3. The workload of line officers would be reduced to some extent, It promotes the efficient functioning of the line officers The principles of unity of command are followed in the line and staff organization. It follows the principle of chain of command and scalar chain. (b) Lack of specialization It suffers from lack of specialised skill of experts. They have staff wings like intelligence, medical and so on. Specific people in a department are allowed to utilize their expertise in the functioning of the organization. There is thus a hierarchical arrangement of authority. Besides the straightforward organization system, it also involves staff of different departments. This is known by different names, i.e. 6. vii. This leads to the losing of economies to scale. It is the simplest form of organization and very simple to understand and implement. Improving Line and Staff Relationship 1. The authority should be commensurate with the work assigned. Each department is under the control of a departmental manager who is responsible to the superior over him. Line structure the simplest of all existing varieties of business management structures. Demerits 5. Under this system, each employee is responsible to his immediate superior. Under this system the departmental head is involved in taking and executing various decisions. They are willing to adopt a dictatorial approach. (i) There are many levels of management depending upon the scale of business and decision-making ability of managers. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Advice Ignored: As the staff officers lack authority to put their recommendations into practice, their advice may be ignored by the line executives. Quick Decision-Making In a hierarchical structure, decision-makers don't wait for inputs from other members of the organization before making decisions. 3. General Manager. As its name suggests, the organization must be divided into different departments on the basis of their works. Line personnel command the workers and give feedback. By this method, specialisation is attained. 5. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. This enables a manager to take prompt decisions. This is suitable only for businesses which are run on a small-scale producing only one item and in which the workers are divided into departments according to the type of work performed by each one of them. . So, learning more about different organizational structures, stakeholders and power structures will help you navigate your workplace. There are no better examples than those of history. The leaders follow the line, staff, and functional authority. There may be a good deal of nepotism and jobbery and personal prejudices. (iv) Fixed responsibility Everybody in this type of organisation knows to whom he is responsible, and who are responsible to him. (e) Unitary Administration All decisions relating to a department are taken only by one executive and hence, the successful functioning of that department depends on his abilities. The business unit may be divided into departments headed by departmental heads. Not all managers can come up to this expectation. General Manager. 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. Since the manager has to take all important decisions, he can make changes if new situation warrants. For example, a group of 50 house-to-house salesmen may be organised on this basis. 3. APR what is it and how to calculate it for a loan? about How does a Valuator Value a Business? Advantages and Disadvantages of Line Organization Advantages are: 1. What is Strategy Implementation and How To Implement it? The matrix organizational structure is a hybrid combination of functional and project based organization structures. This type of organization is highly suitable to the small size business organization. Every employee knows his/her position and the level of authority vested with him/her in line organization. It is suitable for concerns. Thus, in the production department, there may be a number of foremen each having a number of workers under him. It represents a direct vertical relationship through which authority flows. Quick Decision and Implementation 3. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Unified Control- Since the orders are given by one superior, there is no confusion among the subordinates. There is scope for favouritism. This structure is suitable for large organizations but not the best choice for small businesses. Each manager knows what he is required to do. Plagiarism Prevention 5. Just as some job functions are best handled by a single individual, some individuals simply work best when they are left alone. One feature of line type of organisation is the existence of superior-subordinate relationship. What Are the Tasks of Organizational Structure? Minimum number of employees are required to adopt line organization. Some of these drawbacks have been discussed here: In line organisation too much is expected from executives. about The Truth Behind Cryptocurrency Transactions: Are Digital Transactions Secure? He can manage his department according to his knowledge and convenience. Line organisation is the basic framework for the whole organisation. 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Line organization is the oldest and simplest method of administrative organization. (4) There is no question as to responsibility or 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. There is no provision for growth and development. Overloading: The success of this system largely depends upon the ability of the top executive. The traditional chain of command makes decision-making more complex and does not allow for much flexibility. His message will first travel up the command-chain (called scalar chain by Fayol) and reach the manager who has authority over production department and the department in which the said subordinate works. Chain of Command in Organizational Structure, Advantages & Disadvantages of an Egalitarianism Company. Specialisation: The staff officers concentrate mainly on the planning function and the line officers on the "doing" function. 4. Good and efficient emperors were able to achieve a great deal whereas an inefficient and weak emperor spoilt everything. The following are the main drawbacks of this system: 1. Though the term Military Organisation still persists in management writing, the reader should note that it has no relationship to modern military establishment. (iv) Where the work is done by automatic machines and less supervision is needed. (v) There is limit on subordinates under one manager. Further it is easier to fix up the responsibility if there is any lapse anywhere in the performance of activities. Required fields are marked *. 4. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); (vitag.Init = window.vitag.Init || []).push(function () { viAPItag.display("vi_1628583994") }). Merits of Line Organisation: The following are the merits of line organisation: (i) Simplicity - It is very easy to establish, operate and explain to the workers. Change is ever-present in the business world, and organizations without a process or plan for managing it often struggle to keep up with today's frenetic pace. It means a subordinate is responsible to only one superior. (c) Scope for Favouritism Since only one executive controls all the activities relating to his department, there is much scope for favouritism and nepotism. 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. Everybody is responsible for his work and is accountable to his boss. It is the oldest form of organization. A disadvantage of a line-and-staff organization is conflict between line and staff personnel. Fixed Authority And Responsibility Each sub-ordinate gets instructions only from his/her immediate superior directly. Moreover, there are a number of suggestions which continuously occur to lower ranks, but these suggestions cannot be utilised because generally the higher officers look down upon the views of their subordinates. The organizational structure of any organization will depend on how far it has grown, who its members are and what tasks they perform. Advice is only theoretical and unrealistic. There is less probability of conflict. The line officers should consider the suggestions of the staff officers. (3) Instructions are given direct from the boss to his subordinate enabling instructions to move in a direct line without any interruption. The subordinates have no doubt regarding the person from whom they receive instructions. The executive may appoint and promote his own men in various positions ignoring the claim of efficient persons. (v) Prompt decision The unification of authority and responsibility ensures quick and prompt decisions. 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. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". This can lead to an increased load on the top management to solve these conflicts. (d) The work is of a routine type and is in continuous process which can be directed with no difficulty. There is a lack of provisions for experts and specialists in the decision-making process. Advantages of Line Organisation: Following are the advantages of Line Organisation: (i) It is the simplest type of organisation which can be defined easily and can be understood by all easily. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. 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. The subordinates start keeping distance from the superiors. The simple organization is adjustable according to the changing business environment. Communication- Communication is fast and easy as there is only vertical flow of communication. Every employee is responsible to his immediate superior. about The Concept of Cryptocurrency Staking and Passive Income Options, about Why Buying Restaurant Chairs in Bulk is a Smart Choice for your Business, about Top 5 Benefits of Identity Verification, about Choosing the Right Tampa Car Accident Lawyer for your Case, about Top Tips for the Best Event Staging: Things to Consider, about 6 Actionable Tips for Women to Ace Wealth Planning, about How To Get Out of Debt and Invest in Your Success, Mintzberg's Organizational Configurations. It for a loan good deal of nepotism and jobbery and personal prejudices is expected executives. The whole organisation from the boss to his knowledge and convenience so, learning more different. Structures, stakeholders and power structures will help you navigate through the website of organisation is the framework! Understand and implement follow the line officers on the top management to solve these.... 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