An organization is all about the classification of available activities and allocating it to the employees with the authority to complete it. And yes the coordination and cooperation are also given to the employees along with the delegation of authority.
But there are many types of the organization like functional organization, committee organization. And the line organization about which we are going to discuss in this article of mine.
If you are looking for information regarding what is line organization. Then let me tell you that you have been landed on the right website here.
Because I will be telling you everything you need to know about it like the meaning of line organization etc. But before we proceed to the further part you should know that the organizations are classified as the formal and informal organization.
They both are not the same and there are many differences. If you want to know about the difference between formal and informal organization then follow this link.
What is Meaning of Line Organization?
Under this type of organization, each department is considered as a self-centered and separate unit. A selected person will be head of the department and will have complete control over all the activities of the department. The head of the department will be having the authority to take the decisions regarding his department.
Line organization is the oldest and simplest form of the organization. This type of organization was followed in the military so this is also called as the military organization.
Advantages of Line Organization
The advantages are mentioned below.
1) Simplicity
The line organization is the most simple type of organization and hence the simplicity is maintained. The workers and the employees can easily understand the concept and the relationship with the others without any difficulties.
2) Unity of Command
As each department will be having one head who will be looking after all the work going on. He will be giving the orders to his subordinates. And hence the unity of command is maintained.
3) Quick Decisions
There will be only one head of each department who will be having the power to make decisions. Hence it will not take much time in decision making process will be less.
4) Discipline
The authority in the line organization flows from top level to bottom level so the discipline can be maintained in the organization without any difficulties.
5) Fixed Responsibility
Each employee working has his own area of authority which is clearly explained to him. Therefore each person knows to what job he is responsible for.
Disadvantages of Line Organization
The disadvantages are as mentioned below.
1) Overburden
In this case, the departmental head who is the manager will face difficulties as the size of the business size grows. This is related to the span of control.
Each person or the subordinate working in the department has to report to the manager which will be overburden for him.
2) Scope for Favoritism
The single person will be looking after all the activities of the department so it may result in scope for favoritism. It means the manager may discriminate between the employees or subordinates.
3) Suitability
This type of organization is not suitable for all the business firms. If the size of the business firm is big then it will result in overburden and less work efficiency.
Conclusion
So this was all about what is line organization along with its advantages and disadvantages. I hope you are clear with all the information mentioned in this article. If you have any kind of doubts in your mind then you can comment below.