There is no provision for growth and development. (v) Prompt decision The unification of authority and responsibility ensures quick and prompt decisions. Rights, duties and responsibilities of all the employees of an organisation are clearly defined and properly communicated to them. Another way is by seeking . There is a direct link between superior and subordinates. Characteristics of line organization are listed below. A breakdown of job roles and division of job specifications helps maximize productivity. He knows whose orders he is to obey and to whom he will be accountable for his work performance. Better Discipline: Balanced and Prompt Decisions: Growth and Expansion: 5. Quick Decision: Quick decisions are taken by the employees because of unification of authority and responsibility. Besides age, health is one of the biggest factors [Read] about Can a Healthy Lifestyle Save Money on Life Insurance? What is Line and Staff Organizational Structure? 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. 4. 2. The flow of orders, communication of suggestions and complaints etc. The advantages are noted below. The open office arrangement has the fantastic benefit of enhancing business culture. Further, it promotes the unity of command. Convenient sharing of resources in different divisions The matrix organizational structure's capacity to share highly-skilled resources is one of its most important benefits. What are the advantages and disadvantages of line and staff organization? 11. Quick Decisions: . They feel that their suggestions may not carry weight with their superiors so they avoid taking any type of initiative. This makes the line of authority straight and vertical. For example, the production department of a spinning mill is divided into different groups and a supervisor is appointed for each group. If superiors take a wrong decision, it would be carried out without anybody having the courage to point out its deficiencies. 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Their grouping into divisions is only to facilitate supervision and control. Line Organisation is the oldest form of organization. Image: Line Organization Characteristics, Types, Advantages and Disadvantages. There are no complications in defining the authority-responsibility relationships. 3. 2. 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. 4. Each sub-ordinate gets instructions only from his/her immediate superior directly. Academic library - free online college e textbooks - info{at}ebrary.net - 2014 - 2023. A manager can only order his immediate subordinates, and for the subordinates the dictate is First obey, and then argue. Image: Departmental line organization chart. Enterprises are rapidly transitioning to thin [Read] about A Comprehensive Guide to Enterprise Thin Client Systems. The simple organization is adjustable according to the changing business environment. (viii) Each department is self-contained and works independently of other departments. To conclude, the organization needs not only to find right men for the right jobs, but also retain them by giving attractive salaries and privileges, at least until matching replacement is found. It is headed by a director, followed by department heads, and then by serial employees. Your email address will not be published. However, authority does not always translate to effectiveness. b. Communication is fast and easy and feedback can be acted upon faster. He can take a decision according to the requirements of the situation. Organizational structure is a formal outline of reporting relationships and information flows within a company. Storage Discipline: The vertical arrangement of authority and the singleness of responsibility ensures excellent discipline. Line managers make formal decisions within their sphere of authority that directly influence the way a company does business, including production goals, organizational policies and compensation decisions. Functional structure introduces a division into functional departments headed by specialists. This type of organisation is in accordance with the principle of scalar chain. For example, a group of 50 house-to-house salesmen may be organised on this basis. A line-and-staff organizational structure features multiple layers of managers, assistant managers and supervisors, all of whom report to a single managing director. Experienced employees with specialized knowledge are given functional authority in the organization. Hierarchy of Authority Levels 7. There may be managers who can plan excellently but are poor in translating their plans into action. Staff authority refers to advising the people with line authority for better results. 2. When we draw the line it is always straight the only point is it can be either be drawn vertically or horizontally and in the case of the company that follows the line organization structure same thing applies. Line organization structure chart tends to simplify and clarify responsibility, authority, and accountability relationships. Under this system, authority flows from the men at the top to the lowest man vertically. Good and efficient emperors were able to achieve a great deal whereas an inefficient and weak emperor spoilt everything. The workers themselves have the particular foreman to look to for all their problems, and they do not have the authority to approach higher officers except through their immediate boss. Quick decisions and their implementation help to get the benefit of business opportunities. Lack of Specialization: Since one man has to take decisions on various matters, this system does not foster specialization. Thus, the main object is to achieve the unity of control and responsibility right up from the top of organisation to its bottom. As a manager, hes the one who has to communicate the CEOs orders to the. Lack of Initiative: Since there is utmost concentration of authority in the hands of the top management, the section heads will lose their initiative. Branches. Definition, Types, Adopting Reasons, & Pros/Cons, What is Growth Strategy? Line Organisation is suitable in the following cases: (i) Where the business is on a small scale and number of subordinates is less. planning. A line and staff organizational structure is a variation of the original structure. Reference for Business: Line-and-Staff Organizations, TransTutors.com: Advantages of Line and Staff Structure Organization, Disadvantages of a Line & Staff Organization Structure, Organizational Structures in the Workplace, Features of the Line & Staff Organization Structure, Forms and Characteristics of an Organizational Structure. Secondly, there should be only one chain, i.e., command should be received from only one immediate superior. The staff offers specialized/technical suggestions, advice and ideas to the senior management. It can be easily understood by the employees. The adjustments in the organisation can be easily made to suit the changing conditions. Fixed responsibility: Duties and responsibilities are clearly defined for each individual with reference to the work assigned to him. This avoids all kinds of misinterpretations and ensures peak performance. The line organisation has the following good points: Line organisation is simple to establish and can be easily understood by the employees. Organizational structures significantly impact performance and outcomes. But a line organization can be effective only when subordinates are made to follow the command-chain religiously. Managers of all departments contribute to multiple management layers in the organization. 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 |. military, vertical, scalar, departmental organization. Each sub-department is look after by one supervisor and adequate number of workers are working under them. Clearly defined rights and responsibilities of all managers and employees create conditions for quick decision-making. All departmental heads try to run the departments in their own way and according to their suitability. Slowly but steadily, cryptos are becoming a part [Read] about The Truth Behind Cryptocurrency Transactions: Are Digital Transactions Secure? 6. Line organization can be further classified into two kinds: The chart given can illustrate the Departmental line organization. The authority is given with reference to the assignment of task. Hence, nobody is escaped from the responsibility. Also, he alone is accountable for performance of his department. Uploader Agreement. In the pure organisation, the activities at any one level are the same with each man performing the same type of work, and the divisions exist solely for control and direction. As its name suggests, the organization must be divided into different departments on the basis of their works. The advantages of a divisional structure include the following: each specialty area can be more focused on the business segment and budget that it manages; everyone can more easily know their responsibilities and accountability expectations; customer contact and service can be quicker; and coordination within a divisional grouping is easier, The viewpoints of both line and staff of this conflict are given below: A. This kind of authority flows down the line. Unity of Command: Since the workers are responsible only to one superior, unity of command is made possible. Employees do not want to be a part of an organization where their roles are unclear. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. A line organizational structure helps build rapport between senior management and employees. Identification of Authority and Responsibility: . Line or military type of organisation is the oldest type of organisation. v. Prompt Decisions- As the superiors enjoy full authority, quick decisions are taken by them. His task is challenging and he is expected to discharge his responsibility in an efficient way. Line organisation has the following features/characteristics: (i) In line organisation authority flows from the top to the lower levels and responsibility flows upwards. Line managers are vital to the success of any growing business. One of the advantages of the line organization structure is simplicity. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that youve provided to them or that theyve collected from your use of their services. In the line organization, managers have to perform a wide range of functions. Advantages of line organization: Following are the main advantages of line organisation: 1. They are responsible for sharing the information with the rest of the team. (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. Outside of reporting to senior management, each task belongs to individual employees. In this way, responsibility is easily fixed. ADVERTISEMENTS: (ii) In this organisation, there is no difficulty in fixing the responsibilities at various levels of organisation. Required fields are marked *. Any departure from this scheme may create problems. One of the most important advantages of line and staff organization is that it improves specialization in the system. Overload on Managers 2. A group of employees is controlled by one individual. It is also easy to explain to the workers. They have staff wings like intelligence, medical and so on. This is known by different names, i.e. Among the advantages of a line structure, experts most often include: The term military organisation is, therefore, rather misleading. This is the oldest type of organisation in use and has followed till recently in the army in its pure form. A staff function supports the organization with specialized advisory and support functions. Minimum number of employees are required to adopt line organization. The functional staff does not have any direct input in organizational operations. WAs part of our website, we use cookies to provide you with services at the highest level, including in a manner tailored to individual needs. Such decisions are executed promptly also. So, there is a lack of stability in enterprise performance. No employee has more than one manager to order him and no manager can order an employee who is not his subordinate. 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