Each sub-ordinate gets instructions only from his/her immediate superior directly. In this way, responsibility is easily fixed. All the employees are performing the same type of work at one level. (a) Overloading The chief disadvantage of the system is that under it too much is expected of the person in authority. If the top. Or, airlifting Indians from strife-torn foreign countries (remember, Libya and Afghanistan). Your email address will not be published. This may also upset the foremens control over his immediate subordinate machine-men (including this particular machine-man) in general. : 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. Advantages of a Line Organization Simple to work Economical and effective. Effective Communication: . Using the website without changing the cookie settings means that they will be stored on your end device. 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. 2. Both line and staff should try to understand each other's responsibilities and difficulties and try to co-operate with each other for the achievement of enterprise objectives. In spite of many limitations, the importance of line organisation cannot be minimised. ul. No one can exchange their duty to others nor can they avoid it. In the departmental line organisation, the general manager may be put in-charge of the whole organisation. Depending upon the requirement, more departmental managers can be added to their existing structure. Organizational structures with no staff management positions must either place responsibility for specialized tasks on line managers' shoulders or use the services of consultants. Each section in charge has direct control over his section. It provides flexibility in the decision making and an immediate decision can be as required. Thus, this system can be successfully practised where: (a) The business is carried on a small scale with a small number of subordinates and operatives. And others may be good at execution but not so when it. General Manager. (vii) There is a hierarchical arrangement of authority. Staff officers do not have the authority to implement their opinions and recommendations without the line officers approval. The executive may appoint and promote his own men in various positions ignoring the claim of efficient persons. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He is not obliged to seek advice or suggestion from his subordinates or any other person. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Survey respondents answered the question, "Please choose the top three leadership The direct relationship is prevailing between the sub-ordinate and immediate superior. How Outdoor Advertising Can Help Your Business Grow, Hybrid Events: How to Make the Most of Stationary and Remote Employees. Last Updated on February 10, 2023 By Methew Harbor Leave a Comment. Fixed Authority And Responsibility The decisions may lack objectivity. There is scope for favouritism. Since the departmental head is almost all-in-all for the activities of his department. One of the major advantages of this organizational structure is the ease of communication between various departments which often leads to more . For example, a group of 50 house-to-house salesmen may be organised on this basis. Finding out your culture fit can help you thrive in the workplace. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. (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. Simplicity. For example, the production department of a spinning mill is divided into different groups and a supervisor is appointed for each group. There are no better examples than those of history. In this blog, we'll explore six benefits of Change Management when . Specialisation: The staff officers concentrate mainly on the planning function and the line officers on the "doing" function. There should be a single line of command. 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. On the contrary, modern approaches strive to enhance employee autonomy and avoid micromanagement. 2. A line organization is hard put to find managers who are good at both, planning and execution. the scale of the business and the size of the products produced; the ways in which goods and services are sold; the amount of capital, available resources, etc. (iii) There is clear-cut identification of authority and responsibility relationship. 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. Responsibility is fixed. If they are not able the enterprise will not be successful. The line officers and staff officers perform their specific functions to contribute to the overall operation. The line officers should consider the suggestions of the staff officers. They are not provided with an opportunity to put forward their view point or problems or suggestions to persons at the top level. Besides age, health is one of the biggest factors [Read] about Can a Healthy Lifestyle Save Money on Life Insurance? If superiors take a wrong decision, it would be carried out without anybody having the courage to point out its deficiencies. (c) Scope for Favouritism Since only one executive controls all the activities relating to his department, there is much scope for favouritism and nepotism. The line organisation has the following important merits not usually found in other types of organisation: (i) Simplicity It is the easiest to establish and simplest to explain to the employees. It is simply used to indicate the straight flow of authority resembling the line of command in a combat unit. One cannot defy the claim. Line and staff structure is adapted by medium to large organizations with several employees. Understanding the difference in the role of staff and line functions makes the best use of the workforce within the organization. Line organization can be further classified into two kinds: The chart given can illustrate the Departmental line organization. One feature of line type of organisation is the existence of superior-subordinate relationship. There is a direct link between the superior and his subordinate, both can communicate properly among themselves. Advantages and Disadvantages of Line Organization. Line managers plan, and staff helps in execution and betterment. The line organisation structure is given below: Advantages of Line Organization: a. Also, he alone is accountable for performance of his department. 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. Economical: Of all the systems of organization, it seems to be more economical because it is less elaborate and less complicated. Co-ordination: . (iv) Staff authorities feel that they do not have authority to get their ideas implemented. Hence, discipline can be maintained there. (iv) Fixed responsibility Everybody in this type of organisation knows to whom he is responsible, and who are responsible to him. 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. They feel that their suggestions may not carry weight with their superiors so they avoid taking any type of initiative. Unified Control- Since the orders are given by one superior, there is no confusion among the subordinates. Specialisation: The staff officers concentrate mainly on the planning function and the line officers on the "doing" function. Therefore, it is unsuitable for large-scale business enterprises having modern business activities. The people may be assigned departments according to their expertise and need in the department. Clearly defined rights and responsibilities of all managers and employees create conditions for quick decision-making. Staff manager acts as a support system to the line executives by providing information and advice to the line executives. Following this organizational system reduces the burden on line officers. It is the oldest form of organization. 3. (b) The methods of operation are straight and simple so that the management, with the help of automatic machinery, can conduct its operations without depending much upon the intelligence of foreman; (c) It is not difficult to handle problems pertaining to the labour management; and. (4) Line Manager may Take Decisions Arbitrarily: A line manager has authority to make decisions. The authority should be commensurate with the work assigned. The line organization has the following advantages: 1. Since they often have expertise in their industry, they can support the work of line employees without close supervision, which is common in line organizational structures. (d) The work is of a routine type and is in continuous process which can be directed with no difficulty. Simplicity: This system is very simple and can operate very easily. Structure is a valuable tool in achieving coordination, as it specifies reporting relationships (who reports to whom), delineates formal . Surajs workplace follows a hierarchy. If, therefore, something happens to an efficient manager, the future of the department and of the concern as a whole would be in jeopardy. Merits of Line Organization: Simplicity: Line organization is simple to establish and can be easily understood by the employees. 5. It is not possible to achieve the advantages of specialisation in all fields. The improper distribution of authority and responsibility can create problems within the organization. 2. Again, no departmental head can pass on a message directly to a subordinate of another department. Every person in the organization is only accountable to his superior who has delegated authority to him, and to none else. And so it goes on. One of the most important advantages of line and staff organization is that it improves specialization in the system. Since all work is done according to the wishes of one person alone, the efficiency of the whole department will come to depend upon the qualities of management displayed by the head of that department. However, authority does not always translate to effectiveness. This is the simplest and the oldest type of all organisational forms and is popularly called or known as military organisation. It is suitable for concerns. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Each employee is answerable to only one boss, so there is accountability, and every employee knows what is expected of him or her. planning. Due to the fact that decision-making authority is. There is no provision for growth and development. The lack of communication creates many problems for the smooth conduct of business. They may even start relying on their seniors for orders instead of stepping up to the task. The line organization structure is very simple to understand and simple to operate. Simplicity: This system is very simple and can operate very easily. The staff officers help the line officers in making decisions through their expertise. With Characteristics, Types of Line Organisation, Advantages, Disadvantages and Suitability, (ii) There is concentration of authority at the top. It explains the tasks of every worker in an organization. 2. 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. They can rely on personal judgment and take a call. A line organization is easy to establish. Advantages of this structure may include: Fosters open dialogue Flexible workplace environment Disadvantages of this structure may include: Leadership confusion Conflicting leadership loyalties Potentially more costly Roles may not be clearly defined Potentially heavy employee workload What are the benefits of organizational structures? Unified Control. line-staff organization, in management, approach in which authorities (e.g., managers) establish goals and directives that are then fulfilled by staff and other workers. about What Fabric Choices Work Best for Printed Dresses? And others may be good at execution but not so when it comes to planning. (e) Discipline Singleness of responsibility and control ensures strong discipline among the employees. about A Comprehensive Guide to Enterprise Thin Client Systems. Each manager in the line organization has an independent status and can take a quick decision within his authority. Thus, in the production department, there may be a number of foremen each having a number of workers under him. The system can be followed successfully only- (a) in small businesses with a small number of subordinates, (b) in routine type of concerns, (c) in industries where continuous processes are followed, for example, sugar industry, and (d) in industries where automatic machinery is installed, so that the foreman is not called upon to exercise his judgment frequently. Everybody knows his work and also to whom he is responsible. 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. As there is clear definition of authority-responsibility of each employee, and because the unity of command is strictly observed, it becomes possible for managers to make quick decisions and get them implemented double-quick. (vi) Flexibility Since each executive has sole responsibility in his own position and sphere of work, he can easily adjust the organisation to changes in the business situation. 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? Staff-line structure a developed version of the linear structure, in which the vertical nature of the links remains unchanged, but the manager has at his disposal the so-called staff, which is a group of people acting as advisers. Clear-cut division of authority and responsibility- The authority and responsibility of every person is clearly defined. All advantages of line organisation and employees create conditions for quick decision-making to persons at the top level the contrary, approaches! 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