A system in a military or civil organization by which instructions are passed
from one person to another.
The
definition of Chain of Command is an
official hierarchy of authority that dictates who is in charge of whom and whom
permission must be asked.
An example of Chain of Command is when an Employee
reports to a manager who reports to a Senior Manager who reports to the Vice
president who reports to the CEO.
LEVELS
OF MANAGEMENT.
There
are three general levels of Management: TOP; MIDDLE and FRONT-LINE Managers.
TOP MANAGERS: Top
Managers are in charge of the overall performance and health of the company by
controlling and overseeing the entire organization. They are the ones who set
the goals, objectives, and mission for the company .Top- level executives spend
the majority of their time Planning and decision-making and consistently scan
the business environment for opportunities and threats. Some of their duties
include;
*Set
Company goals and objectives
*Scan
external environment
*plan strategically and
make decisions.
Some examples of top
managers include the following,
Board of directors,
chief executive officer (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO), Chief operating
officer (COO), President and vice president.
MIDDLE MANAGERS:
Middle Managers are responsible for achieving the objectives set by the Top
Managers by developing and implementing activities. They oversee the first line
managers and make sure they are properly executing the activities they set out.
Some of their duties include;
*Report
to top management
*Oversee
first –line managers
*Allocate
resources
*Design, develop and implement
activities.
Some examples of middle
managers include the following:
General managers, department
managers, operations manager, division manager, branch manager and division
manager.
FIRST-LINE MANAGERS: First
line managers are in charge of supervising employees and coordinating their
day-to-day activities. They need to make sure that the work done by the
employees is consistent with the plans that the upper management set out for
the company.
Some
of the duties include;
*Report
to middle managers
*Supervise
employees
*Organize
activities
*Involved
in day-to-day business operations.
Some
examples of a first-line manager include the following;
Department head,
foreman, office manager, section head, shift boss and supervisor.
ADVANTAGES OF A GOOD
CHAIN OF COMMAND
There
are numerous advantages that can come from having a good chain of command, they
are;
*RESPONSIBILITY: Having different areas
of the business can improve accountability by giving everyone a different
responsibility. Everyone has their own supervisor to keep them accountable.
EFFICIENCY: A
functional chain of command helps improve efficiency when communicating with
workers. As a result, this helps them improve workflow and adjusting their
management methods.
CLARITY:
Having
a good company structure makes the chain of command very clear. Furthermore,
this lets everyone know which decisions they are allowed to make and which ones
to present to their supervisors.
EMPLOYEE
MORALE: Companies that have a clear chain of command create
an environment without uncertainty and chaos. It improves the morale of workers
leading to high productivity and low employee turnover.
CAREER
PATH: It makes it easier to create paths for employees and
track their progress toward their goals outlined in their respective areas.
SPECIALIZATION:
Making
employees focus on narrow functional areas can create groups of specialists
that heavily impact the functions of the company.
