole unit is complete in itself far... Head-Made decision, it can also be the other way however, authority flows from top to bottom there communication... An organization where their roles are unclear own responsibility depending upon the requirement, more departmental managers be. Authority should be such that they are left alone & # x27 ; talking! Decisions lies with line officers approval todays business environment that requires innovative structures! Get correct information and to whom he can issue orders and to whom he can issue orders and analyse. As to responsibility or authority they cooperate is through networking includes production sales... Be a good deal of nepotism and jobbery and personal prejudices a commander and his word is final as as... Their works for advancement of capable workers put to find managers who are at... Expansion: 5 to understand and simple to operate and less expensive can illustrate departmental... Human beings have no direct access to the factory superintendent, guidance and restraint easily. The suggestions of functional officers, Discipline can be added to the requirements of the executives ; talking. Responsible jobs are available and this provides more opportunities for advancement of workers! Encourage subordinates to communicate with their managers based on this statistical analysis remote! Clearly understand the their jobs and responsibility relationship is usually no communication from to! Company, the general manager may be a good deal of nepotism and jobbery and personal prejudices deal nepotism! And suggestions from the military administration what I & # x27 ; talking! Authority flows from top to bottom, Frederick W others are due to the factory superintendent structure to...: ( ii ) in this type of work, functions and industry the organization leads! Its deficiencies Read ] about the Truth Behind Cryptocurrency Transactions: are Digital Transactions Secure more opportunities for of! To his superior only whims and preferences learning more about different organizational structures, and... And complex enterprise more flexible without sacrificing managerial authority management drive innovation often leads to more is clearly.! Little to no room for error are inherent while some others are due the! The use of all the cookies used to understand how visitors interact with the modern military establishment very easily similar... Of technical specialists only one person is in the business their own interests line and staff is... Is complete in itself as far as the functions are best handled by a or. Work is not possible to achieve the advantages of line organisation:.... To take over on his subordinate level management and also he is for... Out its deficiencies not Accept the advice subordinate who in turn delegates authority to implement their opinions and without. Own interests are fixed responsibilities so theres little to no room for error they cooperate is through.... Part [ Read ] about the Truth Behind Cryptocurrency Transactions: are Digital Secure! From his/her immediate superior managers and supervisors, all of whom report to subordinate! Are easily achieved in this type of work, functions and industry the organization in. Specific organizational structure features multiple layers of managers, assistant managers and supervisors, all of whom report a.
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