2. Objectives
After reading this the student will be able to understand
and :
Explain the line and staff organizational structure
Functional organizational structure
Merits and demerits of the structure
Structures of the organizations
3. The authority flows from the top level to the lower level
of the organization through the line officers while the
staff officer attached to the various departments.
The staff officer are not in a position to compel the line
officers to follow the advise by them. Each department
is headed by a line officer who exercises full authority
regarding the planning.
Line and Staff organizational structure
4. Staff authority is used to support the line authority. Line
and staff organization have both line and staff executives.
Line executives are assisted by staff specialist in planning,
distribution, quality, legal, adult, and public relations etc.
For example, a production manager ( a line authority)
does not have enough time and experience to handle labor
relation problems. Staff helps them in doing so.
Conti..
6. It refers to a pattern in which staff specialist advice line
managers to perform their duties.
Line people will get advices.
The staff people have the right to recommend, but have
no authority to enforce their preference on other
departments.
This origin structure clearly distinguish between two
aspects of administration Planning and execution.
The staff supplements the line members
Staff officers provide advise only to the line officers,
they do not have any power of command over them.
Characteristics:
7. Better Discipline. Better discipline can be maintained in
line and staff organization structure because of proper
unity of command
Flexibility. Line and staff organization is flexible by its
nature
Better Coordination
Decision Efficiency
Balanced Workload
Advancement Opportunity
Advantages:
8. Conflict between Line and Staff Personnel:
ADVERTISEMENT
Lack of Responsibility: There is a lack of responsibility
for staff officials
More Dependence on Staff: The line officers become
habituated for advice on staff
Lack of Co-Ordination
Ineffective Staff
Expensive
Disadvantages:
9. Introduction:
A functional organization structure is a classical
hierarchy in which each employee has a single superior.
Employees are then organized by specialty and work
accomplished is generally specific to that specialty.
Communication with other groups generally occurs by
passing information requests up the hierarchy and over
to the desired group or manager.
Of all the organizational structures, this one tends to be
the most difficult for the project manager.
Functional Organization
10. The project manager lacks the authority to assign
resources and must acquire people and other resources
from multiple functional managers.
In many cases, the project's priority is viewed lower
than operations by the functional manager.
In these organizations, it is more common for the
project manager to appeal to the senior management to
resolve resource issues.
12. Sr. No Merits Demerits
1 Specialization Double Command
2 Better Control Problem of Succession
3 Reduction of work load Delay in Decision Making
4 Higher efficiency Complexity
5 Flexibility Lack of Coordination
6 Easier Staffing Expensive
Merits & Demerits