Line Authority
Line authority refers
to those positions and elements of the organisation which have responsibility
and authority are accountable for accomplishments of primary objectives
Purpose:
1.
provides
the basic decisions required for operating the enterprise
2.
makes
leadership effective by establishing authentic channels of communication.
3.
provides
point of reference for the approval or rejection of proposals
4.
serves as
a means of control by setting limits to the scope of managerial actions.
Staff Authority
Staff refers to those
elements which have responsibility and authority for providing advice and
services to line in attainment of objective.
Types:
a.
General
staff
b.
Personal
staff
c.
Specialised
staff
Functional Authority
It is a means of putting the staff
specialisation top position for the entire enterprise and it confers upon the holders a limited
power to command over the people of different departmnets concerning their
functions
Conflict between Line and Staff Authority
Suggestions for improvement of line and staff
relationship
1. The line of
demarcation between line and staff members should be clear.
2. Qualified and
trained personnel should be placed on staff positions
3. line managers
should give due consideration to staff suggestions.
4.Line and staff
members should operate in terms of policies and objectives.
5. Staff member should agree the difficulties in
implementing new ideas.
