There is bound to be conflict between line managers and staff personnel due to the following reasons.
Need for Harmony
There is bound to be conflict between line managers
and staff personnel due to the following reasons.
Divergent
background
Line and staff people, often have different
backgrounds and individual characteristics. Staff people, are generally
younger, better educated, dynamic, and more poised in social interaction than
the line people. This difference in outlook is one of the reasons for discord.
Lack
of demarcation between line and staff
Though theoretically line and staff authority is
clear, often in practice, demarcation between line and staff is rarely clear.
Overlapping of basic functions and a gap could affect personal relationships..
This structure is useful when technology remains static and types of products
are not many. Prof. Drucker has defined this type of organization as
“functional decentralization”. A typical diagram is shown in Fig. 2.1(a). This
structure is useful and advantageous for smaller organizations but difficult
for bigger ones. This structure was found ineffective to face keen competition
in market due to rapid advancement in technology and development of multiple
products.
The
advantages of functional type organizations are
1. Easier budgeting and cost control
2. Better technical control since specialists are
grouped together
3. Flexibility in use of manpower
4. Provide continuity in functional disciplines
5. Better control on personnel
6. Quick reaction capability.
The
disadvantages are
1. No one individual is responsible
for the entire operations / products
2. Does not provide the production – oriented emphasis
3. Coordination becomes complex
4. Does not provide single point contact for customers
5. More response time to the customer
6. Duplication and overlapping of responsibility.
Lack
of proper understanding
Though the authority of line and
staff may be clear, yet in practice, people may fail to understand the exact
nature. They may overstep and this might result in mistrust. 1. For creating harmony among line
managers and staff people, the following are the suggestions: 2. Line people who have the ultimate
responsibility should have authority to make operating decisions. 3. Staff people may be granted functional authority. 4. Persuasion is always better than strict direction. 5. Periodic coordination meeting can solve many
problems. Tags : Human Resources Management - Organization of HRM
Last 30 days 249 views