RUHSA DEPARTMENT, CMC, VELLORE

WORKSHOP ON GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT

ORGANIZATIONAL STAFF STRUCTURE

MEANING:

A staff or organisational structure is a framework for coordinating the activities

of various members of the organisation. Usually the structure of an organisation is
diagrammatically shown in the form of a chart.

TYPES OF ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES:

1. Line organisational structure

2. Line and staff organisational structure
3. Functional organisational structure
4. Independence form of organisation

1. Line Organisational Structure

Project Co.ordinator
|
+-------------------+------------------+
| | |
v v v
Project Project Project
Officer Officer Officer
(Area 1) (Area 2) (Area 3)
| | |
v v v
Field Supervisor Field Supervisor Field Supervisor
| | | | | | | | |
Village Level Village Level Village Level
Workers Workers Workers

- Oldest form
- Authority passes from top to bottom directly through several layers.
- Each subordinate is directly responsible only to his immediate superior.
- Common in many small and medium sized organisations.
- The manager's of departments are given complete authority.

Advantages:

Authority and responsibility are clear and this helps to avoid several organisational
problems.

Disadvantage:

1
 Managers must be familiar with all the diverse activities in his jurisdiction. He may
become overburdened.

Tall Structures:

More levels with fewer staff under each manager.

- Close control
- More promotion opportunities
- Longer time to take decisions
- Communication problems - managers remote from field level
- Unhealthy bureaucracy.

Flat structures:

Few levels with more staff reporting to each manager.

2. Line and staff organisational structure

Health Women’s Adult Income

Programme Programme Education Generation
Coordinator Coordinator Programme Programme
Coordinator Coordinator

Rural
Community Area 1
Officer
Rural
Community Area 2
Officer
Rural
Community Area 3
Officer

- Common form used in modern organisations

- Organisation requires specialists known as `staff'
- Implementors are the `line' people.
- Line people contribute directly to organisational objectives and `staff' contribute
indirectly.
- Services of `staff' are only advisory and they cannot exercise authority over
`line' people.

Advantages:

2
- Specialised services available
- Relieves overload from `line' people
- Manager need not be `jack of all trades'
- Managers can concentrate a more important tasks.

Disadvantages:

Friction between line and staff. To overcome the friction, management should
clearly define their roles and encourage `line' people to use services of `staff'.

3. Functional type of Organisational Structure

Women's Dev. Adult Edn. Health

Co.ordinator Co.ordinator Co.ordinator
\ | /
+-----------------------------------------+
| Rural Community Officer |
+-----------------------------------------+

This type of organisational structure was recommended by F.W.Taylor, who

said' no one supervisor can have the expertise to direct and guide the subordinates'. In
this type of structure, every worker is responsible to several supervisors for a specific
part of his job.

Advantage: Inadequate control, confusion & conflicts.

4. The Independence form

O------------------O
| |
O------------------O

This is a simple organisational form to support independent activities of specialists

with little coordination. It emphasis the individual. It is almost a form of
non-organisation.