The key difference between line authority and staff authority is that line authority reflects superior-subordinate relationships characterized by the power of decision making whereas staff authority refers to the right to advice on improving the effectiveness for line employees in performing their duties. Show
What is line authority and staff authority?Line Authority: Managers with line authority are those people in the organization who are directly responsible for achieving organizational goals. ... Staff Authority: Staff authority belongs to those individuals or groups in an organization who provide services and advice to line mangers. What is difference between line and staff?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. A "staff function" supports the organization with specialized advisory and support functions. ... What is the difference between line and staff manager?Line managers are the people responsible of staff managers. For example: an employee has a manager responsible for him. ... The staff managers are responsible of the line managers, they advise them and are not into the final decision making. What is a staff authority?Staff authority is the provision of advice and other services to line managers. People in these staff positions are empowered to assist the line functions (such as production and sales), but do not have any authority over them. What are the five types of authority?There are 13 Different types of Authority
What does line authority mean?Line authority is the power given to someone in a supervisory position to mandate actions by subordinates. ... Examples of managers within a business who have line authority are the controller, engineering manager, production manager, and sales manager. What is a staff relationship?The definition of employee relations refers to an organization's efforts to create and maintain a positive relationship with its employees. ... Typically, an organization's human resources department manages employee relations efforts; however, some organizations may have a dedicated employee relations manager role. What is a line staff organization?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. A line-staff organizational structure attempts to render a large and complex enterprise more flexible without sacrificing managerial authority. What is a staff position?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. Technical staff are specialists, such as engineers and economists. What is a Line Managers role?A line manager is the first layer of management above the front line workers. They're accountable for their department, or part in the business. They manage one or more members of staff and oversee and evaluate employee contribution, performance and development. What is the role of staff manager?A staff manager supervises the income consuming departments or the subordinates in an organisation. A staff manager does not take business decisions and serves in advisory and support roles. A staff manager is responsible for keeping the staff motivated, engaged, well-informed and focused. Is a supervisor a line manager?A supervisor is a first-line manager – someone whose main priority is managing people. ... A supervisor is also responsible for implementing policies designed by the management team, bridging the gap between manager and employee. It is also a supervisor's role to train and mentor the employees working under them. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style Copy CitationShare Share Share to social media Facebook Twitter URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/line-staff-managementGive Feedback Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Your Feedback Submit FeedbackThank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. External Websites Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style Copy CitationShareShare Share to social media Facebook Twitter URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/line-staff-managementFeedbackBy Matthew E. Archibald Table of ContentsRelated Topics:management...(Show more) See all related content → 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. A line-staff organizational structure attempts to render a large and complex enterprise more flexible without sacrificing managerial authority. Classical theories of organization associated with Henri Fayol, Frederick W. Taylor, and others who pioneered new administrative strategies in the late 1800s and early 1900s define formal organizations as collective enterprises identified by a clear division of labour and authority. These theories view decision-making power as flowing from a unified command structure. Relationships between individuals, groups, and divisions are based on lines of authority that are predetermined. Typically, work is carried out in accordance with specialized functions, and authority is exercised in a hierarchical manner. In a highly centralized structure, decisions are made by a few executives or managers and flow downward through the enterprise. However, as organizations grow in scope and complexity, they need to be flexible in the extent to which coordination and control are centrally applied. The principle of line-staff organization introduces flexibility into hierarchical lines of authority while trying to preserve a unified command structure. Line groups are engaged in tasks that constitute the technical core of the firm or the subunit of a larger enterprise. They are directly involved in accomplishing the primary objective of the enterprise. In manufacturing, line groups engage in work related to production. In the service sector, the line group is responsible for its customers. Line groups have final decision-making authority regarding technical organizational purposes. Staff groups are engaged in tasks that provide support for line groups. They consist of advisory (legal), service (human resources), or control (accounting) groups. Staff groups support those engaged in the central productive activity of the enterprise. Thus, staff groups create the infrastructure of the organization. Human resources, information technologies, and finance are infrastructural functions. Staff groups provide analysis, research, counsel, monitoring, evaluation, and other activities that would otherwise reduce organizational efficiency if carried out by personnel in line groups. Staff groups are therefore responsible to their appropriate line units. Although line and staff may operate at different levels of an organization, all positions are defined relative to their line or staff function. Differentiating line and staff functions is straightforward in that it involves identifying the beneficiaries of the activity, product, or service. If the beneficiaries are employees, then it is a staff function. Otherwise, the activity is related to the line organization. By modifying organizational hierarchies to include staff functions, organizational capacity for processing information is increased without sacrificing lines of authority. However, studies indicate that although line-staff innovations may preserve the appearance of formal line authority, staff groups, particularly specialized staff, often in effect assume decision-making responsibilities because their lines of communication to upper management are shorter. This is the case for staff specialists who monitor and report on line performance. The authority of staff specialists may consist of pure advice-giving, or specialists may have the right to pass along directives from upper management to those they do not formally supervise. This naturally leads to power struggles between line and staff. Communication failures, poorly defined responsibilities, and divergent interests create unclear lines of authority that lead to intra-organizational conflict and reduce organizational performance. Clarifying supervisory relationships reduces organizational dysfunction and increases effectiveness. What is difference between line authority and staff authority?Line Authority vs Staff Authority
Line authority is the type of authority that reflects superior-subordinate relationships characterized by the power of decision making. Staff authority refers to the right to advice on improving the effectiveness for line employees in performing their duties.
What is the difference between 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 line of authority?The chain of command within an organization that confers the power to order subordinates to perform a task within their job description.
What is a staff authority?What is Staff Authority? Staff authority is the provision of advice and other services to line managers. People in these staff positions are empowered to assist the line functions (such as production and sales), but do not have any authority over them.
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