
Explain Line, staff and functional authority? Line authority: is the relationship in which superior exercises direct supervision over a subordinate. Staff Authority: It is an advisory relationship.
What is Lineline authority and staff authority?
Line authority and staff authority conforms to two types of employees; line staff and staff personnel. The role of line staff and staff personnel are different from one another; thus, the authority levels vary as well.
What are line and staff functions in an organization?
After reading this article you will learn about the line and staff functions in an organization. Line and staff functions indicate the pattern of distribution of authority in an organization. Simply stated, authority is the right to act.
What is the difference between Lineline organization and functional organization?
Line organization operates with a structure where direct lines of authority flow from top management and the lines of responsibility flow in the opposite direction. Functional organization is where the company is divided into smaller groups based on specialized functional areas such as finance, production and marketing.
What is staff authority?
What is Staff Authority? Staff authority refers to the right to advice on improving the effectiveness for line employees in performing their duties. Staff personnel are generally independent employees who do not report to line managers, and they can be external staff who are temporarily employed to perform a particular task.

What is functional authority?
Functional authority is the type of authority or power held by senior employees, wherein they assign an employee for a particular period to accomplish a given task. Most of the time functional authority is given for the temporary tasks or projects and then the employee is sent back to his/her original nature of work.
What is the difference between line staff and functional employees?
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 are the types of authority line staff functional?
3 main types of authority can exist within an organization: Line Authority. Staff Authority. Functional Authority....Each type exists only to enable individuals to carry out the different types of responsibilities with which they have been charged.Line Authority: ... Staff Authority: ... Functional Authority:
What do you mean by line 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 difference between line 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 staff authority and functional authority?
Staff Authority is given to staff managers for giving advice and service to the line managers. Functional Authority is given to a line or staff manager to do a specific job. When the job is completed, the authority is taken back.
What are some examples of functional authority?
For example, in the structure for a bank, the line departments receive their authority through the chain of command connected to the president. The bank's staff departments have functional authority in relation to other departments i.e. authority only in their area of staff expertise.
What are 3 types of authority?
Weber divided legitimate authority into three types:The first type discussed by Weber is legal-rational authority. ... The second type of authority, traditional authority, derives from long-established customs, habits and social structures. ... The third form of authority is charismatic authority.
What are the 4 types of authority?
These are the key types of authority and authority examples in modern society.Founder authority. Founder authority is usually held by the founding member of a group or organization. ... Ownership authority. ... Punitive authority. ... Relational authority. ... Reward authority. ... Results authority. ... Expert authority. ... Reverent authority.
What is the basis of staff authority?
Staff authority refers to the elements and positions that have responsibility and authority for offering advice and services related to the objectives of the organization. Simply said, staff authority is the right to research and give advice to people with line authority.
What is line authority Wikipedia?
line authority. The relationship between an employee and any supervisor or manager who has authority to issue direct orders that the employee must follow. See also chain of command and staff function.
Who is in charge of line authority?
Line Authority refers to the authority exerted by an HR manager by directing the activities of the people in his or her own department and in service areas. It gives managers the right (or authority) to issue orders to other managers or employees.
What is the difference between line and staff organization and functional organization?
The key difference between line organization and functional organization is that line organization operates with a structure where direct lines of authority flows from top management and the lines of responsibility flows in the opposite direction whereas functional organization is where the company is divided into ...
What is a line employee?
Line employees are those directly involved in the daily operations of a business by selling or producing a product or service. These positions can include production, marketing and sales. They are the primary activities of a company and are essential to the basic operations of a business.
What is the meaning of staff function?
A staff function is an alternate function of people in a business that do not partake instantly in an activity as they help the line functions to reach their targets.
Which of the following is a difference between a line function and a staff function quizlet?
Which of the following is a difference between a line function and a staff function? A line function contributes directly to selling a company's products, whereas a staff function does not contribute directly to selling a company's products but instead supports line activities.
What is line and staff?
Organisationally, the line is the chain of command that extends from the Board of Directors through the various delegations and re- delegations of authority and responsibility to the point where the primary activities of the company are performed.
Why was the staff to assist line created?
The use of staff to assist line came into being because of the need to provide special counsel and assistance to the manager who was unable to carry out the demands of his position. Fayol described staff official as “an adjunct reinforcement and sort of extension of the manager’s personality”.
What is line in management?
According to Allen, “line refers to those positions and elements of the organisation, which have the responsibility and authority and are accountable for accomplishment of primary objectives. Staff refers to those elements which have responsibility and authority for providing advice and service to line in attainment of objectives.
What is a staff activity?
All other activities are staff activities. Staff refers to those elements of the organisation which provide advice or service to the line. When one position exists primarily to provide advice or service to another, it is a staff position.
What is line officials?
Line officials are in the chain of command from the highest executive to the lowest position in the organisation. Each successive manager exercises direct line authority over his subordinates. Although the line-staff concept is firmly entrenched in the management theory, the distinction between these two concepts is not very clear in many instances.
Is an industrial engineer a line manager?
Similarly, the marketing manager is also a line manager since he is engaged in selling products of the company. But, an industrial engineer is a staff man. He is not directly entrusted with the task of production. He is required to give specific advice to the production manager.
Is finance a line or staff function?
Similarly, in a hire purchase company, finance is set up as a line function whereas in a typically manufacturing company, finance operates as a specialised staff department. Research in a drug manufacturing company, may be a line function whereas it may be a staff function in many others. Management.
What is the difference between line authority and staff authority?
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. Authority is related to decision–making ...
What is line 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. Main Responsibility.
Why do staff managers complement line managers?
Staff managers complement the work of line managers since line managers can focus more time on routine activities and related decision making when specialized work is carried out by staff personnel.
What is high specialization in staff authority?
High specialization is seen in staff authority. Adaptation to Environment. Line authority is mostly suitable for small and medium scale organizations. Staff authority can bring wider benefits for large-scale organizations.
Why is it important to have both staff and line personnel working together?
It is vital that both line and staff personnel work closely in collaboration to ensure efficiency of operations. However, in practice, conflicts between line and staff personnel can be seen due to sometimes overlapping duties which intern reduces the effectiveness of both.
What is authority in an organization?
Authority is related to decision–making power, which is a key aspect in any type of organization . Line authority and staff authority conforms to two types of employees; line staff and staff personnel. The role of line staff and staff personnel are different from one another; thus, the authority levels vary as well. 1.
What is the role of a line manager?
Line managers are responsible for directing, motivating and supervising employees towards achieving organizational goals. Main responsibility of line staff is to provide expert advice and support to line staff to allow smooth flow of operations. Level of specialization is low in line authority.
What is line and staff function?
Line and staff functions indicate the pattern of distribution of authority in an organization. Simply stated, authority is the right to act. According to Koontz and others (1984), AUTHORITY in an organization is the power in a position to exercise discretion in making decisions affecting others.
What is technical authority?
Technical: Technical-authority which generates from expert or specialist knowledge, e.g. authority of the Entomologist, Soil Chemist etc. In an organization, the authority is exercised by the line. ADVERTISEMENTS:
What are the advantages of line personnel?
The advantages of line personnel are that they have technical knowledge and are closer to the operational area. ADVERTISEMENTS: ii. Staff Function: Staff function is advisory in nature and is meant to assist the line personnel. They think for the head of the organization/office and give necessary support and advice.
What are the sources of authority?
In an organization there may be four sources of authority: 1. Legal: Legal-authority granted by law, e.g. authority of the Director of a department, institution or an organization. 2. Financial: Financial-authority to handle finance and financial matters, e.g. authority of the Comptroller, Finance Officer etc. 3.
Is superfluous staff a liability?
The size of the staff in an organization should, however, the kept to the optim um level, as superfluous staff may be a financial and administrative liability to it. Management, Functions, Delegation, Line and Staff Functions.
What is the difference between functional and line organization?
An organization can be arranged according to a variety of structures, which facilitate the organization to operate and perform. The key difference between line organization and functional organization is that line organization operates with a structure where direct lines of authority flows from top management and the lines ...
What is an organization that operates with clear lines of authority flowing from top management and has lines of responsibility flowing in the opposite
Organizations that operates with clear lines of authority flowing from top management and has lines of responsibility flowing in the opposite direction are called line organization . If the tasks are segregated according to specialized functions, such organizations are functional organizations.
What is functional organization?
A functional organization is a widely used organizational structure in which the organization is divided into smaller groups based on specialized functional areas such as finance, marketing, and production. These functional areas are also referred to as ‘silos’.
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 the functional authority of a personnel manager?
The functional authority of the personnel manager of the general line organization is ordinarily limited to prescribing procedures for the recruiting and selecting of employees but does not include telling departments which candidates are to be selected.
What is functional authority?
Functional authority is the right that is delegated to an individual or a department to control specified processes, practices, policies, or other matters about activities undertaken by persons in other departments.
What is a line manager delegated to?
In such cases, line managers are deprived of some authority. It is delegated by their common superior to a staff specialist or a manager in another department. For example, a company controller is ordinarily given functional authority to prescribe the system of accounting throughout the company, but this specialized authority is a delegation ...
Why are line managers not allowed to exercise their authority?
But numerous reasons — including a lack of special knowledge, a lack of ability to supervise processes, and the danger of diverse interpretations of policies —explain why these managers are occasionally not allowed to exercise this authority. In such cases, line managers are deprived of some authority. It is delegated by their common superior ...
Who has functional authority over the line organizations concerning procedures in the field of accounting, personnel, purchasing, and public relations?
The four staff and service executives have functional authority over the line organizations concerning procedures in the field of accounting, personnel, purchasing, and public relations. What has happened is that the president, feeling it unnecessary to clear such specialized matters personally, has delegated line authority to staff assistants ...
What is a corporation president?
A corporation president, for example, has complete authority to manage a corporation, subject only to limitations placed by such superior authority as the board of directors, the corporate charter and bylaws, and government regulation. In the pure staff situation, the advisers on personnel, accounting, purchasing, ...
