Difference between Line and Staff Positions - Coursework Example

Part B: Difference between Line and Staff Positions Introduction One of the most difficult tasks in a business is organizing managers and employees to perfect specified tasks. A business usually begins with one person doing bulk of the work but as the business grows, getting more people becomes a necessity. Through work divisions, individuals become specialists in their chosen field. But because people are working on two completely different tasks, "there must be a plan showing how the work will be organized," (Sexton, 1970); thus, the need to create an organizational structure is born. The formal organizational chart is not a new development though because there is evidence that since 1854 when the development of the New York and Erie Railroad began, organizational charts already existed. Its formulation began when Daniel McCallum, the superintendent of the railroad, designed an organizational chart to solve management inefficiencies. This particular organizational chart resembled a tree with its roots representing top management while the branches and leaves symbolized the staff workers; this showed that subordinates are accountable to the supervisors (Chandler, 1988). But right now, organizations are facing a bigger challenge than ever before. It is critical for them to have a well-defined organizational structure wherein accountability can be transparent. This is where the option between the line position and the staff position comes in. Line Structure This is the traditional structure wherein the focus is on the job function, organizational departments, and the positions in the company. Everything follows the organizational bureaucratic procedures are customs. Line structures have strictly defined authority for different levels of the management. The top down approach is emphasized in this type of organization with any important decisions always coming from the top. The top-down approach is usually used in smaller organizations because the president can easily communicate with employees and delegate tasks. Professional organization such as law firms and accounting firms also use the line structure. There are both advantages and disadvantages in choosing a line structure. Among these include: Advantages: Specialization through function delegation Good problem solving capability Direct instruction and process paths Specialized authority Shorter period for training Disadvantages Demarcation of competencies Possible authority conflicts Filtering of information Requires a large line force Quality control might be compromised because of the lack of specialist Staff Structure: Organizational theories have separated the roles of the line from the roles of the staff. The staff personnel basically derives their authority from their expertise in their field; they become responsible for the administrative, professional, and other assistance to line units responsible for achieving organizational goals. The staff's position gives doesn’t give them the power to impose sanctions to the line units or the authority to give orders. This is because managers are held responsible for the success of meeting an objective. Thus, the managers are given final authority in the decision-making process. Similar to the line organization though, there are also advantages and disadvantages of using line authority organization including (Banerjee, n.d.): Advantages: Performance can be optimized New ideas are generated The staff is specialized in their field (Banerjee, n.d.) Disadvantages: Potential conflict between staff, (are you the boss? mentality) Potential conflict between the manager and staff Possible breakdown in the unity of command The Line-Staff Organization Because of the rapidly evolving workplace though, the distinction between the line position and the staff position is increasingly becoming blurred. Some people from the staff position are becoming more responsible for the company's future as their organizations move towards becoming more information-based and knowledge-based. Information and innovation can contribute a lot to the company's bottom line and many are recognizing the fact that most income-generating ideas might come from the staff. Thus, there is currently a tension between the line position and the staff position because of the increasingly globalized and highly competitive environment. If in the past, the line staff had clearly defined authority and decision-making powers, they are now reduced to doing administrative tasks. This is particularly because people with the staff positions are increasingly being seen as the experts in their field. The line managers' main tasks become centered on general administration and they have no specialized area of expertise. Their personnel are also sometimes more educated than them even though they have the task of overseeing operations. Another problem in the line-staff organizational set-up was that there is the line units have a relatively informal set-up and it lacks organizational work procedures. The worth of the staff personnel are also difficult for them to evaluate since the work of each person is typically integrated into the work of others. At this point, finger pointing and office might come into play. Tension between the Line and the Staff Personnel In studying the tension between the line personnel and the staff personnel though, it is clear that the tension is not their fault; rather, these negative thinking is brought about by the particular situations that they are placed at. The line managers must realize that their authority is not being challenged when those in the staff position are given responsibilities that they feel is rightfully theirs. Line staff managers must also realize that negative thinking will not do them or the company any good. Instead, they need to collaborate with the staff personnel and complete each designated objective successfully. Getting the support of the staff is critical because they are the ones who will create the product or provide the service at the front-line. The tension between the line and the staff personnel is all part of the organizational behavior we can expect when we put people into these types of situations. To some extent, these types of behaviors can even be deemed healthy because it shows that the organization is a dynamic company that is continually evolving. Change will always be met by resistance at first but ultimately, a balance between the responsibility of the line personnel and the staff personnel can be achieved. When you compare the line position against the staff position, it is clear that line employees are people who know how to manage people and prioritize tasks property. Meanwhile, people in the staff position are those who are highly educated and can be deemed experts in their field. However, their expertise might be more technical in nature. Take the example of a programmer, he might be more knowledgeable compared to a manager when it comes to using some programs but he might not have the management capability necessary for managing the whole organization. Conclusion Similar to any reaction to change, the tension that can be found in an organization because of the conflicting tasks between the line personnel and the staff personnel is only normal. The top management or even the outside experts should not treat this as a negative thing because it can provide a learning experience that the entire organization can benefit from. But what the study about the line and staff organizations teaches us is that it is highly critical for a company to put the right people in the right positions. Clearly, some people will excel when they are placed in a line position but they might do poorly when they are placed in a staff position. The opposite might also be true because highly educated people whose expertise is of a technical nature might not do a good job when they are placed in a line position. Companies should create an organizational structure that will reward its employees no matter what expertise they are in. There are many cases when talented staff personnel are suddenly "promoted" to a line position because the management believes that if he is a highly skilled person in his field, he will do well in managing people as well. But while this perception might make sense, it is not always true because just because one person excels in one field doesn't mean that he will also achieve success in another. In my opinion, the question is not asking whether the line position or staff position is better. What you need to answer is which position is better for you based on your preferences and capability. In my current frame of mind, I prefer to be a line staff. This is particularly because you have a greater chance at getting promoted to top management compared to people in the staff position. It is true people placed at staff positions are sometimes more educated but they are usually more inclined to continue with their current work because this is their strong point. References: Agarwal, R.D. (1995). Organization and Management. Tata McGraw-Hill. Banerjee, M. (n.d.). Organizational Behaviors. Allied Publishers. Boynel, C. (1982). The Cumulation of Influence and Authority in Work Organization: A Staff-Line Experiment. Pennsylvania State University, 1982. Chandler, A.D. Jr. (1988). The Essential Alfred Chandler: Essays Toward a Historical Theory of Big Business, Harvard Business School Press, 1988. Golembiewski, R. (1967). Organizing Men and Power: Patterns of Behavior and Line-Staff Models. University of Michigan Publishing, 1967. Lynch, T.D. (1983). Organization Theory and Management. M. Dekker Publishing, 1983. Schmid, H. (1990). "Staff and Line Relationships Revisited: The Case of Community Service Agencies". Retrieved August 8, 2008 from http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/120958-1.html Read More