Line organization structure
- The line executives are generalists and staff executives are specialists and they work together with coordination
- The top-level managers are not overloaded with work. Staff specialists give relief in critical matters.
- There is no concentration of authority at top-level only. ...
What are the advantages of line and staff in an organization?
- Simplicity. It is the simplest form of organization and very simple to understand and implement. ...
- Responsibility is fixed. In this form of organization responsibilities are fixed and defined. ...
- Unified Control. Good control, direction and direction is possible in line organization because of fixed responsibility. ...
- Quick Decision. ...
- Flexibility. ...
What is Line Vs Staff?
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What is staff and line?
Staff and line are names given to different types of functions in organizations. A "line function" is one that directly advances an organization in its core work. This always includes production and sales, and sometimes marketing. A "staff function" supports the organization with specialized advisory and support functions.
What is an organizational structure and why it matters?
What Is An Organizational Structure And Why It Matters An organizational structure allows companies to shape their business model according to several criteria (like products, segments, geography, and so on) that would enable information to flow through the organizational layers for better decision-making, cultural development, and goals ...
What is line organization structure?
Line organizational structure is one of the simplest types of organizational structures. Its authority flows from top to bottom. Unlike other structures, specialized and supportive services do not take place in these organizations. The chain of command and each department head has control over their departments.
What is the meaning of line and staff?
A "line function" is one that directly advances an organization in its core work. This always includes production and sales, and sometimes marketing. A "staff function" supports the organization with specialized advisory and support functions.
What is an example of a line and staff organization?
Staff personnel facilitate the activities of line personnel. For example, a human resources employee is ranked within the staff classification, as is an internal auditor, an accountant, a public relations person, and a risk manager. Line personnel are directly involved in attaining the goals of an organization.
What is line and organization?
Definition of line organization : the part of a business organization that forms an integrated whole concerned with the production of the goods or services that are the stock in trade of the organization —often distinguished from staff.
What are the advantages of line and staff organization?
In line and staff organization, decisions are made by specialists and experts of related field. Therefore, decision making is effective in this type of organization structure. Because of better coordination, specialization and proper division of work, there is balanced work load and less burden to the line executives.
What is the difference between line and staff positions within an organization?
A line position is a position that has authority and responsibility for achieving the major goals of the organization. A staff position is a position whose primary purpose is providing specialized expertise and assistance to line positions. Staff can also be defined by the type of people: technical or support.
What is a line-staff organization?
A line-staff organization is a structure that distributes work responsibilities from upper management to lower-level employees. The managers establish standards for the quality of the work and deadlines for employees to finish their tasks, and they communicate their expectations to the team.
Features of a line-staff organization
There are two major types of features in a line-staff organization. They include:
Tips for implementing a line-staff organization
If you're interested in building a line-staff organization in your company, consider the following tips:
What Is A Line Organizational Structure?
An organization where information is disseminated from one person to the other based on rank and position follows a line organizational structure.
Advantages Of Line Organization
A line organizational structure has many advantages but they depend on the type of business and number of employees.
Disadvantages Of Line Organization
A top-down approach is a rigid structure that can hamper coordination and collaboration.
What Is A Line And Staff Organizational Structure?
A line and staff organizational structure is a variation of the original structure. This structure brings in specialized or supporting staff to aid line executives. For instance, a senior manager can discuss ideas and goals with a chief supervisor.
Understanding Your Culture Fit
Organizational structures significantly impact performance and outcomes. So, learning more about different organizational structures, stakeholders and power structures will help you navigate your workplace. Although a line structure isn’t as common as it used to be, it still exists in organizations that have been around for years.
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What are the features of line and staff?
Features of Line and Staff Organization 1 There are two types of staff :#N#Staff Assistants- P.A. to Managing Director, Secretary to Marketing Manager.#N#Staff Supervisor- Operation Control Manager, Quality Controller, PRO 2 Line and Staff Organization is a compromise of line organization. It is more complex than line concern. 3 Division of work and specialization takes place in line and staff organization. 4 The whole organization is divided into different functional areas to which staff specialists are attached. 5 Efficiency can be achieved through the features of specialization. 6 There are two lines of authority which flow at one time in a concern :#N#Line Authority#N#Staff Authority 7 Power of command remains with the line executive and staff serves only as counselors.
What is relief to line of executives?
Relief to line of executives- In a line and staff organization, the advice and counseling which is provided to the line executives divides the work between the two. The line executive can concentrate on the execution of plans and they get relieved of dividing their attention to many areas.
What are the advantages of line and staff organization?
Coordination among all the personnel of the organization is one of the advantages of line and staff organization. Line authorities involve implementing plans and maintaining control over activities. And, functional authorities involved in providing guidance and suggestions to line authorities. This helps in maintaining better coordination among members of the organization.
What are the limitations of line and staff?
One of the limitations of the line and staff organization is the problem of conflict between line and staff authorities. This problem creates a tense environment and puts a question mark on the development of the working efficiency of the organization.
What is line authority?
The line authorities are given authority to exercise control over the subordinates of their own line departments. The provision of such functional authority in one way saves the time of the general manager, and in another way, facilitates quick and efficient implementation of instructions.
What is over dependent on staff?
In some situations, executives may be over-dependent on staff members for information and suggestions. In a similar way, they make plans in accordance with functional specialists and implement plans according to their own creativity, initiative, and judgment. This may exploit the main theme of line and staff concept and can have a negative impact on the business line to the enterprise.
Can a line manager depend on a functional specialist?
Line managers may depend too much on functional specialists. Line managers may even implement plans in accordance with functional specialists’ advice and suggestions. In such a situation, line authorities may lose their commitment and creativity. And, sometimes they become careless about their responsibilities.
What is line organization?
Line Organization is the form of organization, wherein the authority flows from the person present at the top of the organizational hierarchy to the person working at the lowest level. In line and staff organization, the hierarchy remains same as in the line organization, but specialists are attached to the front line managers to advise ...
What is line executive?
Line executives are generalist. Line executives are generalist and staff executives are specialist. Degree of centralization. Absolute centralization. Partly centralized and partly decentralized. Appropriate for. Small organization with less number of employees. Large organization with a number of employees.
What is the organization in which the authority and responsibility moves downward, and accountability flows upward?
The organization in which the authority and responsibility moves downward, and accountability flows upward, is called line organization . The organization structure, in which specialist are added to the line managers to provide guidance and support, is called line and staff organization. Line executives are generalist.
Why is a structural relationship necessary?
A structural relationship is required to be developed between different departments and the people working in them, for effectively accomplishing the objectives of the organization. And so, formal relationship between the members of the organization is set up, so as to coordinate their efforts.
Is there centralization in line and staff?
There is centralization of authority in a line organization, and so all the decisions of the organization are taken by the top authority only . Conversely, in line and staff organization, there is a combination of centralisation and decentralisation, in essence, some of the decisions are centrally taken while some are diffused.
What is line and staff organization?
According to this structure, the administrative organization which is specialized and performs supportive activities are attached to the line of command done by appointing staff supervisors and staff specialists who are attached to the line authority. The power of command anyway remains with the line executives and staff guides, advises and counsels the line executives.
What is line organizational structure?
Ans. Line organizational structure is one of the simplest and oldest type of organizational structures. Here authority flows from the top to bottom. Unlike other structures, in this type specialization and supportive services were not available.
What is the difference between line and staff?
The final point of difference between the line and staff in some organisations arises from the personality possessed by such individuals who are involved in these groups. Line managers are usually the senior people, and tend to be partially educated, and have risen through the hierarchy of the organisational staff, while specialists are the younger ones, to be much educated, and to have been hired directly into the upper-level staff positions because of their expertise in their field. This difference might be a major source of line-staff conflict.
What are the features of line and staff?
Features of Line and Staff Organization 1 Two types of staff: 2 Staff Assistants 3 Staff Supervisor 4 Line and Staff Organization is a new form of line organization. It is more complex structure than line concern. 5 Division of work and also specialization takes place in line and staff organization. 6 The whole organization is divided into functional areas to which staff specialists are attached. 7 Efficiency can be achieved through the features of specialization by the staff managers. 8 There are two lines of authority which flow at one time in an organization: 9 Line Authority 10 Staff Authority 11 Authority to command remains with the line executive and staff officers serves only as counsellors.
What is the difference between line authority and authority?
Difference 2. Authority. Yet another important difference is the authority. Line authority is considered or visualised as the formal authority which is created by the organisational hierarchy. Staff groups do not get any such recognition.
How are decisions made in a centralized structure?
In a centralized structure, decisions are made by the managers and the decisions are flown downward through the enterprise. However, as an organization grows in scope, complexity increases, they need to be flexible with the control as centrally applied. The principle of line-staff organization introduces this flexibility into hierarchical lines ...
What is the difference between a line organization and a line group?
Purpose. Line Organization’s purpose is to work directly toward the organisational goals, while staff advises, assists and back the line group to work towards the set goals. This is the main difference. Difference 2. Authority.
What is line organization?
Everything you need to know about the line organisational . Line Organisation is the oldest form of organization. This is known by different names, i.e. military, vertical, scalar, departmental organization.
Why is line organisation so simple?
Line organisation is simple to establish and can be easily understood by the employees. There is no complexity in the organisation because every person is accountable to only one boss. Everybody knows his work and also to whom he is responsible. So it can be operated simply and clearly.
What is the oldest form of organization?
This is the oldest form of organization. This is known by different names, i.e. military, vertical, scalar, departmental organization. All other types of organization structure have mostly been either modifications of this organization. The concept of line organization holds that in any organization derived from a scalar process, there must be a single head who commands it.
What is a departmental line organization?
In a departmental line organization, there is a chief executive at the top. Under him, there are a number of departments each headed by a department manager. Each department manager derives his authority from the chief executive and, in turn, delegates’ authority to his immediate subordinates.
What is the simplest form of organisation structure?
It is the simplest form of organisation structure and is also known as scalar or military organisation . Under this, the line of authority flows vertically downward from top to bottom throughout the organization. The quantum of authority is highest at the top and reduces at each successive level down the hierarchy.
What is the chain of command?
It represents a direct vertical relationship through which authority flows. This is the simplest and oldest, known as chain of command or scalar principle. The authority flows from top to the lower levels. Every person is in charge of all the persons under him and he himself is accountable to his superior only.
What is the role of a manager in a line organization?
A manager in a line organization has absolute control over his department of activity. Also, he alone is accountable for performance of his department. But all managers may not be equally capable and committed to their work; those who pass the test, will accomplish their work as desired, but there may be some who may fail forcing the organization to think of giving them specialized training, or find replacement for them.

What Is A Line Organizational Structure?
Advantages of Line Organization
- A line organizational structure has many advantages but they depend on the type of business and number of employees. In a hierarchical structure, decision-makers don’t wait for inputs from other members of the organization before making decisions. They can rely on personal judgment and take a call. This can be effective when organizations are short on time. There are fixed responsi…
Disadvantages of Line Organization
- A top-down approach is a rigid structure that can hamper coordination and collaboration. Most of the work done in a line organizational structure is routine. There is no provision for growth and development. Employees are expected to work on the same tasks without upskilling or learning about other aspects of the business. As all the decisions are made by senior management, empl…
What Is A Line and Staff Organizational Structure?
- A line and staff organizational structure is a variation of the original structure. This structure brings in specialized or supporting staff to aid line executives. For instance, a senior manager can discuss ideas and goals with a chief supervisor. The staff offers specialized/technical suggestions, advice and ideas to the senior management. This b...
Understanding Your Culture Fit
- Organizational structures significantly impact performance and outcomes. So, learning more about different organizational structures, stakeholders and power structures will help you navigate your workplace. Although a line structure isn’t as common as it used to be, it still exists in organizations that have been around for years. Harappa’s Navigating Workplacescourse is a s…